OSAKA, Japan, March 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Gyo Sagara; "Ono") today announced that it entered into a five-year, university-wide strategic research alliance agreement with Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, USA; "Harvard") aiming at validating novel therapeutic targets.

In this alliance, as part of our ongoing open innovation initiative to collaborate with external partners, the request for proposals will be for research projects focused on the validation of novel therapeutic targets from labs across Harvard University in Ono's priority research areas of oncology, immunology, neurology, and specialty with high unmet medical needs. Working together with Harvard's Office of Technology Development (OTD), Ono will support and fund research projects that are jointly selected. With the combined expertise and resources of both Ono and Harvard, this strategic alliance will promote our innovative drug discovery efforts.

Ono has been dedicated to the drug discovery and development of innovative drugs, focusing on priority areas of oncology, immunology, neurology, and specialty areas to fulfill unmet medical needs. Ono has generated a number of innovative medicines, by proactively promoting "open innovation" by working with external partners. Through our unique drug discovery approach based on open innovation, we will be committed to creating innovative drugs.

"We are pleased to work together with Harvard University, a leading institution developing cutting-edge technologies and advancing research through strategic alliances such as this one," stated Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research at Ono Pharmaceutical. "Our alliance with Harvard University leverages the complementary strengths to accelerate the validation of novel therapeutic targets that would lead to the discovery of new drugs. We will continue to work hard to deliver innovative drugs for patients with unmet medical needs."

"Harvard's alliance with Ono underscores the university's commitment to advancing our understanding and treatment of some of today's most pressing health issues," stated Vivian Berlin, Executive Director, Harvard Medical School in Harvard's Office of Technology Development. "The alliance will support research projects that pave the way for a future where complex diseases are better understood and more effectively treated."

"Strategic alliances  bring together academic discovery with industrial capabilities," stated Isaac Kohlberg, Senior Associate Provost and Chief Technology Development Officer at Harvard University. "Not only accelerating the translation of groundbreaking discoveries into tangible innovations but also enriching academic research with real-world applications."

About Harvard University's Office of Technology Development

Harvard's Office of Technology Development (OTD) promotes the public good by fostering innovation and translating new inventions made at Harvard University into useful products that are available and beneficial to society. Our integrated approach to technology development comprises sponsored research and corporate alliances, intellectual property management, and technology commercialization through venture creation and licensing. More than 100 startups have launched to commercialize Harvard technologies in the past 5 years. To further bridge the academic-industry development gap, Harvard OTD manages the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator and jointly oversees the Harvard Gridand the Climate and Sustainability Translational Fund. For more information, please visit https://otd.harvard.edu.