Modulus Discovery, Inc., an early stage drug discovery company announced today the appointment of Wataru Uchida, Professor at the Center for Drug Discovery and Exploratory Clinical Trials, Tohoku University, as Scientific Advisor.

Professor Uchida served as Head of Drug Discovery Research, Senior Corporate Executive at Astellas Pharma Inc. until March 2018, and has more than 30 years of drug discovery experience ranging from early discovery research to early clinical development, including appointments to Head of Pharmacology Research Laboratories and Head of Clinical Pharmacology. During his tenure at Astellas, Professor Uchida introduced multiple innovative initiatives within the R&D organization, including inception of novel therapeutic areas, building an open innovation culture through establishment of external alliances and encouraging M&A activities, as well as promoting the close collaboration between the clinical and discovery research organizations.

At Modulus, he will serve as Scientific Advisor to provide strategic guidance in all aspects of the company’s R&D operations including its pipeline of discovery programs. In addition, Professor Uchida’s global network in the pharmaceutical industry will enable Modulus to recruit the best talent as well as help expand its network of global partnerships.

Comment from S. Roy Kimura, CEO, Modulus Discovery, Inc.:

“We are delighted to welcome Professor Uchida as Scientific Advisor. It is an honor for us to have such a prominent leader from a global pharmaceutical firm to join our efforts. I believe that his deep insights in drug discovery research and development will further strengthen our capabilities to pursue our mission to accelerate the discovery of novel medicines for patients in need.”

Comment from Professor Wataru Uchida:

“I’m very much excited to contribute to Modulus Discovery, a company with a strong vision to boldly solve a major challenge in drug discovery, namely the rapid delivery of innovative treatments for patients who need them, through the maximal use of state-of-the-art science combined with drug discovery knowledge.”