Healios K.K. successfully raised its target capital of 3 billion JPY (USD $30.6 million)

Healios K.K.Oct 9 2013

Healios K.K. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Hardy TS Kagimoto M.D.), a Japanese bioventure company at the forefront of developing innovative therapies utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology, is pleased to announce that it has successfully raised its target capital of 3 billion JPY (USD $30.6 million). With completion of its capital campaign, which started in March 2013, Healios K.K. will continue development of promising new treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by hiPSC derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell transplantation under partnership with the following group of pioneering investors:

• Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.
  (Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Masayo Tada)
• Nikon Corporation
  (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Makoto Kimura)
• Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd.
  (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Ryoichi Nagata)
• Shibuya Kogyo Co., Ltd.
  (Headquarters: Ishikawa, Japan; President: Hirotoshi Shibuya)
• Healios Investment Limited Partnership (Unlimited Liability Partner: DOGAN Investments, Inc.
  (Headquarters: Fukuoka, Japan; President and CEO: Daisuke Mori))
• tella, Inc.
  (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Yuichiro Yazaki)

Founded in February 24, 2011 Healios K.K. aims to commercialize the world's first pharmaceutical hiPSC derived RPE cell transplantation for treatment of AMD in collaboration with RIKEN, one of the leading research institutes in Japan. The goal of this therapy is to promote the regeneration of retinal function and, consequently, to improve visual function in those affected with retinal degenerative diseases.
The significance of the total raised capital fortifies the company's momentum in the development of therapeutics utilizing the Nobel Prize-winning hiPSC technology and attests its uncompromising commitment to making groundbreaking strides in the field of regenerative medicine.