News and Press Releases
Governor Schwarzenegger‘s Aide Attends Regional Business Mixer Hosted by Takeda San Diego
San Diego, CA, November 11, 2009: Takeda San Diego (TSD) captured the attention of forty diverse and influential local business leaders who assembled to see first-hand how TSD uses cutting edge technologies to improve worldwide health and to gain an appreciation of the challenges faced by pharmaceutical companies in bringing groundbreaking medicines to patients. The event was part of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Roundtable program, and David Crane, Governor Schwarzenegger’s special advisor for jobs and economic growth, rounded out the upscale evening with a sparkling keynote address over dinner.
Arriving guests mingled amidst a gilded ceremonial kabuto and a photo exhibit featuring some of Japan’s most scenic and historic treasures. TSD president and chief science officer, Keith P. Wilson, then furnished a post-reception overview of Takeda’s exciting growth towards a worldwide pharmaceutical company.
Attendees learnt of the considerable investments and expansion that Takeda has undertaken in California, including the formation of Takeda Research Investments in Palo-Alto in 2002, the 2005 acquisition of Syrrx to become Takeda San Diego, and the creation of Takeda San Francisco in 2007. Additional clinical development partnerships with Affymax (Palo-Alto), Xoma (Berkeley) and Amylin (San Diego) provide further impetus to Takeda’s California presence. Dr. Wilson then discussed TSD’s state-of-the-art technologies for taking atomic-level pictures of crystallized human proteins to guide the design of innovative drugs to treat cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
The dignitaries then split into two tour groups led by TSD systems engineer Jenna Woo and scientist Robert Skene. Woo remarked, “It’s rewarding and fun to use the incredible machinery and technology we have to create new medicines.” Skene commented on the automaton essential to the protein picture-taking process, “These multimillion dollar robots setup more crystallization experiments in one day than I did by hand in my entire time at graduate school.”
Guests descended at tours end upon TSD’s elegantly transformed dining hall for an agreeable repast while David Crane spoke eloquently and fielded questions about California’s budget and economy. Mr. Crane ended the evening’s formalities stating, “Successful businesses like Takeda are essential to the prosperity of California.”
-more-
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com
About Takeda San Diego Inc
Takeda San Diego Inc., (TSD) is Takeda’s first US-based discovery research operation. TSD achieves an advantage in drug discovery by leveraging its leading structural biology capabilities to determine the three dimensional structures of human protein drug targets. TSD then uses these structures to efficiently create best-in-class drug candidates to treat diabetes, cancer, and inflammation. Additional information about Takeda San Diego is available at www.takedasd.com
About San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential forces in local government and regional economic development. With more than 3000 members, the Chamber of Commerce is actively involved in public policy and providing valuable resources to its members. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit business advocacy group that Alonzo Horton envisioned more than a century ago. With more than 130 years of experience, the Chamber offers unprecedented benefits, discounts, and opportunities to make San Diego businesses prosperous. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is excited to pave the way for a growing regional economy as we venture into the new millennium.
###
