Takeda Pharmaceutical Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda America Holdings, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Envoy Therapeutics and its bacTRAP drug discovery platform.

       The US company's proprietary technology uses a combination of innovative genetic engineering with molecular biology techniques for labelling and extracting the protein-making components of specific cell types.

        It is applicable to a range of therapeutic areas including the central nervous system, where many hundreds of cell types are found.

        Takeda is confident that its acquisition of Envoy will support its goal to discovery innovative new drugs.
        The Japanese company's pharmaceutical research division general manager, Dr Paul Chapman, said: "Since our initial investment in 2009, it has been clear to us that Envoy's scientific excellence in combination with their vision for the utilisation of bacTRAP technology have great potential to create and explore truly innovative targets across multiple therapeutic areas."

        Brad Margus, chief executive officer and director of Envoy, added that the company's scientists were "thrilled by the opportunity to deploy bacTRAP's unique capabilities across numerous new therapeutic areas".