January 11, 2019 - Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development (Harvard OTD) has engaged Gemseki, Inc., a subsidiary of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL), a preclinical CRO in Japan, to help advance strategic relationships with certain Japanese pharmaceutical companies.

Under the agreement, which provides an initial period of exclusivity, Gemseki will identify opportunities for Harvard OTD to explore and establish research alliances with a set of biopharma companies based in Japan whose priorities for biomedical innovation align with the research interests of Harvard faculty.

Harvard OTD’s long-running alliance program creates multi-year, collaborative relationships between the University and corporate partners. These alliances support faculty-initiated research projects that can advance early-stage discoveries and rapidly drive innovation in a broad area of science.

“With the support of our corporate partners, biomedical research led by Harvard faculty often identifies new approaches to treating diseases and validates new therapeutic targets for drug development,” said Isaac T. Kohlberg, Harvard’s Chief Technology Development Officer and Senior Associate Provost. “Improving human health requires a global vision and global collaborations. We hope that new corporate alliances may further accelerate research and continue the development of life-saving therapeutics.”

Gemseki, created by SNBL in October 2018, facilitates partnering and commercialization activities globally, with particular strength in the Japanese market. It is anticipated that by leveraging SNBL’s established network, Gemseki may be able to approach these Japanese pharmaceutical companies on behalf of Harvard OTD, with the goal of facilitating the creation of new research alliances.

“As an alumnus of Harvard Business School, it is a great honor to work with Harvard OTD to develop new partnering opportunities in the Japan market,” said Hideyuki Hirama, President of Gemseki. “I encourage and welcome Japanese pharmaceutical companies to join in these discussions.”