Takeda and Cardiff University Drug Discovery Collaboration Launch Event

Cardiff University announced in November 2018 that they had formed a new partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) for a drug discover collaboration to identify new approaches for treating schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

The launch for this partnership was held on the 11 and 12 of April 2019 and involved the participation of visiting key and senior colleagues from Takeda, including Professors Ceri Davies, head of the CNS Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda and Emiliangelo Ratti, head of the Neuroscience Therapeutic Area for the Takeda Corporation worldwide. The list of those attending was reflective of the excitement and importance of this partnership and of a fundamental shift in Takeda’s company policy towards greater outreach and interaction with external partners.

Professors Lawrence Wilkinson and Jeremy Hall, lead PIs said ‘The launch was very successful scientifically and a great opportunity to strengthen further Cardiff’s links with our partners in Takeda’.

The visit consisted of a series of talks from senior members of the Cardiff University Neuroscience community and Takeda partners, tours of key facilities and opportunities to network.

The collaboration will combine the University’s large scale genomic data and world-class expertise in psychiatric genetics, genomics, clinical and basic neuroscience with Takeda’s extensive drug discovery and clinical development capabilities.

The partnership focusing principally on Schizophrenia, emerged from negotiations with principal academics from the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute and MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, led by Professor Lawrence Wilkinson, Professor Jeremy Hall, Professor Sir Michael Owen and Professor James Walters. The result of which was a four million pound investment over four years by Takeda.

For more information regarding this partnership, please contact: