Success Stories
Making Waves with Sonic
The and Japan’s have made advances in addressing ocular issues affecting the Asian population, and an expanded partnership is in sight.
The partners first came together in 2017, setting up the Santen-SERI Open Innovation Lab (SONIC) with a joint investment of S$37 million over five years. The partnership was supported by òòò½Íøgovernment agencies such as the Biomedical Sciences Industry Partnership Office (BMSIPO), the Economic Development Board (EDB) and institutes of higher learning. More than 52 employees were involved in SONIC, including 29 Principal Investigators who led the research projects.
“During this period, Santen developed a novel atropine formulation that slows myopia progression. The product is undergoing further development in Japan and China,” explains Dr Masaaki Kageyama, Santen’s Head of Discovery Research & Senior Principal Scientist, Ophthalmology Innovation Center.
“In addition, the collaboration resulted in the discovery of a next-generation anti-myopic compound that is under pre-clinical development, and novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of glaucoma subsets.”
The fruitful collaboration was made possible by mutual trust and positive rapport between SERI and Santen Pharmaceuticals. “Our partnership with Santen has been built on transparency and respect,” says Dr Denise Teoh, SERI’s Deputy Director for Industry Partnerships and Strategic Programmes.
“Because of that, it has been easy to identify potential challenges together and resolve them,” she adds.
Moving forward, Japan’s Santen Pharmaceuticals is looking to expand on the partnership to develop new products that help patients with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Santen is keen to leverage technology, focusing on lab automation using robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate its drug delivery process, says Dr Kageyama.
Keen to explore a public-private research collaboration?
The partners first came together in 2017, setting up the Santen-SERI Open Innovation Lab (SONIC) with a joint investment of S$37 million over five years. The partnership was supported by òòò½Íøgovernment agencies such as the Biomedical Sciences Industry Partnership Office (BMSIPO), the Economic Development Board (EDB) and institutes of higher learning. More than 52 employees were involved in SONIC, including 29 Principal Investigators who led the research projects.
“During this period, Santen developed a novel atropine formulation that slows myopia progression. The product is undergoing further development in Japan and China,” explains Dr Masaaki Kageyama, Santen’s Head of Discovery Research & Senior Principal Scientist, Ophthalmology Innovation Center.
“In addition, the collaboration resulted in the discovery of a next-generation anti-myopic compound that is under pre-clinical development, and novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of glaucoma subsets.”
The fruitful collaboration was made possible by mutual trust and positive rapport between SERI and Santen Pharmaceuticals. “Our partnership with Santen has been built on transparency and respect,” says Dr Denise Teoh, SERI’s Deputy Director for Industry Partnerships and Strategic Programmes.
“Because of that, it has been easy to identify potential challenges together and resolve them,” she adds.
Moving forward, Japan’s Santen Pharmaceuticals is looking to expand on the partnership to develop new products that help patients with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Santen is keen to leverage technology, focusing on lab automation using robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate its drug delivery process, says Dr Kageyama.
Keen to explore a public-private research collaboration?
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