▲     Koichi Seriu, CEO of Therabest Japan

THERABEST Japan, a subsidiary of South Korea’s THERABEST, is moving into Japan’s largest medical cluster to begin full-scale iPSC technology exchange.

THERABEST (CEO Pyung-Suk Ki), a company specializing in iPSC (induced Pluripotent Stem Cell)-derived immune cell therapy, announced on 29^th, June that its subsidiary, THERABEST Japan (CEO Koichi Seriu), became a resident company for the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (hereafter ‘KBIC’), a medical industry city located in Kobe, Japan.

KBIC, built on an island in Kobe Port called "Port Island", is Japan's largest medical cluster. Japan's leading pharmaceutical companies, research institutes and specialized hospitals have come together to carry out the entire translational process, from basic research to clinical trials, to develop new drugs and advanced medical devices. To move into SCL (Startup Creative Lab) within CLIK (Creative Lab for Innovation in Kobe) in KBIC, companies have to pass rigorous screening.

A company official explained, “In order to move into SCL we had to pass a total of five stages of screening, with interviews at three KBIC-related organizations.” He said, “At a time when interest in iPSC application technologies is growing around the world, our company recieved a very positive evaluation based on our potential for synergy with local companies, universities, and research institutes.”

THERABEST, leading the iPSC-derived immune cell therapy field in South Korea, is an innovative bio company that develops safe, efficient, and scalable off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy products that can provide more patients with access to effective medical care. In February of this year, the subsidiary THERABEST Japan was established to promote joint research, partnerships, and the expansion of iPSC application technologies.

THERABEST Japan was under review since March to move into the SCL, which is the main base of KBIC. SCL is located in CLIK, which is about 12,200 m², and hosts laboratories that meet diverse needs, from startups to large corporations as well as research institutes.

THERABEST Japan is the only Korean or Korean affiliate company participating at KBIC. KBIC is where the world's first clinical trials using iPS cells were approved. The RIKEN and foundation for biomedical research and innovation at Kobe have together been conducting clinical trials for retinal regeneration using iPS cells.

Pyung-Suk Ki, CEO of Therabest, said, “Based on the technologies and manufacturing facilities we have established so far, we are in full swing to discuss cooperations such as the joint development of new drugs with domestic and foreign companies.” Adding, "In KBIC we plan to actively engage in joint research exchanges not only with global pharmaceutical companies in Japan, but also with local research institutes including Kyoto University’s CiRA, the birthplace of iPSC technology."

THERABEST plans to implement its EiNK (Enhanced iPSC-derived NK cell) platform technology through their Anyang GMP manufacturing center (Thera-Cell Center), which will start full-scale operation from the second half of this year. The Thera-Cell Center was estabilished to produce global clinical products. It was designed to meet international clinical standards from design to facility construction and validation.