Takeda Pharmaceutical, a research-based global company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, has invested in BioMotiv, a therapeutic accelerator company associated with the Ohio-based Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, and they have partnered to identify and develop pioneering medical innovations.

The initial investment is $25 million over five years. This investment includes exclusive rights relating to programs sourced by BioMotiv, specifically in immunology, inflammation and cardio-metabolic diseases.

Launched in 2012, the Harrington Project for Discovery & Development is a $250 million national initiative comprising the nonprofit Harrington Discovery Institute and BioMotiv. The fundamental aim is to identify, fund and rapidly advance the development of medical breakthroughs from research institutions, as well as disease foundations, throughout the U.S. This initiative is unique in targeting physician-scientist discoveries and providing bench-to-bedside clinical insights into disorders for which the demand for truly innovative, new medicines is paramount.

“This strategic relationship with Takeda provides for a seamless continuum of expertise to aggressively advance physician- scientist derived therapeutic innovations through proof-of-concept and into clinical development and eventual commercialization,” said Baiju R. Shah, CEO of BioMotiv. “If we truly want to deliver medical breakthroughs to patients for whom therapeutic options currently are limited, or absent, it is vital to forge these close relationships among innovators, expert resources and pharmaceutical companies at the earliest opportunity.”