Patent Application for Nucleic Acid Drugs Targeting IncRNA^*1

 Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan; President: Yoshinori Isahaya) and Veritas In Silico Inc. (VIS; Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Japan; CEO: Shingo Nakamura) are pleased to announce the filing of a patent application for a jointly developed substance related to nucleic acid pharmaceuticals (“this patent”).
 This patent is the result of the joint research project between the two companies announced in the press release “Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Veritas In Silico Announce Joint Research Agreement for Drug Discovery and Establishment of Manufacturing Methods for Nucleic Acid Drugs” on July 3, 2025. It pertains to the development of a new drug targeting IncRNA H19, which has been reported to be involved in proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and treatment resistance of cancer cells.

   [Overview of the Patent Application]
     Title of the Invention    : Nucleic acid drugs and their use
     Application Number     : Application 2026-179989
     Applicant                        : Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. and Veritas In Silico Inc.

  As part of MGC’s Medium-Term Management Plan “Grow UP 2026,” which ends in the fiscal year ending March 2027, MGC has identified “Build new value through innovation,” as a core strategy to “Strengthen the resiliency of our business portfolio.” MGC has designated the “Medical and Food” area as one of its key focus areas and is advancing various initiatives in this field. As part of this effort, the nucleic acid therapeutics market is viewed as one with significant growth potential. Accordingly, MGC acquired an equity stake in VIS in 2017 and began joint research in 2025. Furthermore, with the aim of accelerating drug development, MGC launched “AXELPHEX^TM,” a CRDMO^*2 service for nucleic acid drug active pharmaceutical ingredients, in October 2025, and is promoting its joint business with Hokkaido System Science Co., Ltd.

  VIS is advancing drug discovery research for small-molecule and nucleic acid drugs targeting mRNA using its proprietary drug discovery platform, and has filed and obtained substance patents for multiple nucleic acid drugs to date. In 2026, VIS evolved its existing drug discovery platform, ibVIS^®, into aibVIS through developing and enhancing multiple function-specific AI systems previously embedded into the platform, now enabling faster and more accurate drug structure screening. The invention covered by this patent is a nucleic acid drug resulting from the use of aibVIS in a joint research project.

  Going forward, both companies will work to secure patent rights and promote commercialization, with the aim of improving patients’ quality of life and contributing to medical care.

*1 IncRNA: Abbreviation for “long non-coding RNA,” refers to RNA molecules that do not contain the genetic information necessary for protein synthesis but have a relatively large number of nucleotides. They are known to play a role in regulating gene expression, as well as in cell proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis. In recent years, it has become clear that specific lncRNAs are involved in the onset and progression of diseases, and they are attracting attention as targets for drug development.
*2 CRDMO: An abbreviation for “Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization,” providing a service framework that supports drug development steps seamlessly—from research and testing in the early phases through process development and manufacturing.

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[Reference]
・      Press Release published on July 3, 2025 “Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Veritas In Silico Announce Joint Research Agreement for Drug Discovery and Establishment of Manufacturing Methods for Nucleic Acid Drugs”
・      AXELPHEX^TM dedicated website: https://www.axelphex.com/
・      Corporate Website of Veritas in Silico: https://www.veritasinsilico.com/en/