Interview with residents

TFBS BIOSCIENCE LLC is a Taiwan-originated virus vector manufacturer with contract development and manufacturing facilities for top-class GMP virus vectors in the Asia-Pacific region. Inaugurated as the Institute for Virus Research, a government-funded foundation, the company became independent eight years ago, focusing on cell therapy and the manufacture of viral vectors for gene therapy products. This time, we asked Yuan, Huang, and Ryu of the company about their expectations for the company's entry into Japan and Kashiwa-no-ha Lab.

Muromachi Chemical Co., Ltd. is a company in Fukuoka Prefecture that conducts a wide range of businesses related to pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and food, from contract manufacturing of pharmaceuticals to the design of water supply and drainage treatment equipment. With the changing times, the content of business is diversifying, and recent requests from academia and startups have been increasing. In June of this year, we opened the Pharmaceutical Development Center at Mitsui Link Lab Kashiwa-no-ha to meet new customers and needs. We provide total services (importation, manufacturing, processing, and analysis) related to raw materials by combining a trading company function that can procure raw materials that meet quality and price and a manufacturer function of pharmaceutical manufacturing. This time, we asked Shingo Fukumoto, Junichi Seto, and Naoki Sakumoto of the Pharmaceutical Development Department about the company's business and future prospects.

Sysmex Corporation is a company whose main business is the development, manufacture, sale and import/export of clinical testing equipment, diagnostic reagents and related software. Starting with blood test equipment, we are currently expanding our business to healthcare in general, including cancer gene panel tests, COVID-19 antibody tests, test reagents to check the accumulation status of amyloid β in the brain, medical test equipment, and surgical support robots. This time, we asked Katsunori Naito, Atsushi Matsuda, and Kanako Eida of the company about the history of entering Tokyo and their future prospects.

H.U. Group Central Research Laboratories (HRI) is a company established with the aim of consolidating the basic research functions of the H.U. Group and creating products and services that will serve as drivers of future growth. In addition to in-house research, we are actively promoting open innovation with the outside world, and we are also challenging joint research with various research institutions, including the National Cancer Center. This time, we asked Kenichi Imamura, Koichi Abe, and Takuya Uozumi about the company's business and future prospects.

(Digzyme Co., Ltd.) is a startup founded by Tokyo Institute of Technology that aims to develop technologies that efficiently design "enzymes" suitable for industrial applications using bioinformatics (the fusion field of life science and information engineering) and quickly lead to mass production. This time, we asked Naoo Watarai (Co-founder, Representative Director and CEO) and Ken Izumi (Executive Officer COO) about the background of the company's birth, the current challenge, and the future vision we want to realize at Mitsui Link Lab Kasai.

(Peer Blue) is a startup born from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, the University of Tokyo, which is engaged in research, development, manufacture and sale of propulsion machines for small satellites using water as a propellant. The "satellite constellation" business, which functions many small satellites integrally, is booming, and there is a need for propulsion machines suitable for missions of various small satellites. This time, we interviewed Mr. Asakawa, co-founder and CEO, Mr. Yamanaka of the Corporate Division, and Mr. Okuhara of the Business Development Division.

U-Factor, Inc. (UFactor) is a startup that pursues the potential of regenerative medicine for intractable neurological diseases by using stem cell culture supernatants made from tooth cerebrospinal stem cells. If the company succeeds, it will create inexpensive, mass-producible regenerative medicine that overturns conventional common sense. This time, we asked Keigo Hori (Director COO) and Kento Otake (Facility Manager) about the background of the company's birth, the challenges they are taking on, and the future image they want to realize.

Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. is a pharmaceutical company engaged in the development and manufacture and sale of therapeutic drugs and vaccines for infectious diseases and mental and nervous system diseases as a pharmaceutical business of the Meiji Group. As a research base, we have an in-house research institute in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and have also opened our own laboratory at Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba1 in order to take on the challenge of research and development of antibody drugs in the blood cancer field. We interviewed four people, including Mr. Tsuchiya, Deputy Director of Research and Development Division and Research Department, about the motivation for opening a new lab and future prospects.

Tuning Folk Bio Japan Co., Ltd. is a biotech company that aims to realize early diagnosis and personalized medicine at the stage of non-illness using antibody profiling technology, which was created through joint research with Fukushima Medical University. The company, which was born from Yamaha Motor's medical and health departments, currently has its headquarters in the United States and Shinkiba, respectively. This time, we asked Yuichi Hikiji, the representative director, about the history of the company's birth and future business prospects.

In October 2023, Astellas established a new base for open innovation, Tumor MicroEnvironment (TME) imaging and interactive research for innovation (TME iLab) at Mitsui Link Lab Kashiwa-no-ha 1. We are trying to set up state-of-the-art space information analysis equipment to create a place where researchers inside and outside the company can exchange discussions and advance research. We asked four people, including Mr. Nakao, Senior Researcher, Imnoon Colology, Deputy Director of Astellas Pharma Co., Ltd., about the purpose and future prospects of this new lab.