Toppan and Myoridge to Collaborate on Products, Services and R&D in the Field of Cell Culture
27 April 2022: Toppan, a global leader in communication, security, packaging, décor materials and electronics solutions and Myoridge Co. Ltd. (Myoridge), a start-up spun out of Kyoto University, have this month concluded a capital and business tie-up agreement focused on advancing products, services, and R&D in the field of cell culture.
Toppan’s proprietary 3D cell culture technology enables quick and easy preparation of flexible co-culture models with layered structure, from diverse cell sources.0It is expected to have applications in a wide range of fields, such as personalized medicine, cultured foods, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery, including aspects such as efficacy and toxicity testing.
Toppan’s Technical Research Institute is currently conducting R&D in the field of Healthcare & Life Sciences, which is positioned as one of the company’s growth fields. In the field of drug discovery, Toppan has established a joint laboratory within the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research to support the development of anticancer drugs and is advancing clinical research targeting alternatives to the use of mice for drug testing. Toppan is also proactively collaborating with academic institutions and other businesses, establishing the Joint Research Laboratory (TOPPAN) for Advanced Cell Regulatory Chemistry at the Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering in April 2017 and conducting fundamental research on 3D cell culture technology in collaboration with the university’s Professor Michiya Matsusaki.
Myoridge is a start-up company that was launched based on the results of research by Kyoto University. It sells cell products and culture media, provides culture medium development support, and offers comprehensive development support covering every process related to cell culture, including base materials, operation methods, and equipment. Myoridge has its own database of low-molecular compounds as well as technology for searching the components of culture media and delivers diverse services based on its strength in designing and providing a range of culture media at low cost.
Culture media are essential for cell culture. However, troubleshooting in a short timeframe is considered to be challenging without specialist knowledge and experience due to the complex combinations of diverse components that produce effects. Development of products and services presents a number of challenges, and a common issue in such fields as regenerative medicine, antibody drugs, cell therapy, and cultured foods is the difficulty of mass culture at low cost while maintaining a high level of quality.
