We Are Tomodachi Spring 2018

18/38

18Regenerative medicine uses cells and other materials to restore the function of internal organs and to repair tissue that has been damaged or has ceased working properly. All over the world various research is rapidly moving towards real-world applications, and breakthroughs for further progress are on the horizon. Given these circumstances, the “three-dimensional tissue fabrication technology” developed by Cyfuse Biomedical K.K., a Japanese startup founded in 2010, is garnering much attention.Until now, the creation of tissue or organs for regenerative medicine has primarily used artificial scaffold materials like gel and collagen, but Cyfuse’s technology makes it possible to generate three-dimensional tissue and organs using cells exclusively, without any scaffolds. For example, bones can be created based on cells extracted from a patient’s buttocks. Masahiro Sanjo, Cyfuse Board of Directors member and CFO, explains, “Tissue produced using only cells is also more compatible with the body and has a lower risk of infection. Once regenerative medicine using cellular bone, cartilage, blood vessels, and nerves becomes available, it can be an option that may reduce the stress for patients resulting from the removal or exchanging of artificial components that comes with conventional materials, and therefore greatly increase their quality of life.”Cyfuse is unique in that it developed its Regenova device, which handles the task of automatically stacking the cells, in collaboration with Shibuya Corporation, a company most renowned for its production of bottling systems. Regenova, also referred to as a “Bio 3D printer,” uses a robot arm to stack the cells, which have been aggregated in small groups called “spheroids,” according Cellular 3D Printer Brings New HopeCyfuse’s research lab on the campus of the University of Tokyo (providing commercialization support at the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza). The original basic technology was developed in cooperation with Kyushu University, which also houses a Cyfuse lab.