Daiichi Sankyo collaborates on iPS cell-derived insulin producing cells in Japan

Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo (TYO: 4568), Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Tokyo Institute of Technology today announced that they will commence open innovation research with the aim of creating insulin producing cells from iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine and cell therapy.

The Kume and Shiraki Lab at the School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Tech, has developed a technique to produce pancreatic β cells (insulin secreting cells in the pancreas) derived from human iPS cells at a high rate. It has been found that this technique enables creation of iPS cell-derived insulin producing cells similar to the body’s own pancreatic β cells in combination with Daiichi Sankyo technology.

The research will improve the performance and manufacturing process for such iPS cell-derived insulin producing cells, aiming at practical application as an innovative therapy for severe type I diabetes, for which blood glucose management is difficult with conventional insulin therapy, and in which high unmet medical needs exist.