Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) today held a groundbreaking ceremony for the start of construction on a new, state-of-the-art research facility, tentatively named the Osaka Pharmaceutical Research Institute. The facility will conduct research in medical-related fields on a site in Minoh City in the northwestern area of Osaka Prefecture.

Drug-related research and development in the Otsuka group of companies focuses on diseases related to the central nervous system and to the renal / cardiovascular systems, on oncology, and on infectious diseases such as influenza and the neglected disease of tuberculosis. Drugs created through in-house research contribute to the health of patients around the world. Otsuka presently conducts drug-discovery research in these areas at sites around the word located in Tokushima and Otsu, Japan; in Cambridge, UK; in suburban Boston, USA; and in Shanghai, China.

Otsuka's new research institute will pursue discovery research rooted in biologics such as gene and cell therapies, antibodies, and regenerative medicine. In addition, research will be done on other cutting-edge area in immunology, in digital technologies, and on small-molecule drugs.

The new site, amidst natural surroundings, will be conducive to information exchange and deeper forms of collaboration
(simulated image of building)

An area of the site will be operated as an open-lab concept to encourage horizontal collaborations with academic institutions and venture companies that conduct world-class life science research in the vicinity. This is expected to foster increased information exchange and alliances.

The site will have facilities for process research and the manufacture of gene- and cell-based therapies and will be at the forefront of environmentally friendly site design.

Otsuka aims to commence research in the 26,000 square-meter (280,000 square-foot) building in the latter half of 2022. It is anticipated that approximately 200 people will be employed at the site.

The addition of the site in Osaka Prefecture will position the company to carry out more diversified research in parallel with the evolution and diversification of therapy pathways. Our aim is nothing less than the realization of unprecedented innovations.