A recent article in the magazine Nikkei Biotech looks at the situation of Japanese start-ups in bio and healthcare. https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/11/24/11338/ The funding environment for startups in Japan is less mature than in Europe and the United States, and the amounts raised per funding round are generally small. Recently, however, some Japanese bio/healthcare startups have raised […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101705.html The CO2 transport test ship “Ekusukuru”, which incorporates a marine cargo tank system for transporting carbon dioxide (CO2) and was developed as part of the “CCUS Research, Development and Verification Project” commissioned by NEDO, was completed, and a naming and delivery ceremony was held. (NGL) and the Engineering National Association of Japan (ENAA), which […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/11/21/11323/ Shimadzu Corporation announced that its subsidiary Shimadzu Diagnostics will begin selling the TKSneoFinder  detection reagent set, a PCR reagent kit for newborn screening tests.  In conjunction with the sales of the kit, Shimadzu Techno-Research, a subsidiary of Shimadzu Corporation, plans to launch a contract newborn screening testing business within FY2023. TKSneoFinder is a PCR […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/11/21/11321/ During a financial results meeting for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, the company introduced the pipeline it is currently developing and explained the areas it will focus on in the future. The company’s FY09/2023 sales were 897 million yen (+53.4% YoY), with an operating loss of 106 million yen (vs. an operating […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/11/15/11297/ The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM), an event in which students from around the world compete for research ideas and results in the field of synthetic biology, was held in France from November 2-5, 2023, and a team of Japanese junior and senior high school students won. The team, called “Japan-United,” was headed […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/10/31/11231/ Euglena is used to produce biofuels such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), biodiesel fuel, and bionaphtha by adding fats and oils extracted from the microalgae Euglena to used cooking oil. Biofuels are being produced at a biofuel manufacturing demonstration plant in Yokohama City. The plant is scheduled to close by the end of January […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101698.html As part of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund project “Development of concrete manufacturing technology using CO2”, Takenaka Corporation, together with Kajima Corporation and Denka Corporation, will develop carbon negative concrete that emits less than zero carbon dioxide (CO2) during the concrete manufacturing process. They have developed a concrete product called CUCO-precast material for construction  that […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/10/02/11138/ Idemitsu Kosan has established the Idemitsu Joint Research Division for Biotech Manufacturing at Kobe University’s Center for Advanced Biotechnology Research. The joint research division will work on the development of smart cells (genetically modified microorganisms and cells) for the production of biofuels, bio-chemicals, and bio-agrochemicals, with the aim of building a bio-manufacturing value chain. […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/column/16/021500017/100300305/ https://sakana-dream.com/english Sakana Dream (Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture) is developing and marketing new cultured fish by applying a surrogate fish parent technique that transplants reproductive stem cells between different species. The technology is based on that of Professor Goro Yoshizaki of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, who is known for his “research […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/column/16/031700078/092600020/ Bioplastics, which are made from renewable resources and are biodegradable, have been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years. With the Japanese government’s promotion of bioplastics, companies are increasing production of existing products and developing new ones. The challenges are to further reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing and use, and to improve functionality in […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/column/16/020100064/090600018/ The MicroBio Me kit is a gut bacteria test offered by Kirin HD. This test was developed by Thorne, a company that manufactures and sells supplements and conducts a variety of other tests. The test is characterized by the use of shotgun metagenomic sequencing, which directly reads the genome sequence, rather than the 16S rRNA […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101694.html Satake Multimix Corporation, Tohoku University and Godo Shusei Co. as part of NEDO’s “Development of Bio-based Product Production Technology to Accelerate the Realization of Carbon Recycling” project  have established a stirring system that can efficiently stir the culture medium with lower power and ensure aeration volume. By establishing a stirring system that can efficiently agitate the culture […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101695.html Kajima Corporation is participating in joint research on the “Demonstration and Development of a Large-Scale Production System for Useful Materials Using Genetically Modified Plants” under NEDO’s “Development of Bio-based Product Production Technology to Accelerate the Realization of Carbon Recycling”. As part of this research, Kajima has recently developed an integrated extraction system that can […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/09/06/11054/ In 2024, MEXT will fund a project (“Development and sharing of generative AI models for scientific research”) at RIKEN to develop generative AI that forms hypotheses through dialogue with researchers. The project  aims to train RIKEN’s experimental data and published data to generate hypotheses, experimental plans, etc., to help researchers brush up their hypotheses […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/09/05/11051/ Takara Bio has announced that it has established a technology to rapidly produce chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells). By shortening the culture period to two days, it is possible to produce CAR-T cells with higher cytotoxic activity than usual, and the company plans to utilize this in its CDMO business. The company’s CDMO […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/column/16/021500017/090500297/ https://bio-phenolics.com/?page_id=68 BioPhenolics is a startup from the University of Tsukuba that is conducting research and development of technology to produce aromatic hydrocarbon chemicals with benzene rings using improved microorganisms (“smart cells”). Currently, BioPhenolics has a pipeline of more than 10 chemical products that it is independently researching and developing, and when combined with the […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101685.html Fermentation production of food materials requires the wisdom, know-how, and so-called “craftsmanship” of experts to ensure stable production, such as setting optimal culture conditions. On the other hand, it takes a very long time to inherit and acquire the “craftsmanship” of such skilled workers, the aging of skilled workers, and the outflow of technology […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/08/29/11028/ https://carbgem.com/en/ The startup CarbGem uses AI and other technologies to test for infectious disease. The company now has developed a compact automated Gram staining device called PoCGS-iE. In addition to research institutions, the company will also sell the product to food companies, livestock farms, and other companies with a need to confirm bacterial species. […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/08/31/11042/ According to a joint poster presentation at the 5th Cellular Agriculture Conference by Professor Noriya Matsuzaki and his team from Osaka University, Toppan Printing, Shimadzu Corporation and Itoham, the taste of cultured meat still needs some improvement. Prof. Matsuzaki and his colleagues have developed technology to produce cultured meat using a 3D printer. Muscle […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/08/18/11005/ According to Nikkei Biotech, Astellas Pharma Inc. held a media tour at the Tsukuba Biotechnology Research Center on August 7, 2023. During the tour, robot Mahoro was shown to the media operating a culture plate. Mahoro is a dual-armed robot developed by the Robotic Biology Institute (Koto, Tokyo; Kenji Matsuguma, President) and the National […]

