FUJIFILM Corporation and Takeda Pharmaceutical have announced they will partner to develop regenerative therapies using iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes produced by Fujfilm’s subsidiary, Cellular Dynamics International (CDI).

As stated by Aiichiro Hiruma, General Manager of Regenerative Medicine Division at FUJIFILM Corporation:

“We are delighted to initiate this partnership applying practical use of our iPSC-derived cardiac cells with Takeda, which has abundant experience in drug development and clinical trials. In addition to establishing new treatment methods for patients with heart disease, Fujifilm and Takeda will contribute to the elevation of regenerative medication business to the industrial stage by applying our engineering technologies to manufacture high-quality cells safely and efficiently.”

At its core, the partnership will align manufacturing technology possessed by Cellular Dynamics International, an affiliate company of Fujifilm, with Takeda’s iPSC expertise and research to be conducted by the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University. Together, these synergies will support pre-clinical and clinical studies for regenerative medicines that will address unmet cardiac needs, with a focus on heart failure.  [Read more…]