Cellusion welcomes Dr. Naonori Kurokawa and Dr. Hiroaki Kobayashi to the Management Team
Tokyo (January 7th, 2022)-, Cellusion Inc., a regenerative medicine startup aiming to solve the global Corneal transplant waiting list problem with unique differentiation induction method from iPS cells to Corneal Endothelial Cell Substitute from iPS Cells (CECSi Cells) for bullous keratopathy novel treatment (PJ code: CLS001), today announced to appoints Naonori Kurokawa, Ph.D., MBA as its board of director and Hiroaki Kobayashi, M.D., MBA as its auditor both from University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC). At the same time. announced to resign of its director Stella Yeh, MBA dispatched from Industrial Technology Investment Corporation.
Cellusion will enhance to its efforts to deliver CLS001 for bullous keratopathy patients all over the world with new management team.
- Newly Appointed Board of Director: Naonori Kurokawa, Ph.D., MBA
- Newly Appointed Auditor: Hiroaki Kobayashi, M.D., MBA
- Resigned Board of Director: Stella Yeh, MBA
[About CLS001]
Despite of the fact that more than 13 million waiting patients for potential blinding diseases such as Bullous Keratopathy, which can only be prevented by corneal transplantation, only about 180,000 corneal transplants are performed annually in global. The reason for such the large medical supply-demand gap generated is because current treatments require donor corneas, skilled corneal transplant ophthalmologists, and Eye Banks.
Cellusion is developing CLS001, CECSi cells for Corneal Endothelial regeneration to cure Bullous Keratopathy which is applied more than half of all cases of corneal transplantation. CLS001 is expected to replace the current supply limitations by combining “CECSi Cells made from iPS cells with excellent proliferative properties” and “a simple injection cell delivery procedure without needs of human expertise. “
The initiation approval of the CLS001 first in human investigator-initiated clinical study has already been obtained from the Keio University Specially Certified Committee for Regenerative Medicine as well as the Health Sciences Council of MHLW, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan in July 2021. Keio University and Cellusion are scheduled to start the study at Keio University Hospital as soon as it is ready.
[Naonori Kurokawa, Ph.D., MBA]
After his Ph.D. study in Osaka University, Dr. Kurokawa worked as a researcher at RICOH. and Samsung Electronics before studying at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. During MBA study, he also worked as an analyst at ARCH Venture Partners, and then joined UTEC in 2009. He has led the exits of MOLCURE Inc. Prometech Software, Inc., and has rich management experience in several startups, including Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. and ImmunoScape Pte.Ltd. He is also appointed as a visiting professor at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, and is well known as a capitalist who is active in various fields from academia to real business.
[Hiroaki Kobayashi, M.D., MBA]
After graduating from the University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Dr. Kobayashi worked as a clinician at the University of Tokyo Hospital and Hitachi General Hospital, and then as a medical director at the Japanese Organization for Medical Device Development before studying in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan for MBA. After working as a BD Manager at Boston Scientific, I joined UTEC in 2019 and currently serve as a Principal of the company. He focuses on investing in domestic and international startups in the life science field and has several management experience in a number of startups including Elixirgen Therapeutics, TXP Medical, Metcela, and Concierge U. He is also known as a capitalist with a rare talent to support his portfolio companies from both clinical and business perspectives.
[About Cellusion Inc.]
Cellusion is a regenerative medicine startup born from the Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine in 2015. Cellusion aims to contribute to the improvement of health and well-being around the world by solving unmet medical needs in medicine with its cutting-edge cell therapy technologies, including a unique differentiation induction method from iPS cells to CECSi Cells. Cellusion’s mission is to a community the clear vision of the future with cellular technology breakthrough.
Company ： Cellusion Inc.
CEO ： Shin Hatou, M.D., Ph.D.
Headquarter ：1-13-7 Nihombashi-Muromachi, Chuo, Tokyo 103-0022, JAPAN
Founded ： January 2015
TEL：＋81-3-5843-1785
URL ： https://cellusion.jp/en/
For further information: please ask us through the contact form on our website.
