On December 13, 2016, Nikon Corporation and Shibuya Corporation made a press release announcing co-development of an incubator with automated observation function for production of regenerative medicine products, which was a result of the Kino-oka group of the AMED project.

On December 6, 2016, Ms. Camelia Chen, Deputy Director of Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan and Dr. Leah Lo of Medical and the Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center of Taiwan and 8 people visited the centralized R&D lab of Osaka University.  They observed the apparatuses and the system and Prof. Kino-oka, sub-project leader, gave a brief review.  There were lively discussions on future development.

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Regenerative Medicine JAPAN 2016 was held for three days from October 12 to 14, 2016 at Pacifico Yokohama. SCA exhibited main results of the project of Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), and presented reviews and the results of the project at the open seminar.  Many people visited the SCA booth and attended the seminar.

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On September 26, 2016, Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. made a press release announcing development of a kit for measurement of differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells to bone and cartilage cells, which was a result of the AMED project.

On September 20, 2016, Dr. Yio-Wha Shau, vice president and general director of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) of Taiwan and one member of ITRI visited the centralized R&D lab of Osaka University. They observed the apparatuses and the system and Prof. Kino-oka, sub-project leader, gave a brief review.  There were lively discussions on future development.
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On September 2, 2016, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) steering conference of FY2016 was held at the AMED conference room in order to draw advice and recommendations about management and progress of the project from external experts. There were lively questions and answers on the reports by the program supervisor and the sub-project leaders.

On August 25, 2016, the opening ceremony of the Life Innovation Center in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa was held, where the centralized R&D lab of the Nakatsuji sub-project group entered.  The ceremony was grandly held with attendance of Mr. Kuroiwa, Kanagawa Prefectural Governor and about 200 guests.

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SCA will exhibit panels and products at Regenerative Medicine Japan 2016 held at Pacifico Yokohama during October 12 to 14, 2016.  Exhibited products include culture apparatuses, cryopreservation solutions, cell carrying vessels and so on.  A video on the centralized R&D lab at Osaka University will be played.  On October 13, from 10:30, SCA will make 13 presentations on the project overviews and R&D results.
Regenerative Medicine Japan 2016 HP

On August 9, 2016, Dr. Nares Damrongchai, CEO of TCELS (Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences), a public organization, and two people of TCELS visited the centralized R&D lab. of Osaka University.  They observed the apparatuses and the system at the lab. and Prof. Kino-oka, sub-project leader, gave a brief review.  There were lively discussions on future development.

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The second Program Supervisor/Sub-project Leader Conference of fiscal year 2016 was hosted by the Division of Regenerative Medicine Research of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) at AMED on July 20, 2016. It was attended by program supervisor Dr. Nakahata; sub-project leaders Dr. Nakatsuji, Dr. Kino-oka, Dr. Akutsu, and Dr. Dezawa; guests from the Bio-Industry Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ms. Takuma, director of the AMED Division of Regenerative Medicine Research, alongside personnel from the AMED who are involved in the project. There was a lively discussion of matters such as reports on the project progress and intergroup partnership.

The first mesenchymal stem cell section meeting of fiscal 2016 was held by the Akutsu group at the SCA conference room on July 15, and was attended by personnel from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development. The progress of the fiscal 2016 research plans and the results including launched products were presented.  There were lively discussions on the results.

On July 12, 2016, the second Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) development conference of fiscal 2016 was held by the Nakatsuji group of Kyoto University at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS). It was attended by personnel from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and AMED. The progress of the fiscal 2016 research plans was reported. The next conference is scheduled to be held on November, 8, 2016.

On July 4, 2016, the first iPS section meeting of FY2016 was held by of the Kino-oka group at Osaka University. It was attended by personnel from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).  There was a vigorous discussion on the progress of the fiscal 2016 research plans and the orientation for the future at the meeting.

The fiscal 2016 ordinary general meeting of SCA was held at the FUJIFILM Corporation conference room from 4:00 to 5:00 pm on June 20, 2016. SCA invited the following to attend as guests: Mr. Baba (deputy director) of the Bio-Industry Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ms. Kiryu (deputy director)  of the Division of Regenerative Medicine Research Section of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.
Approval of the fiscal 2015 business report and all of the other measures were passed, and the meeting concluded without incident.

