Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Haruo Naito, 'Eisai') announced today that Eisai had a groundbreaking ceremony for a major renovation of its Tsukuba Research Laboratories (Ibaraki, Japan) as part of strategic investment to realize Eisai's medium-term business plan 'EWAY2025.'
Since the opening in 1982, the Tsukuba Research Laboratories has led the creation of innovation by discovering the cutting-edge drugs including Aricept, Pariet, Lenvima and Fycompa over the last approximate 40 years. In order for the Tsukuba Research laboratories to continue to play the central role also in the next generation innovation creation as Eisai's global drug discovery center, a major renovation is conducted with a key concept 'Human Connected Laboratories : Laboratories Connecting Human and Human, and Data, and the World.' This renovation aims to accelerate the further knowledge circulation by connecting each researcher with patients, other members at the Tsukuba Research Laboratories, the research sites in the world, and external researchers, as well as developing the environment for the further digitalization era.
In the Eisai Group, all employees around the world using 1% of their total business hours to interact with patients (socialization) to understand thoughts and feelings of patients. Accordingly, we have been working on the initiatives (hhc activities) for leading to the creation of values for patients.
The facility is established for enhancing communication by developing new places and spaces for a closer socialization with patients at the Tsukuba Research Laboratories.
In order to accelerate the knowledge exchange in the Tsukuba Research Laboratories and to support the workstyle to increase the researchers' efficiency, the renovation for improving the traffic lines between workspaces or research buildings, as well as building the spaces for various co-creation are conducted.
The facility and equipment for accelerating the interactions with our partners are also developed while developing the environment of meeting rooms for smooth communication with overseas bases.
The facilities with safety, extensibility, and variability for further data driven and digitalization are built while renovating to enable the equipment layout to accelerate the effective usage of all research equipment of Tsukuba Research Laboratories.
In consideration of the environment, this construction is conducted as a renovation for more effective use of resources in comparison with demolition and new construction. Eisai is also planning to introduce an energy management system. The renovation is gradually carried out while maintaining the research function, and the final completion is scheduled in the fiscal year 2022.
The Tsukuba Research Laboratories is a core research center for drug discovery research in the neurology and oncology fields, which are our priority areas, and conducts the drug discovery activities with the aim of contributing to global health including neglected tropical diseases. In addition, the Tsukuba Research Laboratories will also play a central role as a base for Data Driven Drug Discovery & Development (5D drug discovery) to create a paradigm shift in drug discovery by digital technology. Through these initiatives, Eisai accelerates the drug discovery activities, and is striving to further contribute to satisfy unmet medical needs and to improve the benefits to patients and their families.
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EISAI CO., LTD. 
