Kyowa Hakko Kirin and La Jolla Institute agree long-term alliance

Kyowa Hakko Kirin is expanding its long-running partnership with the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology with a new collaboration.

The six-year agreement will see La Jolla Institute receive a combination of discretionary research funding and funds dedicated to carry out projects designated by a joint steering committee.

Kyowa Hakko Kirin's US subsidiary Kyowa Hakko Kirin California (KKC) will then receive first rights of negotiation to pursue translation to these discoveries, an arrangement that will deliver various synergies and accelerate drug development efforts.

The two organisations have been working together for more than two decades, making it one of the most enduring industry-academic collaborations in the world.

Dr Hiroshi Yano, president of KKC, said: "This new agreement enables closer collaboration that will allow KKC and the La Jolla Institute to greatly enhance target identification and drug discovery efforts."

Kyowa Hakko Kirin is a leading research and development-based life sciences company with special strengths in biotechnology that employs more than 7,200 people worldwide.