Major Japanese Finance Firms Fund iPS Patent Company
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
To speed up the transfer of induced pluripotent stem cell technology to the pharmaceutical industry for new drug development, Kyoto University announced May 16 that the university in conjunction with Daiwa Securities Group, Mitsui Sumitomo Bank and NIFSMC Venture Capitals will establish a patent management company in June. The company will handle iPS-related patent issues such as: paying royalty to patent holders and licensing patents to regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical companies. The three firms agreed to invest ¥210 million and will increase their investment to ¥1.2 billion. Kyodo University will invest through an intermediary corporation set up by its executives and researchers. The director of research at the university, Hiroshi Matsumoto, commented that the company will prevent certain groups or companies from buying a controlling stake in the iPS patent. (Click here for more - Japanese language