Japan Newsletter September 2015

 Newsletter 49 (September 2015) 1. New Technologies NEDO and Photonics Electronics Technology Research Association (PETRA) achieve transmission speed of 25 Gbps with ultra-­‐small optical transceiver -­‐ JP20190930a The public-­‐private partnership has achieved an ultra-­‐small optical transceiver (5mm angle) using silicon photonics technology. Based on this technology, up 2.4Tbps across the board can be achieved while suppressing power consump-­‐
tion by 1/3. Detailed data on this achievement can be pro-­‐
vided. Request a quote for deeper information Team at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) achives miniature Fe-­‐based mag-­‐
net which stores > 1 Tesla -­‐ JP20150930b The iron-­‐pnictide bulk superconducting magnet developed at TUAT was capable of trapping over 1 Tesla without u-­‐
sing liquid He, and improvement to a storage of 10 Tesla is being anticipated. Further details on this development can be provided. Request a quote for deeper information NEDO starts program on mass introduction of inexpensive solar power to society -­‐ JP20150901 The target is to reach a cost of 5 yen/W as processing cost of solar cell modules and a cost target for solar power generation of 14 yen/kWh by 2020. The program will be executed by about 10 companies. Details on the subprojects and on the companies involved can be provided. Request a quote for deeper information 1 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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NEDO starts program for optimization of hydrogen gas stations -­‐ JP20190903 With With a participation of about 10 companies and several public institutions, this program which runs until 2017 will optimize hydrogen gas station facilities such as compressors, pumps and miniaturized devices. Details on the subprojects and on the companies invol-­‐
ved can be provided Request a quote for deeper information NEDO launches program for next-­‐generation aircraft equipment -­‐ JP20150904 The program excludes engines and wings but puts focus on low-­‐cost, light-­‐weight and safety equipment which accounts for some 40 % of the aircraft prize. Examples are the thermal con-­‐
trol systems, cockpit control systems and the landing gear system. The 5 years program will be carried out by about 8 companies for 5 years. Details on the subprojects and on the companies involved can be provided. Request a quote for deeper information 2 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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NEDO publishes “wind power generation track record in Japan” -­‐ JP20150902 The report covers national and provincial wind parks. The total installed The total installed capacity by March 31, 2015, was about 2.93 million kW, generated at a total of 2,034 wind parks. More details on this track record can be provided. Request a quote for deeper information 2. General information 30.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO starts smart electricity demonstration project in Spain Based on technology from Toshiba Corp., NEDO has installed a lithium ion secondary bat-­‐
tery of the type SCiBTM (capacity 776 kWh) in the city of Alcala de Henares, in collaboration with Spanish Gas Natural Fenosa Co., to stabilize power consumption by a low-­‐cost – high-­‐power storage system made in Japan. NEDO news release, Sept. 30, 2015 30.09.2015 -­‐ Shiseido obtains MHLW permit to implement clinical research on hair regrowth tech-­‐
nology Shiseido, which has built a cell processing center in Kobe in May 2014, has obtained permis-­‐
sion to initiate own and clinical studies based on Canada’s RepliCel hair regrowth technolo-­‐
gy (RCH-­‐01). Using this technology, cells are collected from the back of the head, repro-­‐
grammed and transplanted. Nikkei Biotech news release, Sept. 30, 2015 29.09.2015 -­‐ Sysmex enters into licensing agreement with Human Metabolome Technologies on depression biomarker The biomarker is phosphoric acid ethanol amine (PEA) as a biomarker candidates for major depression, as discovered by HMT and the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. Nikkei Biotech news release, Sept. 29, 2015 29.09.2015 -­‐ Fujifilm acquires Cellular Dynamics International, Japan, as a wholly owned subsidiary In March 2015, Fujifilm acquired CDI, a Madison-­‐based leader for iPS-­‐derived cell products. Fujifilm has now acquired CDI Japan as a wholly owned subidiary . Fujifilm news release, Sept. 29, 2015 3 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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28.09.2015 -­‐ Hayashibara introduces Fibryxa, a water-­‐soluble dietary fiber produced from starch The product consists of 95 % maltodextrin α-­‐glucan which is enzymati-­‐
