The team of founders, Dr. Satoshi Yamazaki of University of Tsukuba and Dr. Hiromitsu Nakauchi of the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, has succeeded in establishing large-scale expansion technology for mouse HSC in vitro using PVA, which is a component of liquid glue. Door to clinical applications opened when they succeeded the same with human HSC. The company was founded to accelerate its clinical application in the field of cell therapy, which is expected to grow in the future.

In vitro expansion of human HSC has been difficult until now. The conventional cell growth media, containing biological substances such as albumin and cytokine, carry problems such as low reproducibility, difficulty in quality control, and high cost of raw materials. Our technology enabled in vitro expansion of human HSC in an albumin/cytokine-free medium, which allows easy quality control and cost reduction. In addition, since HSC can be expanded regardless of the source (bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood), application to various diseases can be expected.

UTEC recognized the innovativeness of this technology from its early stage and made its commercialization possible through seed investment. In addition to funding, UTEC has provided assistance in formulating business strategies and development plans, searching for and introducing human resources, and providing legal and intellectual property support.