Development of Cellular Medicines
We have developed a novel technique (patent pending) to generate Oct4/Nanog-positive multipotent stem-like cells from somatic cells. Our goal is to commercialize this technology so that the patient's own cells can be used to generate progenitor cells. These cells can then be used to treat and repair organ function damaged by injury or disease.
Using our proprietary material, CE-peptide, as a cellular niche factor, we have developed a novel method of "direct reprogramming" to induce the differentiation of fibroblasts into progenitor cells for various organs. Specifically, fibroblasts are cultured with CE-peptide in three-dimensional cultures and reprogrammed into stem cells in a way that does not require gene transfer.
In conventional regenerative medicine utilizing iPS cell technology, there are several pressing issues that must be resolved. These issues include: 1) the risk of tumorigenesis with gene transfer, 2) the cost of several months required to establish iPS cells, and 3) immune rejection due to minor HLA associated with allogeneic cells. On the other hand, cell therapy utilizing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is expected to expand rapidly due to the development of isolation methods from adipose tissue or dental pulp. Further contributing factors are progress being made in legislation and standardization as cellular pharmaceuticals. However, MSCs are limited in the organs they can differentiate into, so there is an urgent need to validate treatments for a broader range of diseases.
We have developed a method to induce multipotency in stem cells in a culture period of approximately 3 to 4 weeks without gene transfer to fibroblasts. This avoids the risk of tumorigenesis, reduces the risk of immune rejection by using the patient's autologous cells, and even reduces costs by shortening the production time. These are all advantages over competing technologies.
For future commercialization, we intend to make progress in establishing preclinical proof of concept (POC) through collaborative research with universities and medical institutions, and to promote clinical implementation through collaboration with companies.
Cell Culture Diagnosis
This is a new technology for reproducing disease models through the culturing of patient-derived cells in vitro. For example, in the case of cancer treatment, we directly apply therapeutic drug candidates on tumor cells/tissues in provided sample tissues to predict efficacy as well as side effects. In addition, integrated omics analysis of cells/tissues and analysis of disease factors and drug response mechanisms are performed to select the best therapeutic drug for each individual patient. In addition, this technology can be used to diagnose rare diseases and rare cancers for which there is no known cure. For future commercialization, we intend to make progress in establishing preclinical POC through collaborative research with universities and the National Cancer Center, and to promote clinical implementation through collaboration with companies.