cally produced from starch. Various types of starches can be used as starting material for this .alpha.-­‐glycosyl transferase-­‐catalyzed process. The product is claimed to have a beneficial effect on the intestinal flora and will be marketed from November 2015. Hayashibara news release, September 28, 2015 28.09.2015 -­‐ Fuji Software builds cell processing facility for academic customers The company has established a subsidiary, Tokyo Fuji Soft Tissue Engineering, at Sumida-­‐ku, Tokyo, which prepares in its cell processing facility samples of cell products for academic contractors which need sufficient and GMP-­‐type samples for clinical trials. Fuji Soft news release, September 28, 2015 and Fuji Soft website 27.09.2015 -­‐ Japanese consortium establishs first yellowfin tuna fish farm in Panama Supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA and JST, a team of Kinki University has successfully established a fishfarm at the IATTC Achochinesu Institute, Panama, that rears yellowin tuna from eggs to juvenile fishes (average length 18,7 cm), as a first step to ensure the fu-­‐
ture supply of tuna (maguro). JST news release, September 25, 2015 25.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO runs test for a real-­‐time energy-­‐control system for office and e-­‐cars In collaboration with Takenaka Co., an office building in Tokyo will be equipped with a mul-­‐
ti-­‐source energy gateway (MSEG) based on solar energy (SiC power module) which 4 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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controls the supply of energy to various outlets in the building such as offices and electric vehicles NEDO news release, Sept. 25, 2015 25.09.2015 -­‐ Hiroshima group takes part in NASA mission to culture mesenchymal stem cells in a microgravity environment In a microgravity environment, cells will not settle like on Earth. This provides an opportunity for freely floating cells to interact with each other and develop 3D structures. Hiroshima University’s Professor Yuge professor will participate in a NASA experiment to culture mesenchymal stem cells de-­‐
signated to treat spinal cord injury in the microgravity environment of a NASA space mission. The “Gravite” apparatus used for this experiment is built by Space Bio Laboratories, Hiroshima. Nikkei Biotech news release, Sept. 25, 2015 24.09.2015 -­‐ Hayashibara expands trehalose production capacity to 40.000 t The present capacity of 35.000 t in Okayama will be expanded 1,3 fold, to allow for over 40.000 t, leading to sales of 4 billion Yen. Hayashibara news release, Sept. 24, 2015 24.09.2015 -­‐ Hiroshima group develops novel type of “his-­‐tag” binding to glass The heptapeptide was discovered in Bacillus cereus which allows this microorganism to bind to glass. The recombinant tag developed from this natural precursor peptide binds to glass and can be removed by arginine, which is advantageous over imidazole, used for the elution of his-­‐tagged proteins. Akio KURODA laboratory, http://home.hiroshima-­‐u.ac.jp/akbio/pg276.html 5 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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24.09.2015 -­‐ Yakult and RIKEN elucidate induction me-­‐
chanism of immune cells involved in inflammatory bowel disease A research team of Yakult and Riken’s gastrointestinal homeostasis research group have found, in human expe-­‐
riments, that Th17 immune cells which are closely rela-­‐
ted to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases are induced by over 20 types of intestinal bacteria which have the capacity to adhere to the intestinal epithelium. RIKEN news release, September 24, 2015 21.09.2015 -­‐ Two Cells Co., a specialist for cartilage regenerative medicine, builds cell-­‐processing facility Two Cells will use mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the synovium to grow cartilage which will also be used for ligament reconstruction surgery in other persons than the donor. The company is presently doing a regulatory strategy consultation with MHLW on this issue. Two Cells website http://www.twocells.com/en/ 18.09.2015 -­‐ MHLW approves the production and sales of “heart sheet” by Terumo Co., the world’s first cell product to treat heart failure For this product, made for patients with severe heart failure due to ischemic heart disease, muscle tissue from the thigh of the patient is collected, and sheet-­‐like cultured skeletal my-­‐
