How Japan’s biggest biotech is pioneering new peptide-based drugs paid JapanGov
What if we could take a library of trillions of molecules to create a new generation of medicines offering unprecedented power in fighting diseases like cancer? That’s exactly what Japan’s biggest biotech company is doing, and it’s already showing some promising results. PeptiDream is not just a bio venture—it’s creating brand new peptide pharmacy.
Peptides have been used as powerful medicines in the past—insulin is the most famous example—but new technologies are opening up huge new opportunities to develop these compounds. Our bodies create proteins from a group of 20 building blocks that are often described as natural amino acids. They include glutamine, which is found in dietary sources such as meat and vegetables and is used to make proteins.
“Antibodies are limited in terms of using them in combination, and small molecules can cause liver toxicity, so you can’t give a patient, say, three or four small molecules,” says Reid. “Because macrocyclic peptides are just made of amino acids, they’re very natural. It’s almost like having biodegradable bags at the grocery store.
“Clients were paying us to do drug discovery and from 2011 we were already profitable,” says Reid. “We now have over 90 drug discovery programs. Things are going well and we expect a large wave of compounds to move into clinic in the next few years.”Born in the U.S., Reid earned a PhD at Dartmouth Medical School before moving to the University of Tokyo in 2004.
“In the U.S. and Europe, we probably would have been pressured to borrow funds in order to grow faster,” he says. “Many companies in the U.S. with internal pipelines fail due to time and pressure constraints. They burn a lot of money very quickly. We took the position that our platform could work for any drug target, so instead of picking one or two, we decided to work on as many targets as possible with as many partners as possible. We couldn’t do that in the U.S.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tyson's stock jumps after introducing new plant-based nuggets, 'blended' burgersShares of Tyson Foods Inc. rallied 1.7% in premarket trade Thursday, after the meat producer said it was entering the alternative protein market, as it...
Read more »
Trump to sign executive order to streamline regulations on biotech plants: SourcesLarry Kudlow says the U.S. economy will keep growing at a strong pace this year despite the weakness seen in recent economic reports.
Read more »
The Latest: Japan: 2 struck tankers had Japan-related cargoDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on Mideast developments amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region (all times local): 12:50 p.m. Japan's Trade Ministry says the two...
Read more »
The Latest: Japan: 2 struck tankers had Japan-related cargoDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on Mideast developments amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region (all times local): 12:50 p.m. Japan's Trade Ministry says the two...
Read more »
Forsaken transgender pioneers recognized 50 years after StonewallAs the 50th anniversary of Stonewall approaches, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are receiving a belated measure of recognition in death that coincides with a growing awareness of transgender rights.
Read more »
Federal government to use Army base in Oklahoma to shelter migrant childrenThe Office of Refugee Resettlement said Tuesday it's dealing with a dramatic spike in the number of children crossing the border without parents.
Read more »