Japan Ricoh Investment Biotechnology Co., Ltd. will expand the field of biological 3D printing

On June 20, 2019, the author learned from foreign media that Ricoh Japan invested in Maryland biotechnology company Elixirgen Scientific and obtained a 34.5% stake. The two have established a strategic partnership and will launch biotechnology in North America this year. Pharmaceutical business.

In this collaboration, the two will combine 3D bioprinting technology with cell differentiation technology.

Cell differentiation, 3D bioprinting and drug discovery processes

Nobuhiro Gemma, General Manager of the Ricoh Healthcare Business Group, said: "We are pleased to partner with Elixirgen Scientific to develop this new biomedical development program. By combining the technologies of our two companies, it will be possible to produce cells from a variety of iPS cells. Disease-specific cell microarrays. These cell chips can simultaneously assess the diversity of chemical responses to humans in terms of efficacy and toxicity before entering the clinical trial phase."

Develop products for drug screening

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are capable of differentiating into many different types of cells depending on the introduction of different genes. They are at the heart of current efforts in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine because they can be used to make copies of diseased tissues. These "copyes" can then be tested with different drugs to understand the body's response to the new therapy.

Founded in 2016, Elixirgen Scientific developed its own Quick-Tissue technology to produce iPS cells. With Quick-Tissue, homogeneous cell samples can be produced in 10 days.

Ricoh said that for the past 40 years, it has been developing 3D bio-printing technology that can be used with iPS batteries. Based on inkjet technology, this technology has four functions described by the company:

1. Cell ink preparation

2. Accurate 3D printing (using inkjet print heads)

3. Cell culture

4. Examination of cell constructs

In this new partnership, Elixirgen and Ricoh will combine their expertise to develop biomedical products and services to support further drug screening.

In the next five to six years (by 2025), Ricoh and Elixirgen's new biomedical program will grow to 20 billion yen ($1.86 billion). For Ricoh, it has been in the healthcare business for more than a decade and is working to increase its presence in the market.

In fact, it is understood that Ricoh has been in the field of 3D printing for many years. In 2015, Ricoh unveiled its own 3D printing system RICOH AM S5500P on Formnext. In addition, Ricoh also sold 3D printers produced by EnvisionTEC through distribution. Businesses to explore the field of 3D printing.

Japan Ricoh Investment Biotechnology Co., Ltd. will expand the field of biological 3D printing

Joji Tokunaga, President and CEO of Ricoh Americas, said: "Ricoh has allocated $1.8 billion for mergers and acquisitions. It is not specific to investment in additive manufacturing. Our investment is broader and not limited to 3D printing."