oblasts are expanded and transplanted on the patient's heart surface. Developed since 2007, seven clinical trials where suc-­‐
cessfully done in three domestic medical institutions since 2012 and completed in 2014. Terumo press release, Sept. 18, 2015 6 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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18.09.2015 -­‐ Yakult will introduce „Parabio“ skin cosmetics based on lactic acid bacteria The skincare series will comprise 8 product types and claim anti-­‐aging properties. They are registered as „quasi-­‐drugs“. Yakult website http://www.yakult.co.jp/cosme/parabio/index.html 18.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO starts demonstration project of “Hikari (sunlight) building” in Lyon, France The measures include solar power generation including battery storage, energy management and the use of thermal insulation material. This is just task 1 among a comprehensive “smart com-­‐
munity” program which is designed to show the high technological ability of Japanese companies. The other tasks are: EV utilizing solar power (electric vehicles) the introduction of the ma-­‐
nagement system and the EV car sharing system, "visualization" of the energy consumption in existing housing, and the promotion of ener-­‐
gy-­‐saving behavior of residents, and the compilation of energy information to be collected in TASK1,2,3 for a community management system NEDO news release, Sept. 18, 2015 18.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO starts program on coal gas cleanup The targets are to increase power generation efficiency to 55 %, and reduce CO2 emissions by 30 %. The targets should be reached by 2025. Subcontractor is Electric Power Develop-­‐
ment Co., Ltd. NEDO news release, Sept. 18, 2015 17.09.2015 -­‐ Japanese Ministry of Defense: outside budget for security-­‐related technology research from 2015 From this year, the ministry can entrust projects to external researchers. For 2016, the re-­‐
quested budget is 600 million Yen. Nikkei Biotech September 15, 2015 7 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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16.09.2015 -­‐ Masayo TAKASHI, RIKEN Kobe, wins Ogawa-­‐Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize 2015 The prize was donated to Mrs Takashi for a key role in the first clinical application of iPS cells on patients with age-­‐related macular degene-­‐
ration. RIKEN news release, September 16, 2015 15.09.2015 -­‐ RIKEN’s SACLA achieves protein 3D structure determination using X-­‐ray free-­‐electron laser The method was proven by using microcrystals of an enzyme of unknown structure, lucife-­‐
rin-­‐regenerating enzyme (308 amino acids), and its analogs with heavy atom isomorphous replacements. Only 20,000 patterns in total recorded at room temperature were needed for phasing. RIKEN news release, September 14, 2015 15.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO publishes guide book on offshore wind parks In view of limited information on offshore wind parks, NEDO has taken an initiative to pre-­‐
pare a guidebook on what is known so far about offshore wind power generation (e. g., one site at Kita-­‐Kyushu) in Japan and abroad. NEDO news release, Sept. 15, 2015 11.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO starts “smart community project” in California NEDO has signed an MOU with the Governors Office of California to perform a demonstration project on the use of electric vehicles and the spread and deployment of EV batteries in San Diego. A major target is to lower the psycholo-­‐
gical anxiety of EV-­‐users about range 8 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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constraints („Range Anxiety“) which is said to have become a major obstacle to the spread of EVs. Subcontractors such as Kanematsu, Sumitomo Electric and Nissan will install NRG EVgo rapid rechargers (redox flow (RF) batteries), and the state will install priority lanes for EVs in the test area. NEDO news release, September 11, 2015 11.09.2015 -­‐ METI might put 2,1 billion Yen in 2016 for the development of microbial and plant factories Nikkei Biotech news release, September 11, 2015 11.09.2015 -­‐ MHLW requests 121 billion Yen for FY 2016 for programs towards realization of ge-­‐
nomic medicine Nikkei Biotech news release, September 11, 2015 09.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO and 4 companies fund “Smart Lock Akerun” Entrepreneur by 450 million Yen "Akerun" is a smart lock robot. It supports Bluetooth commu-­‐
