Central Research Laboratories
Kissei's Central Research Laboratories oversees the following three main functions: discovery research to search new drug candidate substances, pharmacological research to investigate the effectiveness of these new drug candidate substances, and pharmacokinetic research to analyze the dynamics of the substances in vivo. These three functions performed at the Central Research Laboratories are conducted in close collaboration with one another to meet the needs of medical facilities and in the hopes of developing therapeutic drugs as new forms of treatment.
● Discovery Research
The development of new drugs begins with discovery research. We aim to develop drugs that will meet the needs of the medical field and serve as new treatment options. First, through wide-range exploratory research, key factors that play an important role in the progress of the disease are identified. Once these key factors are determined to be valid targets for the discovery themes, a project team is formed, composed of medicinal chemists and biologists, and we enter the stage of creating compounds that act on these key factors. Molecular design algorithms are applied to synthesize compounds, and the biological activities of the compounds are efficiently evaluated using biological methods, incorporating cutting-edge technology. When narrowing down the candidate substances for new drugs, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical evaluations are conducted in addition to evaluations of the effectiveness and safety, and a search is conducted for compounds that meet the necessary characteristics for drugs. Kissei's drug discovery team attempts to create "innovative new drugs" that contribute to medicine through the synergy of "research", "focus", "creativity", and "decision making" on the part of the researchers.
● Pharmacological and Pharmacokinetics Research
The new drug candidate substances that are selected through the screening process outlined above are subsequently applied to pharmacological research, which involves analyzing the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of the drugs and conducting comparisons with existing drugs. This research stage also incorporates research into the possible side effects of the drugs, or on what effects the drug will have on the body other than its expected drug efficacy.
Pharmacokinetic research involves investigation of the kinetics of new drug candidate substances in vivo, including their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. This research provides additional knowledge about the efficacy and safety of candidate substances for new drugs.