TNAX Biopharma Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel antibody therapeutics that address unmet medical needs of patients with intractable diseases. Scientific co-founder, Akira Shibuya, M.D., Ph.D., professor at University of Tsukuba, is a renowned scientist who has discovered unique immunoreceptors and their ligands. He has revealed that these molecules play important roles in immunity and inflammation.(>Lab Link)
Immunoreceptors and ligands
Immunoreceptors and their ligands are considered potential targets for new classes of therapeutics. TNAX Biopharma conducts joint research with University of Tsukuba and leverages intellectual property rights exclusively licensed from the university. Through drug discovery innovation and strategic alliances, TNAX continues to contribute to society by providing truly valuable therapeutic agents to patients around the world.
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devasting 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 main communication pathway between the brain and the rest of the body, injury can profoundly impair multiple bodily functions. Patients may experience paralysis, loss of sensation, and loss of bladder and bowel control. The damaged spinal cord has only a very limited capacity for repair, and axonal regeneration 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. The leading cases include traffic accidents, falls, and sports-related injuries. SCI affects individuals of all ages, from young adults to the elderly, and despite causing severe lifelong disability, there is currently no therapy that restores lost neurological function.
Following SCI, uncontrolled inflammation, accumulation of axonal growth inhibitors (e.g., Nogo-A and CSPGs), glial scar formation, and incomplete remyelination contribute to progressive tissue damage. Collectively, these processes are referred to as secondary injury, which represents the most important therapeutic target after SCI.
Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (CSA-AKI)
More than two million cardiac surgeries are performed worldwide each year. During these procedures, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass frequently causes 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 and prolonged hospitalization, yet there is currently no approved pharmacological therapy. Because disease progression is driven by damage-associated molecular patten (DAMP)-mediated inflammatory amplification following tubular necrosis, inhibition of this pathway has the potential to prevent or reduce CSA-AKI, representing a promising therapeutic approach for this major unmet medical need.
Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS)
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. This is largely attributed to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), in which ischemic cell death triggers damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP)-mediated sterile inflammation, leading to secondary brain injury. Inhibition of this inflammatory amplification pathway therefore has the potential to reduce IRI and improve neurological recovery following reperfusion therapy.
News
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TNAX Biopharma has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Chime Biologics, a Chinese CDMO.
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TNAX Biopharma and the University of Tsukuba Announce a New Drug for Acute Kidney Injury, and Subsequent Chronic Organ Failure
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A first-in-class anti-DNAM-1 mAb originated from University of Tsukuba and TNAX Biopharma has been licensed from our partner, IMIDomics, to Formation Bio.
Leadership Team
Tak Mukohira, R.Ph., SM in MOT, CEO & Co-founder
Tak Mukohira has been CEO of TNAX Biopharma since its establishment in March 2018. He has extensive contacts in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to launching TNAX, Tak was deeply involved in business development, corporate planning and venture capital operations at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma (MTP). Mr. Mukohira also served as President of MP Healthcare Venture Management Inc., the corporate venture capital arm of MTP, headquartered in Boston, and as a board member and observer for several biotech companies based in the US and Europe. He earned his SM in MOT from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Kyoto University.
Akira Shibuya, M.D.,Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer & Co-founder
Akira Shibuya is Professor, University of Tsukuba and a world-famous immunologist. Dr. Shibuya had 12 years’ experience as a clinician before beginning his career in immunology research career as a post-doctoral fellow at DNAX Research Institute at Palo Alto, California. He has contributed many articles on immunoreceptors and their ligands to professional journals. Dr. Shibuya graduated from Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine and earned an M.D. He holds a Ph.D. from University of Tsukuba.
Ichimaro Yamada, Ph.D., General Manager, R&D & Board Director
Ichimaro Yamada has 40-year broad and in-depth experience in drug research & development in Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation and other biotech/pharma companies. He led a Japanese development team of telaprevir and won new drug approval. Dr. Yamada is a vice-president of Association for Promoting Drug Development (APDD). Ichimaro earned his Ph.D. from Kumamoto University.