image: Hinge Therapeutics and TUT enter collaboration to advance drug discovery by ion imaging. view more
Credit: COPYRIGHT (C) TOYOHASHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Hinge Therapeutics is an early-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing small-molecule therapeutics against traditionally undruggable/challenging targets for unmet medical needs. The company's proprietary Hinge Drug Discovery Platform has generated several novel small molecule compounds against targets which have previously only been addressed by large molecules such as antibodies and siRNA. Working with OPERA, The Program on Open Innovation Platform with Enterprise, Research and Academia, this innovative TUT ion imaging technology will collapse the time required from drug discovery to development of new therapeutics. The agreement will provide access to the unique ion imaging technology and intellectual assets surrounding, and provide rapid identification and validation of challenging molecules.
"We are very excited to be part of the new ecosystem we are trying to create. This agreement will foster innovations in both Japan and the US. We believe this innovative ion imaging technology can expedite our process and uncover new therapeutics for previously difficult targets", commented Akiko Futamura, CEO of Hinge Therapeutics. Based in Los Angeles, CA.
"My research field is in the development of various sensors that combine integrated circuit technology and sensor technology. A bio-image sensor, which can directly see the distribution and movement of ions as an image, is one of my significant achievements. I would like to contribute to society by applying this technology to disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and advancement in the field of brain science, etc. ", said Professor Kazuaki Sawada of Toyohashi University of Technology and General Manager of the OPERA multimodal sensing technology consortium program. Based in Toyohashi, Japan.
The novel semiconductor array pH image sensor will provide deeper analysis of tissues and provide more in-depth functional analysis capabilities, vastly increasing the speed and throughput for target discovery. Through the OPERA industry and academia partnership program, Toyohashi University of Technology will accelerate joint research and development with Japan and global partners for the commercialization of ion imaging technology.
Hinge Therapeutics will integrate Ion Imaging technology to its proprietary Hinge Drug Discovery Platform, in areas including immune-oncology, rare disease, and neurological disease.
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About OPERA:
Program on Open Innovation Platform with Enterprises, Research Institute and Academia
Funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
In order to promote new major industries in this program, industry and academia collaborate on planning a "technology and system innovation scenario", and the program promotes R&D based on this scenario executed by their tight collaboration. we aim to enhance industry-academia partnership concerning basic research and human resources development, and to develop open innovation in our country.
REFERENCE
* https://www.tut.ac.jp/english/newsletter/contents/2017/11/features/features.html
* https://www.tut.ac.jp/english/
* https://www.jst.go.jp/EN/programs/funding.html
* https://opera.tut.ac.jp (Japanese)
Video
* Label-free visualization of cell activity by "Ion Image Sensor" (with English subtitle)
https://www.tut.ac.jp/english/newsletter/contents/2017/11/files/features_movie.mp4
* Hinge Therapeutics Futamura CEO interview - SPECTRUM NEWS1