Crown Bioscience, a global drug discovery and development service company, has entered into a strategic partnership with Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL), a Japan-based company engaged in the provision of preclinical and clinical drug development services for pharmaceutical companies.
The initial focus of the agreement is for SNBL to promote Crown Bioscience services to its Japanese client base, in doing so extending SNBL’s service offering. SNBL will be the exclusive representative for Crown in promoting Crown’s translational science services, including the world’s largest collection of Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) models.
The partnership is strategically important for Crown and marks another significant step in expanding its international footprint, following the company’s recent expansion into Europe with its acquisition of PRECOS last July. SNBL has multiple facilities across Japan, the U.S., China and Cambodia and so offers Crown access to a global target audience.
Crown is a supplier of oncology services, with a global footprint spanning North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Japan is seen as a market with significant further potential. Both companies also will look at the potential to co-develop new models and services leveraging their respective experience in oncology/diabetes and non-human primate model development.
Jean-Pierre Wery, president of Crown, said, “This strategic partnership offers Crown an excellent opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the Japanese market in order to further develop unique cutting-edge models. It is the first time that SNBL has agreed to represent an overseas company in such a deal.”
Ryoichi Nagata, CEO and president of SNBL, said, “SNBL is committed to providing our customers with fast and precise results across the entire drug development spectrum, from early discovery research to late-stage clinical trials. This unique partnership with Crown will enable us to strengthen our service offering, and also to collaborate on a variety of preclinical projects, utilizing unique clinically relevant models, with a shared goal of improving patient care and treatment outcomes. Our expertise in preclinical development provides a perfect complement to Crown’s existing global services.”
