UBE Corporation (President: Yuki Nishida, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter, "UBE") and Ciconia Bioventures Inc. (Representative Director: Toshio Fujimoto, Head Office: Fujisawa, Kanagawa; hereinafter "Ciconia") announced today that they have entered into an option license agreement granting Ciconia the right to incubate preclinical-stage compounds discovered by UBE.

Under this agreement, Ciconia will acquire the rights to obtain necessary data to develop the target compounds into investable assets and carry out the incubation process with the aim of establishing an innovative startup company.

Yoichi Funayama, Managing Executive Officer and General Manager of the Pharmaceuticals Division at UBE, stated: "UBE is committed to drug discovery efforts focused on diseases with high unmet medical needs, with the goal of improving people's lives and health. The compounds targeted in this incubation focus on areas with significant unmet medical needs, and we have high hopes that Ciconia's incubation efforts will create a new drug discovery ecosystem in Japan, offering patients new treatment options."

Toshio Fujimoto, MD, MBA, Representative Director and Founder CEO of Ciconia, commented: "Japanese companies and universities have globally competent seed assets, as well as talented researchers who have nurtured them. Ciconia hopes to accompany them on their long journey so that their aspirations can connect and contribute to global healthcare."

About UBE Corporation

https://www.ube.com
UBE, which focuses on specialty chemicals, positions its pharmaceutical business as a core business in the life sciences sector, aiming to provide solutions that protect people's lives and health. In drug discovery research, aside from traditional small molecule drugs, the Company is also pursuing high-value-added drug discovery, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). In its CDMO business, UBE aims to grow its existing small molecule pharmaceutical operations while also advancing the acquisition of manufacturing technologies for new modalities, such as nucleic acid drugs.

About Ciconia Bioventures Inc.

https://www.ciconiabioventures.com
Ciconia Bioventures is a joint venture company formed with investments from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Astellas Pharma Inc., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The company aims to revitalize Japan's drug discovery ecosystem by incubating innovative drug discovery seeds originating in Japan and creating globally competitive startup companies. Ciconia continues to embrace challenges as a key player in delivering innovation from Japan that will transform global healthcare.

Contact

Public Relations Group, Corporate Communication Department, UBE Corporation
Tel: +81-3-5419-6110; E-mail: contact_pr@ube.com

Ciconia Bioventures Inc.
E-mail: info@ciconiabioventures.com