nication and permits unlo-­‐
cking-­‐locking of buildings or rooms via a smart phone app. The first Akerun products we-­‐
re shipped in 2015. NEDO news release, Sept. 11, 2015 08.09.2015 -­‐ MHLW receives over 2000 applications for cell-­‐therapy based medicine In a speech at the 5th Regulatory Society Meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 8, an officer of MHLW reported that 2076 facilities operated by medical corporations and individual clinics had re-­‐
gistered for certification of cell-­‐therapy based medical treatment. The majority were pro-­‐
ducers of platelet-­‐rich plasma (PRP) therapy and dental clinics, but applications of regene-­‐
rative medicine facilities was increasing, for clinical studies as well as for therapy such as cancer immunotherapy. MHLW will install a study group to develop a support system of cli-­‐
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nical research. Nikkei Biotech news release, September 8, 2015 07.09.2015 -­‐ J-­‐TEC completes clinical studies on autologous cultured epidermal “Jace” for treatment of congenital giant pigmented nevus bruise disease. “Jace” was the first approved regenerative medicine product in Japan since October 2007, for the treatment of severe burns. Sales until March 2014 were 800 million Yen. Clinical trials for its application in congenital giant pitmented nevus disease have now been completed and an applica-­‐
tion for commercialization has been filed. J-­‐TEC news release, September 8, 2015 07.09.2015 -­‐ AnGes MG plans introduction of NF-­‐kB-­‐oligo decoy coated catheter for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty NF-­‐kB is associated with inflammation and immune reactions, and NF-­‐κB decoy oligo inhi-­‐
bits the transcription factor for NF-­‐κB inhibits binding to DNA. Trials with patients suffering from dialysis shunt vein stenosis have so far been satisfactory, and restenosis prevention can be expected. Main products are coated dialysis needles. AnGes MG news release, Sept. 7, 2015 07.09.2015 -­‐ Tokyo Institute of Technology develops technology to enhance amount and composi-­‐
tion of triacylglycerides in marine Nannochloropsis algae By expressing a phosphorus deficiency response promoter from the green algae Chlamy-­‐
domonas reinhardtii in the marine algae Nannochloropsis and by other genetic modifica-­‐
tions, strains were obtained which produced much higher quantities of TAGs and which had different compositions of the oil, e. g., a high oleic acid content. JST news release, September 7, 2015 04.09.2015 -­‐ Chugai develops antibody for hemophilia A treatment Chugai has announced that ACE910, inhibits blood factor VIII in people aged 12 years or ol-­‐
der and results have been designated by US FDA as a breakthrough therapy for the treat-­‐
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ment of hemophilia A. ACE910 is a bispecific antibody created by Chugai’s proprietary anti-­‐
body engineering technologies for the purpose of mimicking the function of blood coagula-­‐
tion factor VIII. Chugai press release, September 4, 2015 04.09.2015 -­‐ Government denotes Kyoto Prefecture “Special Zone” for the manufacture and sale of human blood-­‐derived iPS cells This move was necessary as present regulations do not allow to use human raw blood for drug screening or safety tests. Nikkei Biotech news release, September 4, 2015 03.09.2015 -­‐ NEDO starts program on next-­‐generation flywheel power storage system The program which is sup-­‐
ported by several companies is carried out in the Yonekura mountains in Yamanashi Pre-­‐
fecture. It connects to a lar-­‐
ge-­‐scale solar power genera-­‐
tion plant and is said to be the world’s largest demonst-­‐
ration test facility a next-­‐generation flywheel power storage. NEDO news release, Sept. 3, 2015 11 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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02.09.2015 -­‐ Tohoku University develops large-­‐capacity lithium air battery based on nanoporous catalyst The battery, develo-­‐
ped at Tohoku Univer-­‐
sity’s AIMR institute, has 6 times the capa-­‐
city of a standard li-­‐
thium ion battery (2000 mAh per unit weight of the electro-­‐
de ) and can be repeatedly used for over 100 times, en-­‐
hancing the driving range of electric vehicles to 500 km or more. Key to the development is a nanoporous gra-­‐
phene and Ruthenium-­‐based catalyst. JST news release, September 2, 2015 12 © Bio4Business D-70569 Stuttgart Germany
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