Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corporation Invests in EVerMed Inc.
Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corporation (Head Office: Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Katsuya Okuyama) (“SPI”) has invested in EVerMed Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Naoto Matsuda) (“EVerMed”), which develops novel extracellular vesicle (“EV”) therapeutics for respiratory diseases.
EVerMed Inc. is a biotech startup founded based on the research of Dr. Yu Fujita of the Division of Next-Generation Drug Discovery Research at the Jikei University School of Medicine (Tokyo Japan) on the use of EVs to treat intractable respiratory diseases.
EVs are lipid membrane bound vesicles of tens to hundreds of nanometers and are secreted by cells, and they are known to play a role in intercellular signaling. They include multiple cargo molecules such as proteins and microRNA. EV therapeutics are a novel pharmaceutical modality that utilizes this biological intercellular signaling mechanism. Instead of recent small molecule and antibody drugs that act on a limited number of targets, EV therapeutics allows for the simultaneous action of multiple molecules on multiple targets, and is therefore expected to lead to the development of new therapeutic agents for diseases that have been difficult to treat.
However, some challenges to accomplishing EV therapeutics exist, such as developing stable EV-producing cells and establishing consistent EV production processes and robust analytical systems. Therefore, many efforts are underway to resolve these challenges through industry, academia, and government collaboration.
SPI is a provider of high-quality integrated products and services to the pharmaceutical industry, from research equipment and bioresources for drug discovery, pharmaceutical licensing and research alliance support, to manufacturing of APIs, intermediates for pharmaceuticals, generic drugs and biologics. SPI is 100% owned subsidiary company of Sumitomo Corporation which is one of the leading global trading companies with 107 locations in 64 countries and 20 locations in Japan (as of April 1, 2024) with diverse range of products and services and plays a central role in the pharmaceuticals business line as a group company of Sumitomo Corporation. In the field of EV therapeutics, SPI has involved EV therapeutics supporting businesses by offering EV-producing cell processing services, GMP/GLC compatible safety and viral clearance testing services, and EV contract manufacturing services. SPI has good track records in this field and has accumulated various experiences and know-how. SPI has already established a business partnership with EVerMed, but this investment will further strengthen this relationship. Utilizing SPI’s global network, experience, etc., SPI aims to accelerate business in the EV therapeutics field.
[EVerMed Inc.]
Headquarter ： 3-25-8, Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative ： CEO Naoto Matsuda
Founded ： April 15, 2024
Business description : Promote practical application and commercialization of pharmaceutical seeds for intractable respiratory diseases
URL ： http://evermed.jp/
[Contact Info]
Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corporation
Discovery & Alliance Coordination Dept. New Modalities Support Group
Tel: +81-3-5220-1560
Mail: alliance@summitpharma.co.jp
