Drug Delivery Platforms: Novel BBB-penetrating Systems, Ocular Eye-drop Systems, and Tumor Tissue-targeted Intracellular Approaches

Daiichi Sankyo, a pharmaceutical company focused on creating innovative pharmaceuticals to address diverse medical needs, is seeking novel drug delivery platform opportunities in three strategic areas: CNS drug delivery, ocular delivery systems, and tumor tissue-targeted delivery technologies.

Approaches of interest

• Drug delivery technologies enabling systemic delivery of CNS-targeted drugs (e.g., oligonucleotides) across the blood-brain barrier with clearly defined penetration mechanisms for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases
• Eye-drop delivery systems for small molecules, peptides, and antibodies to retinal and choroidal tissue, with versatility across compounds and in vivo confirmation in rabbits or pigs
• Technologies for selective tumor tissue-targeted delivery with enhanced tumor accumulation, reduced liver/kidney uptake, and intracellular delivery of oligonucleotides or proteins
• Tumor-specific environment targeting (pH, hypoxia)
   

Out of scope:

• Well-defined pathways including TfR, CD98, or IGF1R
• Non-selective delivery methods (ultrasound, nanoparticles, liposomes)
• Approaches with scalability/cost challenges (engineered nanoparticles, extracellular vesicles)
• Nose-to-brain delivery strategies
• Organ-specific targeting or viral delivery methods
• Technologies relying solely on Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect
   

Developmental stage of interest: Basic research through preclinical research for CNS and ocular systems; basic research through Phase II for tumor-targeted delivery.

Please note: Full RFP is attached in the "More Information" section of this page. Faculty and researchers interested in applying for these opportunities based on technologies developed or disclosed at Vanderbilt must submit their proposals through the CTTC.