On Tuesday, March 24th, we held the "Astellas Regenerative Medicine Symposium 2026 Subtitle: 'Turn Innovative Science into VALUE for patients'".

On Tuesday, March 24th, we held the "Astellas Regenerative Medicine Symposium 2026 Subtitle: “Turn Innovative Science into VALUE for patients”" at Congress Square Osaka Nakanoshima (Square 323) on the 1st floor of Nakanoshima Qross.

This symposium was held in collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc. as part of the "Nakanoshima Qross Drug Discovery and Commercialization Promotion Program Support Project," which was selected for the "Drug Discovery Cluster Campus Development Project," a supplementary budget project for fiscal year 6 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

On that day, Astellas Pharma presented its global strategy in the field of regenerative medicine, as well as its potential for value creation and commercialization. Challenges related to the practical application of regenerative medicine, such as manufacturing, quality control, scale-up, and digitalization, were also shared.

Furthermore, Cerapha Biosciences Inc., a joint venture between Astellas Pharma and Yaskawa Electric Corporation, presented their digital innovation initiatives in the field of cell therapy, and we toured their research and manufacturing facilities through a lab tour.

Approximately 165 people participated in the event on-site. 

In his opening remarks, Naoki Okamura, Representative Director and CEO of Astellas Pharma Inc., took the stage. He introduced how research and development in the field of regenerative medicine in Japan is progressing with government support, starting from research seeds at universities and research institutions, and how a diverse range of stakeholders, including startups, pharmaceutical companies, and contract manufacturing organizations, are involved. He expressed his hope that collaboration and cooperation among these stakeholders will lead to the stable and sustainable development of the field of regenerative medicine in the future.

Next, Jotaro Suzuki, Executive Officer in charge of Research and Development in the Regenerative Medicine area and Head of the Primary Focus Lead (Blindness & Beyond) division at Astellas Pharma Inc., took the stage and gave a presentation on the company's initiatives and future prospects in regenerative medicine. In his presentation, he described the company's research and development efforts, which focus on cell transplantation derived from pluripotent stem cells, with the goal of restoring physical function as the patient value. He also indicated that the company aims to ensure a stable supply of off-the-shelf products in order to deliver regenerative cell therapy to patients around the world.

Next, Ms. Masayo Takahashi, President and CEO of Vision Care Co., Ltd., gave an invited lecture. In her lecture, she introduced the importance of collaboration between academia and industry, using retinal regenerative medicine research as an example. She also described how she became interested in the possibility of industrializing regenerative medicine research results, triggered by Astellas Pharma's acquisition of a related company. Furthermore, she mentioned the importance of connecting research results to social implementation in order to advance regenerative medicine.

In addition, an invited lecture was given by Mr. Shoki Nishio, Assistant Manager of the Biochemical Industry Division, Commerce and Service Group, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In his lecture, he introduced the government's efforts toward the industrialization and promotion of regenerative medicine. He also explained that regenerative medicine is expected to be a new treatment method for diseases that are difficult to treat with conventional medicine, and emphasized the importance of policies to promote its practical application and industrialization.

Next, in Session 1, "Research and Development," a lecture was given by Erin Kimbrel, Head of Cell and Gene Therapy Research at Astellas Pharma. In her lecture, she introduced Astellas Pharma's efforts in regenerative medicine research, explaining research areas centered on ophthalmology, neuromuscular diseases, and central nervous system diseases, as well as research and development combining cell therapy using pluripotent stem cells such as ES cells and iPS cells, gene therapy, and RNA technology. It was also mentioned that cell and gene therapy research and development is being conducted globally, mainly at research centers in the United States and Japan.

In addition, Senior Vice President, Head of BioPharma & Ophthalmology Development, Marci English of Astellas Pharma Inc. gave a presentation introducing Astellas Pharma's efforts to realize regenerative medicine in collaboration with many researchers and partners. He also shared that clinical development is progressing in areas such as ophthalmology and rare diseases, primarily in cell and gene therapy, and that results are beginning to appear in actual clinical settings. Furthermore, he stated that collaboration in various fields, including manufacturing and business development, is crucial to bringing regenerative medicine to society.

In Session 2, "Manufacturing and Investment," Mr. Hideto Yamaguchi, President and CEO of Cerapha Bioscience Co., Ltd. and Vice Chairman of FIRM, gave a presentation. In his presentation, he introduced his company's business of utilizing robots and AI to manufacture regenerative medicine and cell therapy products. He explained that, unlike small molecule drugs, cell therapy is a "process product" in which the manufacturing process itself—how the cells are created—is the essence of the product. He also showed that there are many challenges in transitioning processes established in the research stage to manufacturing.

Next, Nagisa Sakurai, Business Lead at Astellas Venture Management, gave a presentation on the overseas investment environment and trends in the field of regenerative medicine, primarily based on US data, to introduce changes in the flow of funds. She showed that healthcare investment has become increasingly polarized in recent years, and that we have entered an "era of selection" where funds are concentrated in specific fields and companies. She then explained how regenerative medicine is positioned within this investment landscape.

The panel discussion was facilitated by Jotaro Suzuki, Executive Officer in charge of Research and Development in the Regenerative Medicine area and Head of the Primary Focus (Blindness & Beyond) division at Astellas Pharma Inc., and featured panelists Hideto Yamaguchi, President and CEO of Cerapha Biosciences Inc. and Vice Chairman of FIRM; Nagisa Sakurai, Business Lead at Astellas Venture Management; Yoshiki Sawa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Foundation for the Promotion of Future Medicine; and Masahiro Takeuchi, Senior Manager of the Life Science Innovation Promotion Department, Innovation Promotion Headquarters, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and Program Officer of the AMED Innovative Cancer Treatment Practical Application Research Project. The panel discussion highlighted the current state of regenerative medicine, which is moving towards social implementation and commercialization, against the backdrop of the conditional approval of iPS cell-derived products in Japan. The discussion then moved on to strategies for pharmaceutical companies and ventures to compete globally and expectations for Nakanoshima Cross. In particular, manufacturing technology and the stable supply of materials were cited as important challenges in the industrialization of cell therapy. Furthermore, opinions were exchanged regarding the importance of creating an environment that fosters innovation through collaboration among research institutions, companies, and support organizations.

Finally, in his closing remarks, Mr. Yoshiki Sawa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Future Medical Promotion Foundation, expressed his gratitude for the event and spoke about the importance of taking on challenges that no one has yet tackled. He also introduced the "Osaka Model," which aims to advance regenerative medicine based at Nakanoshima Cross. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of collaboration among stakeholders and finding a "winning strategy" in the field of regenerative medicine in order to achieve industrialization.

The subsequent networking session was extremely productive, with speakers and participants actively interacting with each other and forging connections that transcended fields and positions. Visits to exhibition booths and lab tours were also conducted, and lively exchanges of ideas were observed.