Overview

Company

(As of Aug13,2021)

Company name
Braizon Therapeutics, Inc.
※Braizon Therapeutics is our registered trademark
(Registered No. (JP)6171709,6171710,6171711 (US)88328849,88328860)
Established
October 30, 2015
Business description
Research and development of new drugs, diagnostics, and life science research reagents, mainly for use in the CNS area, and the licensing of related intellectual properties, etc.
(Business in the fields of bio and drug discovery based on the outcomes of collaborative research by the University of Tokyo and Tokyo Medical and Dental University.)
President & CEO
Philip Davy
Paid-in capital
90,909USD
(As of August 13, 2021, the capital was reduced and the retained earnings deficit was filled. Capital reserve is 4,811,840USD)
(FX rate is 110yen/USD, all fund is exchange by this)
Address
254,Entrepreneur Lab.,Southern Research Building., The University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8485
Company history
October 2015
Established in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, based on the outcomes of collaborative research by Professor Kazunori Kataoka from the Graduate School of Engineering/Medicine, the University of Tokyo and Professor Takanori Yokota from the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

February 2016
Authorized as a bio-venture firm originating from Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

Mar 2016
We had secured 106 million yen through third party allotment of shares to a venture capital company.

Feb 2017 
Our DDS technology were issued as a patent in Japan.

Oct 2017
Feature of our technology article in Nature magazine.

Apr 2018
Our DDS technology were issued as a patent in US

May 2018
Open lab in iCONM(Innovation Center of NanoMedicine,in KING SKYFRONT the “International Strategic Special Zone” in Tono-machi, Kawasaki city.

Jul 2018
We had secured 645 million yen through third party allotment of shares to three venture capital companies

March 2019
Commencement of U.S.A. Operations at LabCentral in Boston, MA.

Apr 2019
Established US subsidiary in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jun 2019
Moved headquarters and moved to the University of Tokyo South Research Building Entrepreneur Lab.
Selected for J-Startup in June 2019.

Aug 2019
Selected as IPAS (Japan Patent Office Acceleration Program) 2019.

Oct 2019
Received JHVS2019 Venture Award.

Jul 2021
Raised a total of approximately 300 million yen through a third-party allocation of new shares.

Oct 2021
Received JHVS2021 Venture Award.

Origin

The origin of Braizon’s founding technology for drug delivery across the blood brain barrier (BBB) was the result of a medical-engineering collaboration between Dr. Takanori Yokota, Professor of Neurology and Neurological Science at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Dr. Kazunori Kataoka, Professor of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. Both highly respected in their chosen fields and founders of successful biotechnology ventures, each was approaching the substantial challenge of delivering therapeutic compounds into the central nervous system (CNS) with cutting edge technologies.

Dr. Yokota was inspired by 2-flourodeoxyglucose (2FDG) PET imaging for the early detection of cancer. Radiolabeled 2FDG accumulates in glucose-hungry tumors, but also to a very high degree in the CNS. Dr. Kataoka, a world-renowned authority on nanoscale drug delivery systems, had explored glucose decorated polymer micelles for cancer therapy and was excited to apply them to CNS drug delivery. Whilst exploring the combination of their inspirations, these two great researchers established the Glycemic Control Protocol for activation of glucose transport specifically at the BBB allowing glucose-decorated polymer micelle drug carriers to enter the CNS at previously unprecedented rates.

The patent for this technology was filed in 2013 and granted in 2017, the same year the research was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Braizon Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 2015 by the venture capital group Fast Track Initiative to develop this platform technology into a clinical solution for pharma and biotech companies with novel therapies for the many unmet medical needs of the CNS.

In addition, from late 2020, we have started to develop BBB breakthrough technology via transferrin receptor (TfR) based on the polymer micelle technology cultivated in the above research experiences. For details, please see more

Corporate mission

  • As a pioneer in the CNS area, we overcome the barriers posed by existing therapies and diagnoses to find treatments for incurable neuronal diseases, which can impair human dignity.
  • We bring innovation to the CNS area through our robust network and leading interdisciplinary, inter-university, and academia-industry collaborations.

Corporate vision

We are dedicated to becoming a leading company in brain drug delivery technology for the treatment of CNS-related disorders

Our values BBB-WOW!

  1. Be Innovator(Continously innovate in technology and business)
  2. Be Accelerator(Act quickly to develop faster)
  3. Be Professional(Display professionalism at all times)
  4. Work together(Teamwork is core to our sucess)
  5. Open communication(Share without barriers)
  6. Wakuwaku(Working joyfully to create positive impact)

Meaning of the company name “Braizon”

  • “Braizon” is a fusion of the words “Brain” and “Horizon”.
  • Our company was named “Braizon” with the literal meaning of using our own innovative drug delivery technology to break through the blood-brain barrier as the horizon of the brain, in addition to signifying a company that exceeds the current limitations of existing diagnoses and treatment, proposing new approaches in the CNS area.