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xFOREST Therapeutics Announces Drug Discovery Collaboration with Nippon Shinyaku to Target RNA Structures in Several Diseases

xFOREST Therapeutics (Headquarter: Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan; President and CEO: Shunichi Kashida; hereinafter, xFOREST) announced today that it has reached an agreement with Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minami-ku, Kyoto; President: Toru Nakai; hereinafter “Nippon Shinyaku”) on a drug discovery collaboration to target RNA structures in several diseases.

Under this agreement, xFOREST will provide its proprietary platform, "FOREST technologies." By leveraging its core system, "MatrixFOREST," xFOREST integrates unique "RNA library vs. Compound library" biochemical assays with in-silico analysis pipelines. This approach enables the quantitative analysis of target selectivity at single-nucleotide resolution, accelerating systematic small molecule drug discovery targeting RNA structures.

Nippon Shinyaku will hold exclusive rights to research, develop, and commercialize the small molecule compounds targeting RNA structures identified through this joint research project. 

xFOREST will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive additional payments based on the achievements of development milestones, plus royalties on sales of any successful commercialized products resulting from the partnership. 

Comment from Shunichi Kashida, CEO of xFOREST

“Since our foundation, xFOREST has enhanced our discovery platforms for small molecule drugs targeting RNA. We have continuously refined our capabilities by overcoming the complex and common technical challenges in this field. We are deeply honored that Nippon Shinyaku, a leading pharmaceutical company in the Japanese oligonucleotide therapeutics development, has chosen us as their partner for this RNA-targeted small molecule discovery collaboration. Through this partnership, we are fully committed to creating breakthrough treatments and delivering new therapeutic options to patients who currently lack effective medical choices.”

Contact: https://www.xforestx.com/en/Contact