https://fermelanta.com https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/column/16/021500017/080100292/ Firmelanta is a startup from Ishikawa Prefectural University that uses E. coli bacteria to create biotech products. The company is currently constructing various recombinant E. coli strains for the production of pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients. In addition to its own production of pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients using the strains it has developed, the […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101678. As part of the Green Innovation Fund Project, NEDO will launch the “Decarbonization of Thermal Processes in the Manufacturing Sector” project (total budget: 30.41 billion yen) with the aim of achieving “carbon neutrality by 2050. The project will work on the establishment of combustion technologies required for carbon-neutral industrial furnaces, and technologies for reducing […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/07/30/10951/ https://carbgem.com/en/ CarbGem and its parent company, NexGen have filed for manufacturing and marketing approval for AI software that estimates the bacterial species of bacterial infections and supports diagnosis and selection of therapeutic agents. The AI software analyzes Gram-stained images of urine tests to estimate the species of bacteria. the AI software is linked to […]

https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101674.html Under NEDO’s “Technology Research and Development Project for Discovery and Commercialization of New Energy and Other Seeds”, MIRAI-LABO Co., Ltd. has developed the “Solar Mobiway,” a solar power generation panel that can be laid on the road surface, and EV Repurpose, which reuses batteries discharged from used electric vehicles (EVs). The Autonomous Intelligent Road […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/column/16/052000031/072700119/ Morinaga Milk Industry has confirmed that early administration of Bifidobacterium bifidum to healthy full-term infants promotes the formation of bifidobacteria-dominant flora. In addition, beneficial physiological functions were also observed, such as a decrease in the frequency of defecation and an increase in the secretion of acetic acid and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/07/18/10912/ On July 18, 2023, Chugai Pharmaceutical held a media tour of its new research base, Chugai Life Science Park Yokohama. The new research base was completed on October 15, 2022, and began full-scale operations in April 2023. The center plans to advance drug discovery research based on laboratory automation and AI drug discovery. During […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/06/29/10868/ The general-purpose humanoid robot “Mahoro” is one of the most well-known of all experimental automation devices. Mahoro has a long history of development and was first announced in its current form in 2012. Since then, it has been gradually introduced to companies and research institutes. Mahoro excels at delicate work, and it can also […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/07/08/10893/ JGC Holdings (HD), which focuses on engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of plants, and Bacchus BioInnovation (Kobe, President Mikio Tanji), a Kobe University startup, announced that they will collaborate in the biofoundry business, which produces useful substances using microbes and other materials. Bacchus, of which Professor Akihiko Kondo of Kobe University’s Graduate School serves […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/07/05/10883/ Hyperion FoodTech (Nara City, President Kazuhiro Takekita), a company involved in the research and development of new food materials such as cultured meat, announced the establishment of pluripotent stem cells (ES cells) from fertilized embryos from domestic cattle. Bovine ES cells will be differentiated into bovine skeletal muscle cells, which will be used to […]

https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/23/07/05/10885/ Biodegradable mulch film has been commercially available for about 20 years. Hiroko Kitamoto and her team from theNational Institute of Agro-Environmental Sciences had discovered that Pseudozyma Antarctica which is ubiquitous on plant surfaces, break down biodegradable plastics by a secreted esterase PaE . This degrading enzyme, PaE, was known to degrade polybutylene succinate adipate […]