NewsCiRA Foundation has been entrusted from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., to manufacture iPS cell-derived CAR-T cells for clinical trials
Kyoto, Japan, 29 May 2020 - The CiRA Foundation (CiRA_F) today has signed an agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda", located in Chuo-ku, Osaka city) to entrust CiRA_F to manufacture iCART, which are chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells derived from iPS cells. The iPS cells used for the derivation are provided from CiRA_F as raw material.
CAR T-cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that uses a patient's own genetically modified T-cells to find and kill cancer cells. Because conventional autologous CAR-T therapies are administered after genetic modification of the T-cells from the blood of each individual patient, it takes a long time until the start of the therapy.
iCART make it possible to provide CAR-T to patients promptly by manufacturing and stocking very large quantities of homogenous cell products from master cell banks of iPS cells. To manufacture iCART, CiRA_F is using the method initially developed at T-CiRA and further developed by Takeda after the transfer of the iCART program to Takeda in 2019. T-CiRA is a collaborative research program between CiRA and Takeda and the iCART program was initially developed by CiRA's Shin Kaneko, M.D., Ph.D., who remains today involved in the program as a Takeda advisor.
CiRA_F collaborates with academia and industry to provide iPS cell derived regenerative medicines to patients as soon as possible.
The CiRA Foundation was recognized as a public interest incorporated foundation in April 2020. Its principle purpose is to deliver high-quality iPS cells at low cost. The Foundation manages the iPS Cell Stock for Regenerative Medicine Project, which was started by the iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, in 2013. The aim of this project is to prepare multiple iPS cell lines manufactured from healthy donors homozygous for human leukocyte antigens (HLA). These lines will expand the number of people who can receive related therapies with minimal immune reactions and are provided to academia and industries. The Foundation contributes to the commercialization of regenerative medicine by providing services including the manufacturing of iPS cell derived products, quality assessment, storing, and publication of SOPs for manufacturing.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to patients by translating science into highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Gastroenterology (GI), Rare Diseases and Neuroscience. We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people's lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, please visit the website below.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited 
Planning Promotion Office, CiRA Foundation (CiRA_F)
TEL: (+81) 75-761-3363
Email: promotion-g*cira-foundation.or.jp Please change * to @
Press release