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The cluster has seen scientific achievements such as the world’s first transplantation of photoreceptor cells using iPS cells. KBIC has also attracted Japanese and global pharmaceutical companies. The world’s fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, has been set up in the cluster. The cluster went from zero companies and organizations in 1998 to 382 in 2022, and has accumulated over $5.1 billion in public investment. “I think Japan’s research capability is one of the best,” says Startup Creative Lab manager Hamaguchi Machika (left), pictured with Maruki Takeshi, an assistant manager for Kobe City who is responsible for life sciences startups. “Overseas countries helped Kobe a lot after the disaster, so we would like to repay them in the medical field,” says Maruki Takeshi, an assistant manager for Kobe City who is responsible for life sciences startups. Its main objective is to contribute to global medical care. The cluster was launched in 1998 as one of the projects to speed recovery following the devastating Great Hanshin Earthquake three years earlier. SCL acts like a life sciences incubator in the greater KBIC. “We want SCL to be a financial and human resources aggregator, and we welcome the participation of foreign-backed startups,” says Hamaguchi.
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Other promising companies are in line to move into the lab. They use iPS cells to develop products for drug screening and diagnostic kits in the field of infectious disease. Another, MiCAN Technologies, is focused on applications involving induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, pioneered by Nobel laureate Yamanaka Shinya at Kyoto University.
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Hamaguchi believes this dual function helps elevate Japanese research excellence into an ecosystem.Īlthough it was launched in 2020, SCL already has 11 startup tenants including Restore Vision. “For society to benefit from this strength, we aim to turn SCL into a place where R&D and business development grow together in parallel.” “Compared to the rest of the world, I think Japan’s research capability is one of the best,” says SCL manager Hamaguchi Machika. In addition, it has a laboratory for drug discovery research.Īs a fully equipped facility, Startup Creative Lab provides an unusual environment where early stage startups can start their experiments immediately. As a shared lab fully equipped with a basic set of biotech research tools, it provides an unusual environment where early-stage startups can start experiments immediately. Operated by Leave a Nest, SCL is a space for early-stage life sciences startups in Kobe. That’s the most attractive point for us.” In that regard, Kobe Eye Center is the best partner.
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“Our therapy can restore vision but it requires rehabilitation. “The Kobe ecosystem has been very beneficial for our growth, with funding from the city, low cost rental office/lab space, and networking opportunities,” says Katada. There are a number of hospitals in KBIC including Kobe Eye Center, an ophthalmology hospital that provides total support from basic research to treatment and rehabilitation. SCL is a shared laboratory in the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC) that began incubating Restore Vision’s R&D operations in 2021. He formerly worked at science and technology company Leave a Nest, which introduced Restore Vision to Startup Creative Lab (SCL). Miyazaki helped put the startup on a firm footing for growth. “Our project received two grants, including one from AMED, totaling 300 million yen, greatly assisting our R&D costs, as well as 5 million yen from Kobe itself,” says Restore Vision COO Miyazaki Hikaru. Last year, Restore Vision was selected as one of the Japan Agency for Research and Development’s (AMED) technologies for the industrialization of regenerative medicine. and is working to have its therapy evaluated in clinical trials and then, pending regulatory approval, commercialized in 2027. Restore Vision has raised $3 million from venture capital firms in Japan and the U.S.