News Release

Sanford-Burnham partners with Takeda on novel treatment for cardiovascular disease

Teams of scientists at the two organizations collaborate to identify molecules that reactivate dormant proteins in heart failure

Business Announcement

Sanford-Burnham Prebys

Sanford-Burnham and Takeda Team

image: Scientists at Sanford-Burnham and Takeda partner to develop new approaches for cardiovascular disease. view more 

Credit: Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

ORLANDO, Fla., May 28, 2015--Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona (Sanford-Burnham) today announced it has signed a two-year partnership agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (Takeda) of Japan to study the potential role of several gene regulatory proteins as targets for the treatment of heart failure. Based on research conducted in Sanford-Burnham laboratories, the collaborating scientists will screen and develop molecules that have the potential to improve the metabolism and function of the failing heart.

"Heart failure is a major killer worldwide and there is a tremendous need for new treatment options," said Daniel P. Kelly, M.D., Tavistock Distinguished Professor and Scientific Director of Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona. "My team and colleagues at the Institute have been studying the machinery that controls metabolism in the heart for years. The partnership with Takeda will accelerate our progress and bring it closer to the clinic."

In patients suffering from cardiovascular disease and heart failure, the ability to burn nutritional fuels becomes altered--referred to as the "energy-starved heart." The goal of this partnership is to identify a molecule that could reactivate the power to burn fuels for pump function.

"We are delighted to pursue this collaboration to identify new molecules to treat heart failure, which represents a critical unmet medical need," said Dr. Tetsuyuki Maruyama, General Manager, Head of Pharmaceutical Research Division at Takeda. Sanford-Burnham and Takeda scientists will collaborate to validate the targets and molecules from a drug point of view.

This is the third research collaboration between Takeda and Sanford-Burnham over five years. As a hallmark of previously successful projects, Takeda scientists will work side by side with researchers in Sanford-Burnham's laboratories. Additionally, the collaborators will work with colleagues in Sanford-Burnham's Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics to screen the Institute's vast library of compounds to find an effective molecule that can reactivate metabolism in heart failure patients, ultimately improving the outcome over currently available treatments.

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About Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute is dedicated to discovering the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising the innovative therapies of tomorrow. Sanford-Burnham takes a collaborative approach to medical research with major programs in cancer, neurodegeneration and stem cells, diabetes, and infectious, inflammatory, and childhood diseases. The Institute is recognized for its National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, its NIH-designated Neuroscience Center Cores, and expertise in drug discovery technologies. Sanford-Burnham is a nonprofit, independent institute that employs more than 1,000 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at sanfordburnham.org.

Sanford-Burnham can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/sanfordburnham and on Twitter @sanfordburnham.


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