Eisai

Eisai is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Japan.  Eisai’s expertise and focus are in the therapeutic areas of neurology, oncology, and tropical diseases, as there are many diseases for which adequate treatments have yet to be established. In their neurology portfolio, Eisai aims to develop optimised treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Together with Biogen, Eisai has developed the anti-amyloid therapy lecanemab, which has shown a slowing of cognitive decline by 27% in phase 3 clinical trials in patients with early-stage Alzheimer's. Lecanemab was granted accelerated approval by the FDA in January 2023 and was approved by the MHRA in August 2024.

In 2019, UK DRI and Eisai launched a joint £2M funding initiative to support innovative research that translates into improvements in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of all types of dementia. 

The Eisai - UK DRI Research Programme on Dementia supports postdoctoral researchers to undertake a three-year project in a UK DRI research group. The postdocs benefit from both the UK DRI’s state-of-the-art research facilities and Eisai’s drug discovery and translational expertise. Six post doc positions have been supported through the programme so far.