In a groundbreaking effort to nurture Taiwan’s next generation of biotech talent, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) has signed a five-year industry-academia collaboration agreement with alumni-founded Elixiron Immunotherapeutics. This partnership will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to advance drug development, focusing on the clinical trials and commercialization of Enrupatinib, an innovative oral immune-modulating drug. Currently undergoing Phase II clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH), Enrupatinib offers hope in the challenging landscape of new drug development.
Enrupatinib is a pioneering treatment targeting neuroimmune diseases. It has twice received funding from the prestigious Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership, a collaboration between the Alzheimer’s Association and Bill Gates, in 2020 and 2022. Studies have demonstrated the drug’s high safety profile and ability to inhibit microglia activation, thereby reducing neuronal damage and improving symptoms of neurodegeneration in mouse models. This underscores its promising potential in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Three Key Areas of Collaboration Driving Innovation
Building on prior achievements, the partnership will focus on three core areas:
- Emerging Therapies for Neuroimmune Diseases: Combining resources to enhance efficiency in innovative treatment research.
- AI-Driven Drug Development: Utilizing AI to improve the precision and efficiency of drug design and development.
- Incubation of Startups: Bridging academia and industry to foster biotech startups, propelling the biomedical sector forward.
With a robust foundation in cancer therapy, immunology, and neuroscience, NYCU will combine its strengths with Elixiron Immunotherapeutics’s expertise in platforms for large-molecule, small-molecule, and nucleic acid drugs. This collaboration aims to accelerate the clinical trial and commercialization of more groundbreaking drugs.
Forging a New Frontier in Healthcare through Academia-Industry Synergy
NYCU President Chi-Hung Lin emphasized the transformative impact of Elixiron Immunotherapeutics’s existing R&D platforms, enabling faculty to engage more actively in drug development and translating research into impactful medical solutions.
Elixiron Immunotherapeutics Chief Executive Officer and Founder Hung-Kai Kevin Chen highlighted the longstanding collaboration between the two entities, expressing a commitment to channeling greater resources into the three strategic areas. This initiative aims to inspire more faculty to participate in drug development, with the potential to generate multiple biotech startups within three to five years.
Jin-Wu Tsai, Director of NYCU’s Advanced Therapeutics Research Center (ATRC), remarked on the urgent need for solutions as Taiwan’s super-aged society faces a rising incidence of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. He underscored the pivotal role of AI in enhancing drug safety, efficacy, and development efficiency, particularly in addressing the neuroimmune mechanisms underlying such diseases.
Through the ATRC, NYCU will continue driving this collaboration, identifying high-potential drug candidates and advancing them through clinical trials and commercialization
