Hitachi in Cell Culture Technology Deal

Hitachi has formed a deal with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, an Osaka, Japan-based pharmaceutical company, to supply automated cell mass culture equipment for regenerative medicine using human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma. 

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma is developing allogeneic iPS cell-derived dopaminergic neural progenitor cells for treating Parkinson’s disease caused by dopamine neuron loss and neurodegeneration. The company is developing these cells in collaboration with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University. The automated cell-culture equipment being provided by Hitachi consists of single-use consumables such as bottles, tubes, and cell culture dishes, which can automatically mass manufacture cells that can be observed under a closed sterile environment. Hitachi’s equipment uses a closed-flow channel that reduces pathogen and microbial contamination from the external environment.

Hitachi and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma also have a joint research project granted by the Japan Agency of Medical Research and Development for evaluating the validity and practical use of processing methods based on automated cell-culture equipment for developing human iPS cell-based therapies for treating Parkinson’s disease.

Source: Hitachi

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