The Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University and Astellas Pharma, in Japan, have entered into the second phase of a joint research agreement to further promote the utilisation of differentiated cells and tissues derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and to create innovative medical solutions.

During the first phase (July 2017 to March 2023), the two parties conducted comprehensive joint research on drug discovery applications of iPS cells. In the second phase, the two parties will build on their past efforts and incorporate digital technology into a technological platform for differentiated cells and tissues derived from iPS cells to further accelerate drug discovery and develop the technology to cover an even broader range of medical applications.

CiRA has installed Astellas' cellular drug discovery platform "Mahol-A-Ba". The two parties will work together to construct digital protocols for Mahol-A-Ba to develop a high-quality and highly reproducible differentiation induction method and create a library of differentiated cells.

By constructing advanced pathological models and models that can evaluate individual patient differences, the parties aim to improve clinical predictability further and create medical solutions to treat diseases for which conventional methods have failed to provide viable options.