Left to right: Tarek Fadel (MIT), Daniel Anderson (MIT), Birgit Roy (Astellas), Tadaaki Taniguchi (Astellas), Ronald Raines (MIT), Stefani Spranger (MIT), Christopher Woelk (Astellas), Qunli Xu (Astellas), Geoffrey Shamu (MIT), Shilpa Kadam (Astellas), Zhiliang Bai (MIT), Michael Yaffe (MIT), Masashi Shimazaki (Astellas), Kevin Yang (Astellas), Michael Birnbaum (MIT), Yufei Xu (Astellas).
May 15, 2026
May 15, 2026, Cambridge, MA – The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Cancer Center and the hub of cancer research at MIT, today announced that Astellas Pharma, a global life sciences company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, has joined the BioConvergence Cancer Alliance.
The BioConvergence Cancer Alliance fosters relationships between academic cancer researchers and biotechnology companies to accelerate the translation of discoveries into tools and treatments that improve patient survival and quality of life.
“I am delighted to work with our colleagues at Astellas,” said Matthew Vander Heiden, director of the Koch Institute and Lester Wolfe (1919) Professor of Molecular Biology and Professor of Biology. “The BioConvergence Cancer Alliance is instrumental to fulfilling the mission of the Koch Institute. Collaborations with companies and organizations such as Astellas help our researchers find the shortest path between research ideas and clinical solutions and help shape the future of convergence science in oncology.”
Astellas provides transformative therapies for cancer, as well as other disease areas including ophthalmology, urology, immunology and women's health. As a member of the alliance, Astellas will closely engage with a thriving research community at the Koch Institute and flagship initiatives such as the Frontier Research Program, as well as explore opportunities for formal scientific collaborations with faculty members at the Institute.
“At Astellas, we are committed to turning innovative science into value for patients, and collaboration is essential to achieving that mission,” said Tadaaki Taniguchi, Chief Research and Development Officer at Astellas. “By joining the BioConvergence Cancer Alliance at MIT’s Koch Institute, we look forward to working alongside world‑leading academic researchers to help accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into meaningful advances for people living with cancer. This alliance reflects our shared belief that convergence science and cross‑sector partnerships are critical to shaping the future of oncology.”
Koch Institute faculty members and representatives from Astellas recently held their inaugural meeting to identify areas of alignment and engagement opportunities in the areas of immuno-oncology, targeted protein degradation, drug delivery, and artificial intelligence.
“I am thrilled to work with our colleagues at Astellas as part of the BioConvergence Cancer Alliance,” said Stefani Spranger, associate director of the Koch Institute and a professor in the Department of Biology. “Astellas brings both deep oncology expertise and a global commitment to bringing therapies to patients worldwide. Their strategic focus areas align with some of our most innovative research directions.”
“We are incredibly excited for Astellas to join our BioConvergence Cancer Alliance at the MIT Koch Institute,” said Tarek Fadel, director of Strategic Alliances & Partnerships at the Koch Institute. “This reflects our continued priority to connect world-leading academic researchers with industry partners who share our commitment to accelerating innovation in oncology and invent medicines of the future.”