Healios K.K. and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (DSP) have established a joint venture company, SighRegen K.K. (SighRegen).  The joint venture agreement was signed on December 2, 2013.

The companies have also signed the joint development agreement on the terms of the joint development in Japan of iPS cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases. The joint venture company will be engaged in the manufacture and sales promotion of the iPS cell-derived RPE cell products commercialized in the future through the joint development.

According to the joint venture agreement, the JV company, SighRegen (SighRegen is a term coined from “(eye)sight” and “regeneration”) will be located at 5-2 Minatojima Minamimachi 5-chome, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo (housed in the Kobe International Business Center).

The JV company will manufacture, sales promotion and other activities of the iPS cell-derived RPE cell products. SighRegen plans to own facilities for the manufacture of such products. After obtaining the manufacturing and marketing approval of such products, Healios will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the products and SighRegen will conduct manufacturing and sales promotion under a contract with Healios.

Healios is a RIKEN Venture approved as such by RIKEN, an independent administrative agency. Based on a patent license granted under RIKEN’s inventions born in Japan, Healios is engaged in the development of new treatment methods for age-related macular degeneration through im plantation of RPE cells that are differentiation guided from iPS cells. Further, it seeks to make a successful development of such treatment methods as the stepping stone to develop technologies for photoreceptor cell implantation, retina regeneration pharmaceuticals and test methods so that current refractory retinal diseases will be made curable  

DSP focuses its research and development on psychiatry & neurology and oncology areas, where high unmet medical needs exist in order to channel its energies into innovative drug discovery. By the same token, DSP seeks to apply leading-edge science such as iPS cells to drug discovery and strengthen activities in regenerative medicine and cell therapy to develop medicines for refractory diseases.