31 December 2018 - - Israel-based Yissum, the Technology Transfer Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Japan-based prescription drug developer Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., have forged a strategic collaboration in the discovery of respiratory drug therapies, the principals said.

Under the collaboration, Kyorin will sponsor a research program led by Prof. Francesca Levi-Schaffer of Hebrew University's Institute of Drug Research in the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and advance its own drug discovery research with the outcome from the program.

Prof. Levi-Schaffer specialises in the area of immunopharmacology for allergies. Her research focuses on mast cells and eosinophils, the main effector cells in allergic diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis.

Kyorin focuses on R and D and commercialisation of prescription drugs, and respiratory field is positioned as one of its franchises.

In the new partnership, Kyorin and Prof. Levi-Schaffer will collaborate and screen for new drugs based on her expertise of allergic inflammation.

As such, new potential targets for the suppression of asthma and other related indications will be identified.

For Kyorin, this international network with academic collaboration in research is significant and this opportunity to form cooperative research relationships for first-in- class drugs on various respiratory diseases will enhance our research capabilities for drug seeds discovery.

Trusted among patients and professionals in the medical industry, Kyorin strives to be a company that contributes to the public health and is recognized as a one with social significance by improving its presence in specified therapeutic areas and through global discovery of novel drugs.

Kyorin uses its sales and marketing strategy in focusing on respiratory, otolaryngology and urology, and concentrates resources on the innovative drug discovery activities in its own research, with supplementing and strengthening external drug discovery programmes and technology platforms from academic institutions, venture start-ups, and domestic and international drug discovery companies, as open innovation partnership.

Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it is the third company of its kind to be established and serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry.

Yissum's mission is to benefit society by converting extraordinary innovations and transformational technologies into commercial solutions that address our most urgent global challenges.

Yissum has registered over 10,000 patents covering 2,800 inventions; licensed over 900 technologies and has spun out more than 135 companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Boston Scientific, Google, ICL, Intel, Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Microsoft, Novartis and others.