Astellas Pharma and the Yaskawa Electric Corporation have agreed to form a joint venture (JV) that will focus on developing a cell therapy product manufacturing platform.

The JV will leverage a dual-arm robot known as Maholo, developed by Yaskawa subsidiary the Robotic Biology Institute.

The JV provides access to the platform for academic institutions and startups, promoting collaboration and innovation in the cell therapy field.

Following a memorandum of agreement signed in May 2024, the two companies have progressed to a definitive agreement to form the JV, with capital of 4.5bn yen.

Astellas brings its expertise in cell therapy research and development, manufacturing and in the dual-arm robot Maholo.

Astellas will own 60% of the JV while the remainder will be held by Yaskawa.

The establishment of the JV, which is yet to be named, is contingent on pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, with a tentative establishment date set for September 2025.

The JV will leverage Maholo to explore a manufacturing process that ensures high precision and reproducibility while optimising the digitised process through AI integration.

It will focus on a seamless one-click transfer of the digitalised manufacturing process to other facilities, establishing a cell manufacturing platform that adheres to good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards.

It will also create manufacturing processes for cell therapy product candidates from partners, including academia and startups, and manufacture investigational drugs in GMP-certified facilities.

This collaboration comes on the heels of Astellas Pharma's October 2023 memorandum of understanding with BioLabs Global and Mitsui Fudosan to bolster the life sciences sector in various Japanese regions.