Myoridge

Myoridge is a biotechnology firm that spun out of Kyoto University in 2016, leveraging patented research from the university's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS). The company was co-founded by Naohiro Makita, who established the company while a graduate student at Kyoto University, and Itsunari Minami, who was a researcher at iCeMS at the time. Naohiro Makita now serves as Director and Chief Administrative Officer, while Itsunari Minami is the Chief Business Technology Officer. The current CEO is Takeo Suzuki, who brings experience from Eli Lilly Japan and Japan Tissue Engineering Co.

The company's business model revolves around dual functions: manufacturing and contract research in the cell culture sector. Myoridge addresses critical challenges in regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and biopharmaceuticals by providing alternatives to expensive and ethically complex conventional cell culture media, which often rely on fetal bovine serum. Revenue is generated through the sale of proprietary cell products and culture media, alongside providing bespoke development and consulting services. The company's clients include pharmaceutical companies, regenerative medicine startups, chemical manufacturers, and academic laboratories.

Myoridge's core service is the optimization and development of custom cell culture media. Utilizing a proprietary database and library of culture media components, the company can design serum-free and protein-free media tailored to specific client needs, such as enhancing cell proliferation, controlling cell functions, reducing costs, and ensuring safety. A key product is its iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes, produced using a cost-effective differentiation method that uses small molecule compounds instead of expensive proteins, which can reduce media costs by over 90%. This allows for the production of uniform, stable, and low-cost cells for drug discovery and research. Beyond product sales, Myoridge offers comprehensive support services, assisting clients with the entire cell culture process, from developing base materials to scaling up for mass production.

Keywords: cell culture media, iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, culture media optimization, serum-free media, protein-free differentiation, biotechnology, Kyoto University spin-out, cell therapy, biopharmaceuticals, contract research organization, custom media development, mesenchymal stem cells, cell line development, in vitro models, tissue engineering, life sciences, cell-based assays