Takara Bio Inc. (hereinafter, "the Company") hereby announces that, regarding the succession of its GMP-compliant cell processing contract manufacturing business (hereinafter, the "Business Succession"), which was disclosed on June 23, 2026, the Company entered into a basic agreement (hereinafter, the "Basic Agreement") on July 21, 2026 with Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, "Sumitomo Chemical”), Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “Sumitomo Pharma”), and S-RACMO Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, "S-RACMO"), a joint venture established by Sumitomo Chemical and Sumitomo Pharma, to discuss the terms and conditions related to the Business Succession.
Pursuant to the Basic Agreement, the Company, Sumitomo Chemical, Sumitomo Pharma and S-RACMO will continue detailed discussions regarding the specific scope and terms of the Business Succession, including personnel, assets, and contract projects to be transferred, as well as the framework for collaboration following the completion of the Business Succession.
The Sumitomo Chemical Group operates regenerative medicine and cell therapy business through its affiliated companies, and S-RACMO is engaged in a CDMO business in this field.
Meanwhile, the Company has a proven track record and extensive experience in cell manufacturing, particularly in the field of gene therapy including CAR-T, and has provided high-quality manufacturing services through its GMP-compliant cell processing contract manufacturing business.
Through the Business Succession, S-RACMO is expected to further expand its CDMO operations and enhance its competitiveness by leveraging the cell processing and manufacturing platform that the Company has developed over the years.
In addition, through the Business Succession, the Company aims to optimize its business portfolio and improve operational efficiency by focusing its CDMO business on key modalities, including nucleic acids/plasmids, proteins/enzymes, and viral vectors.
The parties aim to execute a definitive agreement by around October 2026 and subsequently implement the Business Succession. However, the execution of the Business Succession is contingent upon the conclusion of the definitive agreement and the fulfillment of the conditions set forth therein, and therefore is not yet finalized.
Furthermore, the Company continues discussions and evaluations with the Sumitomo Chemical Group regarding the succession of TBI-1301, the Company's proprietary gene therapy clinical development project.
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News Release (dated June 23, 2026)
Update on Discussions on the Succession of the GMP-Compliant Cell Processing CDMO Business
