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Astellas and MEDISO Partner to Support Startup Innovation

Startups

Business Honor
17 June, 2025

Astellas and MEDISO empower Japanese drug-discovery startups with facilities, expertise, and global collaboration support.

As part of its strategic partnership with the objective of enhancing Japan's position as a worldwide leader in drug discovery, Astellas Pharma has partnered with startups under the MEDISO acceleration program. The program, run by the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) on behalf of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, seeks to connect innovative life sciences technology and its practical implementation in the pharma sector.

Since 2018, MEDISO has played a vital role in guiding drug-discovery startups through the challenging process from R&D to market entry. The new collaboration with Astellas Pharma will offer startups the opportunity to access advanced office and lab facilities at SakuLab-Tsukuba, within the Astellas Tsukuba Research Center. The collaboration does more than offer bricks and mortar—it will offer startups access to Astellas' deep experience, research strength, and global network.

The start-ups in the program will also be supported through consultation and collaboration with Astellas scientists, learning insights into the process of commercialization. Mitsubishi Research Institute executive officer Hirofumi Suzuki pointed out how outside expertise can be at the center of driving drug-discovery startups from initial research to global development. Early engagement with established pharma companies such as Astellas can be a major make-or-break factor in the commercialization of novel therapeutics.

This collaboration is a significant step toward creating the development of innovative startups for Japan's life sciences sector, providing a platform for them to develop their business, attain opportunities for out-licensing, and become global players. In the nation's push to become a destination of choice for drug discovery, initiatives such as this one provide the capital and expertise that startups need in order to compete in a very crowded field.