On April 19, 2016, the first Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) development conference of fiscal 2016 was held by the Nakatsuji group of Kyoto University at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS). It was also attended by personnel from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and AMED, and was devoted to presentations of the research results of fiscal 2015 and the research plans for fiscal 2016. The next conference is scheduled to be held on July 12, 2016.

On April 8, 2016, members of the Steering Committee of SCA visited the Centralized R&D Lab. of Osaka University. After a brief review by Prof. Masahiro Kino-oka, sub-project leader, and Associate Prof. Manabu Mizutani, they observed a large scale production apparatus and the fMP (flexible Modular Platform) with lively questions and answers.

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On April 4, 2016, AIST, a member of SCA, made a press release announcing that it developed a technology for simple and rapid evaluation of differentiation potential of hMSC. The technology is expected to contribute to industrialization of regenerative medicine using hMSC.  The details were published online in an American scientific journal, Glycobiology (2016) April 2.

On March 31, 2016, Nipro Corporation, a member of SCA, put out a press release stating that it launched an automated cell culture system for stem cells.  The cell culture system was developed in the former NEDO project and its performance was evaluated at Kyoto University and the National Center for Child Health and Development in the present AMED project.

SCA exhibited panels and products at the 15th Congress of the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine held at the Osaka International Congress Center during March 17 to 19, 2016. Many people from medical institutions, academia and industry visited the SCA booth and the needs of users were collected through questions and answers. […more]

On February 22 – 23, 2016, the UK-JAPAN Life Innovation Symposium was held by the Nakatsuji group of Kyoto University in Tokyo Branch of Kyoto University, Shinagawa, on the first day and in the Life Science & Environment Research Center (LiSE) in Tonomachi, Kawasaki City on the second day.  The symposium on the first day was hosted by Kyoto University and on the second day by Kanagawa Prefectural Government, and on both days cohosted by SCA.   The preview of the Life Innovation Center (tentative name) under construction in the Tonomachi area was held on the morning of the second day.  The Centralized R&D Lab. of the Nakatsuji group is scheduled to be established in the Life Innovation Center.
Program of the first day

On February 9, 2016, the second user forum was held by the Kino-oka and Akutsu groups in the Tokyo Waterfront Annex of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. It was held for the purpose of absorbing the needs of parties who will be the users of the project and reflecting them in the project’s promotion. The confab session was a scene of lively interchange.

On January 27, 2016, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government made a press release announcing the Life Innovation Center (tentative name) under construction in the Tonomachi area in Kawasaki City, where the centralized research R&D lab. of the Nakatsuji group of Kyoto University will be established.

On January 19, 2016, the fourth Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) development conference of fiscal 2015 was held by the Nakatsuji group of Kyoto University at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS). It was attended by personnel from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and AMED and was devoted to reports on the progress of the fiscal 2015 research plans. The next conference is scheduled to be held on April, 19, 2016.

The second Program Supervisor/Sub-project Leader Conference of this fiscal year was hosted by the Division of Regenerative Medicine Research of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) at AMED on January 15, 2016. It was attended by program supervisor Dr. Nakahata; sub-project leaders Dr. Nakatsuji, Dr. Kino-oka, Dr. Akutsu, and Dr. Dezawa; guests from the Bio-Industry Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ms. Takuma, director of the AMED Division of Regenerative Medicine Research, alongside personnel from the AMED who are involved in the project. There was a lively discussion of matters such as reports on the project progress and intergroup partnership.

On January 13, 2016, a new year celebration for bio-related organizations was grandly held at Palace Hotel Tokyo with attendance of Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and many guests.  SCA was one of the hosts.  Mr. Yoshioka, president of SCA, and many personnel of SCA members participated and deepened exchanges. Dr. Satoshi Ōmura, Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Kitasato University, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015, was presented honorary Japan Bioindustry Association (JBA) award. 
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We would like to express our sincere appreciation for your support and encouragement you gave to SCA last year. The project of industrialization of regenerative medicine is going well for almost two years.
     We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for your continuous support.

On December 17, 2015, the first technical lecture meeting of SCA was held after the fifth steering committee at the Chemical Research Laboratories, Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. in Funabashi, Chiba.
    On the title “development of degenerative medicine of human mesenchymal stem cells,”
Mr. Zen-ichi Mohri, advisor for development, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. talked about current situation and future prospects of development of degenerative medicine, focusing on allografts using mesenchymal stem cells.  There were lively questions and answers.

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