Linkage to the RIKEN Program for Drug Discovery and Medical Technology Platforms (DMP)

IMS collaborates with DMP to develop innovative new biologics, pharmaceuticals, and medical technologies by facilitating the transfer of basic research discoveries within the institute. DMP supports all phases of the development of new therapeutics, from the discovery of promising targets to the identification of potential lead compounds and the acquisition of intellectual property rights to drugs and technologies that can then be brought to the development phase.

DMP established eleven Drug Discovery Basic Units, in which the types of studies being performed are organized according to the expertise of each PI. IMS has contributed to this effort by setting up three facilities, the Drug Discovery Structural Biology Platform Unit, the artificial Adjuvant Vector Cell (aAVC) Drug Translational Unit and. Drug Discovery Computational Chemistry Platform Unit In 2025, IMS had eight collaborative programs with DMP (Figure):The Drug Discovery Computational Chemistry Platform Unit conducted drug design for more than ten drug discovery targets within DMP, including G9a, HBV, and PFK, by utilizing both artificial intelligence (AI) and molecular simulation technologies. Drug Discovery Structural Biology Platform Unit is conducting protein and antibody production, biophysical evaluation of candidate compounds and antibodies, and structural analysis of their complexes. They have published a paper on the development of a TMPRSS2 mAb to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. They are also conducting characterization of OSMR binding macrocyclic peptides for the development of therapeutics for atopic diseases. They found that this peptide significantly suppressed pruritus and inflammation in an atopic dermatitis model using OSM/OSMR humanized mice. Furthermore, progress has also been made in the field of clinical trials. A Phase I clinical trial (First-in-Human) of aAVC-CoV-2 for COVID-19 has been launched. In addition, a Phase I clinical trial using iPS-derived NKT cells for the treatment of head and neck cancer has been completed, with efficacy already reported. A Phase I clinical study combining iPS-NKT cells with dendritic cells (DCs) is also currently ongoing.