Veritas In Silico (TYO:130A) has begun a three-year joint research project with Shimane University to develop a novel Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO) drug, according to its Tokyo bourse filing on Monday.

The drug is aimed at suppressing Primary Graft Dysfunction, a major cause of early mortality following lung transplantation.

The collaboration will leverage a key factor discovered by Professor Yamane of Shimane University, with VIS using its proprietary ibVIS platform to design and optimize the ASO drug candidate.

Shimane University will be responsible for validating the efficacy of the optimized drug in a specialized rat model of lung injury.

The company states that the research expenses will be borne separately by each party.