A research group composed of members from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) and Ricoh Co. Ltd. (TYO:7752) has used 3D printing to develop a strong artificial bone...
Pharma
Memory T Cells Found to Alter Immunological Response Based on Intensity of Antigenic Stimulation
An international research group formed by the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken), Osaka University and Yale University has discovered that the strength at which memory T cells are...
NOF Develops Monodisperse PEG for Antibody Drug Delivery
NOF Corp. (TYO:4403) has developed a monodisperse polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a drug delivery system (DDS) material usable in antibody drugs. Sales of the PEG began in March. Unlike typical...
Eisai Plans Entry Into Nucleic Acid Drug Market
Eisai Co. Ltd. (TYO:4523) is gearing up to make a full-fledged entry into the nucleic acid drug market. Leveraging tie-ups with academia and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) in the industry,...
Mitsui Chemicals to Strengthen Dental Business by Investing in US 3D Printer Company
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) has announced that it will acquire approximately 30 percent of all shares in B9Creations LLC, a 3D printer venture based in South Dakota, U.S. The two...
LSII Moves Toward Commercial Production of Muse Cells
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188) subsidiary Life Science Institute Inc. (LSII) is embarking on commercial production of Muse cells, which represent a regenerative medical product for the company. The company...
Nippon Shinyaku Targets 2019 Approval for New Muscular Dystrophy Treatment
Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd. (TYO:4516) has completed Phase 2 clinical trials in the U.S. for NS-065 as of this February. Japan’s first anti-sense nucleic acid medicine, NS-065 was created as...
Nipro to Produce Artificial Kidneys in US
Nipro Corp. (TYO:8086) is gearing up to construct its first dialyzer production plant in the U.S. The company has narrowed down the factory’s site to three locations on the east...
Future Ink to Trial Production of Thin Vital Sign Sensor
Future Ink Corp. will begin a mid-sized production trial in 2018 for a thin vital sign sensor that measures pulse and breathing. The company, a venture by Yamagata University based...
Ube Industries Develops Porous PI Membrane to Optimize Biopharma Production
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) has developed a cell culture component able to significantly improve production efficiency for biopharmaceuticals. The developed product – a polyimide (PI) membrane with a special porous...
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Targets Annual Vaccine Sales of 100B Yen by 2030
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. (TYO:4508) revealed at a Feb. 23 media event that it aims to raise its annual sales of vaccines to 50 billion yen ($467 million) by fiscal...
Toray Fiber Technology Exerts Full Control Over Proteins, Health Care Applications
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) will provide the health care sector with technology that controls the surface structure of hollow fiber membranes and fibers to inhibit protein adsorption and otherwise selectively...
Kaneka Develops Technology to Efficiently Prepare SVF From Adipose Tissue
Kaneka Corp. (TYO:4118) is making moves to expand its business for regenerative medicine. Having previously developed a cell concentration and washing device, the company has now combined that device with...
Asahi Kasei Medical Forms Venture Fund for Dialysis, Bioprocess Fields
Asahi Kasei Medical Co. Ltd. has set up a corporate venture capital (CVC) fund to back new business development. The fund will invest in ventures that promise to take advantage...
Fujifilm, Takeda Pharmaceutical to Jointly Research iPS Cell-Based Regenerative Medicine
Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (TYO:4901) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4502) recently announced the start of joint research into regenerative medicine products derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, better known as...
Yokogawa Spotlights Inline Measurement for Efficient Production of Biologic Antibody Drugs
Yokogawa Electric Corp. (TYO:6841) plans to promote the commercial application of a solution for improving productivity in the manufacture of biologic antibody drugs. Automatically controlling the input of glucose —...
Life Science Institute Prepares for World-First Clinical Trials Using Muse Cells
The Life Science Institute Inc., a group company under Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188), plans to begin clinical trials in Japan with Muse cell-based formulation CL2020 to treat acute myocardial...
Nihon Medi-Physics Embarks on Development of New Cancer Treatment
Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd., a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing venture equally funded by Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) and GE Healthcare, will begin working toward the establishment of theranostics – a completely...
Industry Outlook 2018: Pharmaceuticals
In the field of next-generation drugs, there are high hopes for nucleic acid pharmaceuticals. Launched by Biogen Japan Ltd. in August 2017 as a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA),...
Hitachi Chemical Plans European Medical Supplies Base
Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4217) will establish a European contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for medical supplies within fiscal 2018. This comes as part of a company plan to...
