Ono and Galapagos Sign an Additional Target Discovery Agreement

Galapagos NV and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. have announced that they have signed an additional collaboration agreement focused on discovering novel targets in the field of allergic diseases including atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma.

In the new agreement, Galapagos’ service division BioFocus will use its SilenceSelect® platform to deliver validated targets to Ono.

Ono aims to find modulators for these targets and generate novel drug candidates. Financial details were undisclosed.

“We are delighted with the success of our relationship with Ono,” said Dr Chris Newton, SVP Galapagos Services and Managing Director BioFocus.

Dr Newton continued, “The start of a new collaboration one year after the first one is testament to our target discovery platform and the strength of our partnership.”

Kazuhito Kawabata, Ph.D., Member of the Board of Directors, Executive Officer and Executive Director, Discovery and Research of Ono commented: “This new project builds upon a novel human primary cell-based assay developed by BioFocus in the field of allergic diseases, an area with significant unmet medical needs. We are excited to apply BioFocus’ target discovery platform to discover and validate novel drug targets.”