Fireside Chat: Tadaaki Taniguchi - World Medical Innovation Forum

Summary

Astellas Chief Research and Development Officer Tadaaki Taniguchi MD, PhD joined Rishi Singh MD to discuss how drug development is changing across ophthalmology, oncology, rare disease and other areas where new therapeutic modalities are moving quickly.

Taniguchi described R&D as a sequence of connected choices: understand the biology, select the modality that best addresses it and focus on an unmet need meaningful enough to justify the work. Astellas' expansion into ophthalmology illustrates that strategy. Its acquisition of Iveric Bio added more than a near-market product. It brought scientific, clinical and commercial capabilities that complemented the company's existing work in areas such as cell therapy.

Artificial intelligence is also helping accelerate discovery. Taniguchi described computational tools and high-performance computing reducing timelines in parts of R&D while noting that complex modalities such as protein degraders, antibody-drug conjugates and bispecifics still require substantial human judgment.

That complexity makes partnership fundamental. Modern drug development demands too many capabilities for any single organization to own.

Speakers

Tadaaki Taniguchi MD, PhD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Astellas Pharma
Rishi Singh MD, Chair of Ophthalmology, Mass General Brigham (Moderator)

Notes

Session Focus

The conversation covered Astellas’s portfolio and growth, the method behind its R&D decisions, why the company entered ophthalmology through acquisition, and a precise view of where AI helps drug discovery and where it does not.

Portfolio and Position

Taniguchi described a company running roughly $14 billion in annual sales and growing at double digits. Approximately 60 percent of commercial revenue sits in oncology, alongside ophthalmology, women’s health and a move into rare disease.

The R&D Method

He described a decision framework built on three questions asked in sequence.

What biology matters most in this disease? Which modality fits that biology? Where does the unmet need actually sit?

The ordering matters, since it starts from disease understanding rather than from platform capability looking for an application.

Entering Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology was relatively new territory for Astellas, which is why Taniguchi described the 2023 acquisition of Iveric Bio as mattering on three fronts simultaneously.

It brought a product about to launch. It brought scientific and clinical capability the company did not have internally. And it brought a partner for existing cell therapy work in blindness and degeneration.

His point was that an acquisition entering a new therapeutic area has to deliver more than an asset. Capability and fit with existing programs are what make the entry durable.

Where AI Helps and Where It Does Not

Taniguchi was enthusiastic about AI and precise about its limits.

On the positive side, Astellas has used NVIDIA supercomputing to compress discovery-to-clinic timelines to roughly two years.

On the limits, he noted the tools falter on the complex molecules the company is actually pursuing, including protein degraders, antibody-drug conjugates and bispecifics. Research, in his assessment, still relies on human judgment.

Partnership

His closing point was that no company gets there alone. The relevant question is who to work with, and toward what goal.

Key Takeaways

1. Biology comes first, then modality, then unmet need. The sequence prevents platform-led decision making.

2. Acquisition into a new area should buy capability, not just an asset. Iveric brought a product, expertise and a partner for existing work.

3. AI has compressed discovery-to-clinic timelines to roughly two years at Astellas.

4. Complex modalities still exceed the tools. Degraders, ADCs and bispecifics remain dependent on human judgment.