Chugai and Gero Partner to Develop Novel Age-Related Disease Therapies

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a major Japanese pharmaceutical company, and Singapore-based biotech firm Gero PTE. LTD. have announced a strategic joint research and license agreement to develop innovative treatments targeting age-related diseases.

Under the collaboration, Gero will leverage its AI-driven target discovery platform, which analyzes human datasets to identify promising new drug targets related to aging. Chugai will use its proprietary antibody engineering technologies to create and develop antibody drug candidates against these targets.

Gero has granted Chugai exclusive global rights for research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of antibodies targeting these newly identified proteins. The deal includes an upfront payment and potential milestone payments up to approximately $250 million, plus royalties on future product sales.

Dr. Osamu Okuda, President and CEO of Chugai, emphasized the importance of open innovation partnerships in advancing their 2030 growth strategy. “By combining Gero’s AI-powered discovery with Chugai’s drug development expertise, we aim to accelerate the creation of breakthrough therapies,” he said.

Peter Fedichev, CEO of Gero, highlighted that their AI platform is designed to find targets that affect multiple age-related diseases and aging itself. “This partnership marks a crucial step toward developing therapies that can restore lost function due to aging,” he noted.

Alex Kadet, Gero’s Chief Business Officer, added, “Together with Chugai, we aim to deliver first-in-class therapeutics addressing the unmet needs of the growing patient population suffering from age-related conditions.”

This collaboration represents a cutting-edge fusion of AI technology and antibody therapeutics, with the potential to bring novel treatments to patients facing the challenges of aging.