New Hepatitis B Therapeutic Vaccine.

Shionogi & Co., Ltd., and NEC Corporation recently signed a strategic research collaboration agreement to develop a novel hepatitis B therapeutic vaccination. Also taking part in this study is NEC Once Immunity, an NEC company that specializes in AI-driven biotechnology.

As most of us know, hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus and is potentially fatal (HBV). Chronic HBV infection increases the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer, leading to mortality.

 

Hepatitis B was responsible for an estimated 820,000 fatalities in 20191 among 300 million chronically infected individuals. While hepatitis B immunizations for newborns have lowered the number of new chronic HBV infections under the age of 5, the number of new infections by other means has continued to rise.

 

Current hepatitis B treatment options include IFN and nucleotide analog therapy. In contrast, IFN and nucleotide analog therapy have substantial recurrence rates if treatment halts. Hence it is important to take medications for the rest of one's life.3 As a result, there is a critical medical need for medicines that are both safe and very successful in curing hepatitis B.

 

Isao Teshirogi: It is our moral responsibility to find a proper cure for Hepatitis B!

 

Sharing his thoughts on the occasion, Isao Teshirogi said, "For more than 60 years, Shionogi has been involved in infectious diseases research and development. It is our mission as an infectious disease company to protect individuals from infectious diseases and achieve holistic health care. In the face of a global pandemic like COVID-19, no one firm or even the entire pharmaceutical sector can do everything. NEC's AI technology will be integrated into our own capabilities, allowing us to make a greater contribution to world health."

 

Nobuhiro Endo: NEC is committed to bringing a holistic approach to public health care!

 

Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman of the Board, NEC Corporation, also shared his perspective in the same context. Endo said, "NEC is devoted to our objective of 'Orchestrating a brighter world,' and we are thrilled to partner with Shionogi to accomplish this vision by developing breakthrough medicines for patients. We look forward to a brighter future together."

 

The NEC Group's cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have the potential to overcome several obstacles in the often lengthy and labor-intensive process of drug discovery. Shionogi, a world-renowned pioneer in infectious disease research, has joined forces with our AI team to speed the development of new medicines."

 

Using Shionogi's infectious disease medication discovery capabilities and NEC's AI knowledge, the businesses hope to speed up the development of a new therapeutic vaccination. In addition, the officials will expand such cooperative study to other infectious diseases with unmet medical needs in the future.

 

How Shionogi & Co, Ltd does aim to revolutionize the global health care system?

 

As per Teshirogi, Shionogi aims to "Protect people globally from the menace of infectious diseases." Aside from research and development of therapeutic drugs, we also focus on the total care of infectious disease, from detection and forecasting through prevention and diagnosis to treatment of exacerbations. Visit new windowhttps://www.shionogi.com/global/en/ for additional details.

 

A little background on NEC Corp

 

The "Orchestrating a brighter world" slogan of NEC Corporation has made it a leader in integrating IT and network technologies. Its emphasis on social values such as safety, security, and fairness helps firms and communities adapt quickly to changes in society and markets. This allows for a more sustainable world in which everyone has the opportunity to realize their full potential. Please visit NEC at https://www.nec.com for additional information.

 

A little background on NEC OncoImmunity AS

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology startup NEC OncoImmunity AS created patented machine learning-based software that tackles critical knowledge gaps in predicting bona fide immunogenic neoantigens for tailored cancer immunotherapy infectious disease vaccines. When combined with AI, clinically useful neoantigen targets customized cancer vaccines and further identifies cell treatments, allowing for better patient selection for immunotherapy. Visit NEC OncoImmunity AS at https://www.oncoimmunity.com/ for more information!