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Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Taiho Pharmaceutical”), announced today a collaboration agreement with Guardant Health, Inc. (hereinafter “Guardant Health”) to discover new biomarker signatures by leveraging Guardant Health’s “GuardantINFORM^TM” platform for multimodal analysis of real-world data.

This collaboration aims to discover new biomarker signatures with clinical and biological significance for addressing unmet needs in early-stage recurrent cancer, where the presence of microscopic cancer cells remaining in the body after surgery is a cause of recurrence. This collaboration leverages unique multimodal and longitudinal cohorts within GuardantINFORM, including those with minimal residual disease (MRD) testing.

This initiative is expected to support the development of treatments for patients at high risk of recurrence and lead to new and clinically relevant approaches enabling medical interventions at an early stage of cancer. The collaboration has an overarching goal of driving significant progress in overcoming cancer.

Taiho Pharmaceutical has a strong track record of developing multiple investigational and approved drugs in Japan, the US, and Europe by utilizing its proprietary “Cysteinomix drug discovery” which enables the creation of drugs that bind specifically and strongly to drug targets. By further analyzing the novel gene signatures identified through this collaboration and integrating these insights with the Cysteinomix drug discovery platform, we anticipate substantial potential to develop precise and effective treatment approaches for new drug targets that were previously difficult to discover.

Takeshi Sagara, Taiho Pharmaceutical’s Executive Director, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Discovery & Preclinical Research, said, “We believe that future anticancer drug discovery focusing on research and development not only for advanced cancer but also for early-stage recurrent cancer, with an eye on the patient's journey, will lead to long-term survival and ultimately the overcoming of cancer. Through our collaboration with Guardant Health, we aim to identify and develop biomarker signatures, that arise in early-stage recurrence and contribute to the creation of next-generation treatment methods.”

Cysteinomix drug discovery is Taiho Pharmaceutical’s original drug discovery technology designed to continuously generate covalent drugs targeting a variety of proteins that contain cysteine. Covalent drugs are pharmaceuticals that irreversibly control the function of target proteins by forming covalent bonds with them. These drugs consist of a ligand that binds to a protein pocket and a reactive group that forms a covalent bond with a specific amino acid. The Cysteinomix drug discovery platform is composed of a target protein database, a covalent compound library, and various compound evaluation systems, among other components. To date, this platform has successfully led to the creation of several pipelines.

Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. (https://www.otsuka.com/en/), is an R&D-driven specialty pharma focusing on the fields of oncology and immune-related diseases. Its corporate philosophy takes the form of a pledge: “We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles.” In the field of oncology, in particular, Taiho Pharmaceutical is known as a leading company in Japan for developing innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, a reputation that is rapidly expanding through their extensive global R&D efforts. In areas other than oncology, as well, the company creates and markets quality products that effectively treat medical conditions and can help improve people’s quality of life. Always putting customers first, Taiho Pharmaceutical also aims to offer consumer healthcare products that support people’s efforts to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives. For more information about Taiho Pharmaceutical, please visit https://www.taiho.co.jp/en/