Shionogi, NEC Team Up on Hepatitis B Vaccine

Shionogi and Tokyo-based NEC Corporation have announced that they are jointly developing a new hepatitis B vaccine. Also participating in the collaboration is NEC OncoImmunity, an NEC subsidiary that specializes in artificial intelligence-driven biotechnology. 

The partnership will see Shionogi make use of its drug discovery capability while NEC contributes its expertise in AI. After hepatitis B, the two companies may turn their focus to other infectious diseases.

Related Article: Shionogi and Aichi Prefecture Extends Cooperation on Preventing Drug Abuse

A Highly Infectious Virus

According to Gavi, a global vaccine alliance, the hepatitis B virus is a leading cause of liver cancer, and is more than 50 times more infectious than HIV. It is estimated that 300 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B infection.

Interferon and nucleotide analog therapy are available treatment options for hepatitis B. However, IFN treatments often have side effects, and nucleotide analog therapy has a high recurrence rate if treatment is interrupted, stipulating the need for a lifetime of therapy. 

The first hepatitis B vaccine was approved in the US in 1981. Since then, widespread use of the shots in infants has greatly reduced new chronic HBV infections under 5, but the number of new infections by other routes continues to increase.  

Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman of NEC, commented: “NEC is committed to our vision of ‘Orchestrating a brighter world,’ and we are delighted to collaborate with Shionogi to realize this vision through the development of novel treatments for patients. The innovative AI technologies of the NEC Group have the potential to overcome several challenges in what is usually a long and labor-intensive drug discovery process . 

“Through this new partnership with Shionogi, a recognized leader in the field of infectious disease, we aim to maximize the contribution of our AI to accelerate the pace of drug discovery, and thereby to contribute to society,” concluded Endo. 

NEC Spreads Roots beyond Japan

NEC has been busy leveraging its AI-driven biotech against infectious diseases. Earlier this month, the corporation announced a collaboration with CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, to develop vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 variants and other betacoronaviruses. Under the deal, CEPI will provide $4.8 million in seed funding to NEC OncoImmunity. 

The company also recently inked a pact with the Northern Territory of Australia to cultivate innovation and grow the Territory’s digital capabilities. This includes setting up submarine cable systems, Open-RAN 5G, and AI. NEC Australia currently employs around 180 full-time staff across the Territory.

Author

Joy Lin

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