TNAX Biopharma Corporation

Immunoreceptors and ligands

Immune receptors and their ligands are considered promising targets for new therapeutic drugs. TNAX Biopharma conducts joint research with the University of Tsukuba and utilizes intellectual property rights exclusively licensed from the university. Through innovation in drug discovery and strategic partnerships, TNAX continues to contribute to society by providing truly valuable treatments to patients around the world.

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Trauma → Cell death → DAMPs → Sterlie inflammation →Secondary injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition caused by trauma or disease that damages the spinal cord, resulting in partial or complete loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. Because the spinal cord is the primary communication pathway between the brain and the rest of the body, SCI can profoundly impair multiple bodily functions, including movement, sensation, and bladder and bowel control. The injured spinal cord has a very limited capacity for repair, and axonal regeneration becomes extremely limited during the chronic phase.egeneration becomes extremely limited during the chronic phase.

Approximately 17,000 new SCI cases occur annually in the United States, 5,000 in Japan, and 10,000 across the major European countries. Leading causes include traffic accidents, falls, and sports-related injuries. SCI affects people of all ages, from young adults to the elderly, and can result in severe, lifelong disability. Despite the substantial unmet medical need, there is currently no approved therapy that restores lost neurological function after SCI.

   Following SCI, the initial mechanical injury triggers a cascade of secondary injury, including uncontrolled inflammation, accumulation of axonal growth inhibitors such as Nogo-A and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), glial scar formation, and incomplete remyelination. These processes can amplify tissue damage and further impair neurological recovery. Therefore, limiting secondary injury during the early phase after SCI represents a major therapeutic opportunity. TNAX Biopharma is developing a novel biologic agent that targets the inflammatory amplification of secondary injury.

Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS)

Ischemia → Reperfusion → Cell death → DAMPs → Sterile inflammation → Secondary brain injurytion → Secondary injury

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) affects more than 600,000 people in the United States and remains a leading cause of long-term disability. Although successful reperfusion is achieved in approximately 80-90% of patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), 40-60% remain functionally disabled despite restoration of blood flow. One important contributor to this unmet need is ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Restoration of blood flow to ischemic tissue can trigger additional cellular damage, while ischemic cell death releases damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that activate sterile inflammation. This inflammatory response can amplify tissue damage and contribute to secondary brain injury, even after successful reperfusion. Targeting this DAMP-driven inflammatory amplification may therefore provide an opportunity to reduce IRI and improve neurological recovery following reperfusion therapy.

Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (CSA-AKI)

Ischemia → Reperfusion → Tubular cell death → DAMPs → Sterile inflammation → Kidney injury

More than two million cardiac surgeries are performed worldwide each year. During these procedures, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass can contribute to renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), resulting in tubular cell death and subsequent sterile inflammation. This complication, known as cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI), is associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and a higher risk of subsequent kidney dysfunction. Despite its substantial clinical burden, there is currently no approved pharmacological therapy specifically for the prevention or treatment of CSA-AKI. Tubular cell death releases damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which activate sterile inflammation and can amplify tissue injury. Targeting this DAMP-driven inflammatory amplification may therefore an opportunity to prevent or reduce CSA-AKI, addressing a major unmet medical need.

TNAX Biopharma is developing a first-in-class drug candidate that targets DAMP-driven sterile inflammation, a common pathway amplifying tissue injury following acute traumatic or ischemic damage.

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Leadership Team

Tak Muohira, R.Ph., SM in MOT, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Tak Mukohira has served as CEO of TNAX Biopharma Corporation since its founding in March 2018. He has an extensive network of contacts in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to founding TNAX, he was deeply involved in business development, strategic planning and venture capital operations at what is now Tanabe Pharma. Mr. Mukohira established the corporate venture capital division in Boston and served as its president. He served as a board member or observer for several biotech companies in the US and Europe. Tak earned his SM in Management of Technology from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Kyoto University.

Akira Shibuya, M.D.,Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder
Akira Shibuya is a professor at the University of Tsukuba and a world-renowned immunologist. Before beginning his research career in immunology as a postdoctoral fellow at the DNAX Institute in Palo Alto, California, Dr. Shibuya gained 12 years of experience as a clinician. He has published many papers in professional journals regarding immune receptors and their ligands. He graduated from Hokkaido University, where he earned his MD degree, and holds a Ph.D. from University of Tsukuba.

Ichimaro Yamada, Ph.D., General Manager, R&D and Board Director
Ichimaro Yamada has 40-year broad and in-depth experience in drug research & development in what is now Tanabe Pharma and other biotech/pharma companies. He led the Japanese development team for telaprevir and successfully won new drug approval. Dr. Yamada is Vice-President of Association for Promoting Drug Development (APDD). Ichimaro earned his Ph.D. from Kumamoto University.