September 6, 2019
To whom it may concern
Nissan Chemical Corporation
Veritas In Silico Inc.

Conclusion of Joint Research Agreement for the Discovery of Novel Small-Molecule
Drugs Targeting Nucleic Acids
Nissan Chemical Corporation (“Nissan Chemical,” Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President:
Kojiro Kinoshita) and Veritas In Silico Inc. (“VIS,” Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo;
Representative Director: Shingo Nakamura) announce the conclusion of a joint research
agreement for the discovery of novel small-molecule drugs that target nucleic acids.
Conventionally, drug discovery has been focused on identifying small molecules that targetproteins. However, it has become difficult to identify new drug candidates that fulfill medical
needs through research that is only an extension of conventional methods. Thus, the newconcept of nucleic acid-targeted small-molecule drug discovery has recently attracted
considerable attention.
This joint research is expected to enable the discovery of new drug candidates by combining
Nissan Chemical’s strategic chemical library*1 and VIS’s platform technologies*2 that include
the analysis of nucleic acid structures and small-molecule screening. The two companies willleverage their strengths and aim to provide new treatments for patients suffering from
diseases for which there has hitherto been no effective treatment.
*1. A collection of small-molecule compounds that have been synthesized and accumulated
strategically by Nissan Chemical.
*2. VIS’s proprietary technologies to identify substructures in nucleic acids that can betargeted by small-molecule drugs and to perform highly-sensitive screening of smallmolecules.

About Nissan Chemical Corporation
Nissan Chemical is moving forward with developing new products and creating new
businesses through utilization of our core technologies as a chemical company with ourcorporate vision of becoming “a corporate group that contributes to human survival anddevelopment.” Since our entry into the pharmaceutical business in 1982, we have launched
an external preparation of ketoprofen indicated for inflammatory analgesic, efonidipinehydrochloride, a Ca antagonist indicated for hypertension, and pitavastatin calcium, a statin
agent indicated for hyperlipidemia. Nissan Chemical keeps trying research and development
for innovative medicines by using precise organic synthesis technology, the strategic
chemical library and the state-of-the-art evaluation technology for smiles and precious lifearound the world.
For more details, please visit https://www.nissanchem.co.jp/eng/

About Veritas In Silico Inc.
VIS is developing antisense oligonucleotides and small molecules targeting nucleic acids totreat diseases that were previously considered undruggable, based on its proprietary
technologies that include the analysis of nucleic acid structures and small-molecule
screening.
VIS provides its small-molecule drug discovery platform to its partners, and the platform iscurrently being used in a joint research with a leading pharmaceutical company. As a drug
discovery partner, VIS will continue to pursue its mission of developing nucleic acid-targeted
small-molecule drugs to address the unmet medical needs of society.
For more details, please visit http://veritasinsilico.com/

Contact information for inquiries on the above
Nissan Chemical Corporation
Corporate Planning Department CSR & Public Relations Office
TEL：+81-3-4463-8123
Veritas In Silico Inc.
Management Department
TEL：+81-3-6421-7537