Astellas and AIST collaborate on tropical diseases

Astellas has announced an alliance with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) aimed at discovering new therapies for tropical diseases caused by protozoan parasites.

The collaborative project will see Astellas apply a unique drug designing method called fragment evolution, which it has developed using small molecular weight fragments, in order to define new therapeutic targets.

Around one billion people worldwide are affected with neglected tropical diseases, included leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and sleeping sickness, all of which are caused by protozoan parasites.

There is a high unmet medical need for therapies for the treatment of these conditions, as they are highly infectious and predominantly affect some of the world's poorest people.

A statement from the company said: "Astellas is committed to improving access to health in developing countries through its partnership initiatives, including this collaborative research with AIST."

Earlier this week, Astellas was granted a European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommendation for approval of Betmiga, its new overactive bladder therapy.