Eisai collaborates on psychiatric disorder research

Eisai is to work with US-based translational medicine company Aestus Therapeutics to develop novel treatments for psychiatric disorders.

The companies’ multi-year collaboration will entail pre-clinical validation of potential therapeutics leading to clinical proof-of-concept studies.

Tage Honore, chief executive and co-founder of Aestus, said: “Aestus is delighted that this collaboration with Eisai combines our strengths in this groundbreaking work to develop novel therapies for people affected by psychiatric disorders.

“Eisai’s proven talent and expertise will enable us to move drug candidates through the clinical development process efficiently with the goal of bringing innovative new treatments to the market place. It is our hope that the products we discover through this collaboration will improve the quality of life for the millions of sufferers of psychiatric disorders and their families.”

Through its proprietary analysis of gene expression data sets, coupled with biological pathway mining on data from relevant disease models, Aestus has previously identified products with the potential to treat certain psychiatric disorders.

With its partnership with Eisai, Aestus will now test these products to identify the best candidates for potential subsequent development in clinical trials.

The Aestus proprietary technology advances the search for viable products to treat psychiatric disorders in a manner different from modifying the effect of the so-called biogenic amines, the traditional therapeutic approach for these disorders. Its technology particular applications when truly novel mechanisms are needed for the treatment of complex disorders.

Ben Adams