Daiichi Sankyo invests in Osaka University spin-off

Japanese pharma major Daiichi Sankyo (TYO: 4568) revealed this morning that it has signed an investment contract with Cuorips Inc, an Osaka University spin-off venture to receive an option right concerning the worldwide commercialization of iPS-derived cardiomyocyte (iPS-CM) sheet developed by Cuorips.

The iPS-CM sheet is an allogeneic cell therapy product consisting of cardiomyocyte derived from human iPS cells. Its transplantation is expected to provide improvement of cardiac function and amelioration of heart failure and become a new treatment option for patients with severe heart failure, who have no remedies other than heart transplantation or artificial heart implantation.

Based on the cutting-edge cell therapy research targeting heart diseases, the team at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, led by Professor Yoshiki Sawa, has been working on the iPS-CM research and development by participating in the Research Center Network for Realization of Regenerative Medicine, which is run by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). They are currently preparing for clinical research as well as investigator initiated clinical study.