Galapagos NV and Ono Pharmaceutical have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery of targets in the field of allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma. Galapagos’ service division BioFocus will use its SilenceSelect platform to deliver validated targets to Ono. Ono aims to find modulators for these targets and generate new drug candidates. This marks the second collaboration between the companies. Financial details were not disclosed.
 
“We are delighted with the success of our relationship with Ono,” said Dr. Chris Newton, senior vice president of Galapagos Services and Managing Director BioFocus. “The start of a new collaboration one year after the first one is testament to our target discovery platform and the strength of our partnership.”
 
Kazuhito Kawabata, Ph.D., member of the board of directors, executive officer and executive director, Discovery and Research of Ono, said, “This new project builds upon a novel human primary cell-based assay developed by BioFocus in the field of allergic diseases, an area with significant unmet medical needs. We are excited to apply BioFocus’ target discovery platform to discover and validate novel drug targets.”