［Health Science domain］
The KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND Invests in ThinkCyte, Developer Of AI-based Next-generation Cell Analysis And Sorting Technologies
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September 03, 2024
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
TOKYO, September 3, 2024 - Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) announced today that it has invested in ThinkCyte K.K.(ThinkCyte) through the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND (KHIF), a corporate venture capital (CVC) fund established jointly with Global Brain Corporation, a leading independent venture capital firm.
ThinkCyte is a start-up company from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University that is researching, developing, and commercializing a next-generation cell analysis and sorting technology called Ghost Cytometry*1 (GC technology), using its proprietary AI technology. GC technology makes it possible to analyze and sort cells at high speed while obtaining more information from a single cell, which supports advancements in gene therapy and regenerative medicine, as well as more efficient testing and diagnostic processes. ThinkCyte began global sales of VisionSort™, the first instrument equipped with GC technology in 2023, and it is currently being used by various academic institutions and prominent pharmaceutical companies. Through this investment, Kirin Holdings will explore value creation in the health science field by combining its fermentation and biotechnology with ThinkCyte's superior cell analysis and sorting technology.
*1 Ghost cytometry is a technology that uses machine learning to process signals obtained from cell imaging to analyze cells at high throughput and with high precision.
The Kirin Group has formulated a long-term management concept, Kirin Group Vision 2027, which calls upon the Group to become a global leader in CSV*2 by 2027 by creating value in domains ranging from food & beverages to pharmaceuticals. To achieve this goal, in addition to its existing Food & Beverages and Pharmaceuticals business domains, Kirin Holdings has launched and is fostering a new Health Science domain that will contribute to people's health based on the advanced fermentation and biotechnology that the Kirin Group has cultivated over many years.
*2 Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.
About ThinkCyte
ThinkCyte is a startup company founded in 2016, originating from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University. With the mission of "Deeper insights, better treatments - one cell at a time," ThinkCyte promotes social implementation of GC technology that combines advanced optics, machine learning, and microfluidics technologies. GC technology is expected to become a fundamental technology that will be widely used not only in therapeutic areas such as regenerative medicine and immune cell therapy, but also in disease prevention, diagnostic testing, drug discovery, and basic life science research.
About the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND
Through the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND, Kirin Holdings intends to invest in startups around the globe that have innovative technologies and business models for resolving health issues, and to leverage their advanced health science technologies and solutions for improving customer experience. By combining the Kirin Group’s wealth of assets and competence in health science with innovations and technologies that startups will bring to partnerships, Kirin Holdings will be better able to bolster its existing Food & Beverages domain as well as step up efforts to launch new businesses in its Health Science domain.
Company Overviews
(1) About the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND
| Fund name | KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND (registered as KIRIN and GB Investment Limited Partnership) |
|---|---|
| Primary sector for investment | Startups around the globe operating in the health science domain |
| Established | March 2020 |
| AUM | 5 billion yen |
| Investment period | 10 years |
| General partner | Global Brain Corporation |
(2) About Global Brain
| Company name | Global Brain Corporation |
|---|---|
| Head office | 10-11 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| President | Yasuhiko Yurimoto |
| Established | January 1998 |
| Primary business | Venture capital business |
| URL | https://globalbrains.com/en |
(3) About ThinkCyte
| Company Name | ThinkCyte K.K. |
|---|---|
| Head office | 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo |
| CEO | Waichiro Katsuda |
| Established | February 2016 |
| Primary business | Development of next-generation image-based, high-throughput cell analysis and sorting technology using AI |
| URL | https://thinkcyte.com/ |
GALLERY
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