Astellas inks partnership on rice-based oral vaccine

Japanese drug major Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) is partnering with academia to develop rice-based vaccines, which will have simpler storage requirements than traditional vaccines.

Astellas has signed a collaboration agreement with the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Chiba University and environmental control equipment maker Asahi Kogyosha aiming at the practical application of the rice-based oral vaccine “MucoRice-CTB.”

This research program has been designated as a project under Cyclic Innovation for Clinical Empowerment (CiCLE) and will be supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).