Takeda Pharmaceutical has partnered with Fujifilm for the development of regenerative medicine therapies to treat heart failure.
Under the collaboration, Takeda will use cardiomyocytes that would be derived from iPSC at Fujifilm’s subsidiary Cellular Dynamics International in the US.
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The alliance will see a combination of Fujifilm’s iPSC-related and engineering technologies expertise with Takeda’s iPSC technology capabilities.
The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University will additionally support these efforts for regenerative medicine development through collaborative research and expertise in pre-clinical and clinical studies for making safe and effective drugs.
Fujifilm Regenerative Medicine division general manager Aiichiro Hiruma said: “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.”
Under the contract signed by the firms, Takeda holds an option to first negotiate a joint and global commercialisation of regenerative medicine products made using iPSC-derived cardiac cells.
Fujifilm is set to receive an upfront amount from Takeda, while both firms will investigate the safety and efficacy of the potential regenerative medicine therapies.
Takeda Regenerative Medicine Unit global head Seigo Izumo said: “Fujifilm has impressive capabilities in high-quality cell manufacturing technology, an innovative area with significant treatment potential.
“This collaboration allows us to leverage the strengths of both organisations with the goal of achieving meaningful, life-changing benefits for patients.”
