6 September, 2004
Clinical Development of "Cancer Immunotherapy" jointly performed with Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Takara Bio Inc. (President & CEO: Ikunoshin Kato, Ph.D.) agreed on August 31, 2004 to undertake clinical development of cancer immunotherapy intended for commercialization jointly with Cancer Institute and Hospital（CIH）, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Hospital Director: Dr. Zhao Ping), Beijing.
Presently, in China, too, malignant tumor is the leading cause of death, same as in Japan (reported by Ministry of Health, People's Republic of China). Under such conditions, Clinical trial will be carried out at CIH for autologous activated lymphocyte therapy with remarkably few adverse reactions, the fourth cancer therapy following surgical therapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, as well as autologous activated lymphocyte therapy using RetroNectin®.
By the end of 2004, the cell processing facilities will be inaugurated in CIH. Application for the clinical trial of cancer immunotherapy will be submitted in 2005. In early 2006, the clinical trial of cancer immunotherapy by CIH will be started in 100 patients who have undergone surgical operations for cancer. These activities will be conducted by Takara Bio in cooperation with Takara Biomedical Technology（Beijing）Co., Ltd., its subsidiary company.
In the future, the clinical trial results will be linked to development of gene immunotherapy which combines immunotherapy with gene therapy.
CIH is the leading cancer therapy facilities in China and is one of the WHO collaboration centers for cancer research, and is one of the sites for drug clinical trial of State Food and Drug Administration, China. The Hospital has 12 clinical departments and 11 auxiliary departments, and has an annual inpatient load of about 10,000 and outpatient of about 240,000.
Takara Bio has developed wide range of patented gene-transduction technologies including RetroNectin® process and original technologies for effectively proliferating immunocytes, which are essential for implementing the cell & gene therapy against cancers. In collaboration with CIH, Takara Bio hopes to accelerate its clinical developments of cell & gene therapy in China.
Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
| Established in | : | 1958 |
| Address | : | No. 17, Panjiayuan NanLi Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, China |
| Brief summary | : | The leading hospital and research institute for cancer therapy in China. It has 12 clinical departments and 11 auxiliary departments, and an annual inpatient load of about 10,000 and outpatient of about 240,000 are implemented by more than 1,400 employees including 204 professors. CIH has the strong research force with one National Key Lab of the molecular oncology and others. In the past 40 years, CIH achieved 140 science and technology awards. |
Takara Biomedical Technology（Beijing）Co., Ltd.
| Address | : | Zhong Guan Cun Life Science Park, Chang Ping District, Beijing, China |
| Business activities | : | Research and development of biomedicine, reagents for bioresearch, manufacture and marketing of physical and chemical apparatus, bioresearch contracting service |
| Capital | : | 350,000,000 yen (*100% financed by Takara Bio Inc.) |
| Zongjingli (President) | : | Kiyozo Asada, Ph.D. |
| Established on | : | January 20, 2004 |
About Takara Bio Inc.
Takara Bio Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company based in Shiga, Japan. As a world leader in biotechnology research and development, Takara Bio was the first company to market PCR technology in Japan and is also the developer of the RetroNectin® reagent, which is a world-standard in gene therapy protocols. In addition to providing research reagents and equipment to the life science research market, Takara Bio has active research and product development activities in the fields of gene and cell-based therapy, and agricultural biotechnology; and is committed preventing disease and improving the quality of life for all people through the use of biotechnology. Through strategic alliances with other industry leaders, the Company aims to extend its reach around the world. More information is available at http://www.takara-bio.com.
For more information:
Corporate Communications
Takara Bio Inc.
E-mail: bio-ir@takara-bio.co.jp
This article is translated from press release in Japanese for your convenience.
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Statements in this news release, other than those based on historical fact, concerning the current plans, prospects, strategies and expectations of the Company and its Group represent forecasts of future results. While such statements are based on the conclusions of management according to information available at the time of writing, they reflect many assumptions and opinions derived from information that includes major risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary significantly from these forecasts due to various factors. Factors that could influence actual results include, but are not limited to, economic conditions, especially trends in consumer spending, as well as exchange rate fluctuations, changes in laws and government systems, pressure from competitors' prices and product strategies, decline in selling power of the Company's existing and new products, disruptions to production, violations of our intellectual property rights, rapid advances in technology and unfavorable verdicts in major litigation.
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