Teijin Limited and Hilleman Laboratories, a biotechnology company based in Singapore, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, for the establishment of a strategic international business partnership. The goal of this partnership is to promote the expansion in contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business in the field of cell and gene therapy.

Under this partnership, Teijin and Hilleman Laboratories will leverage their individual strengths to foster greater synergy for the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products, and mutually advance CDMO business activities of respective parties.

The partnership was formed to strengthen support for Japanese customers aiming to expand into the Asia-Pacific region and to attract overseas customers from Singapore and surrounding areas to the Japanese market. Further, Teijin and Hilleman Laboratories share a vision for building a support system in Singapore for the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies.

In November 2023, Hilleman Laboratories launched its newest facility, a 30,000 square foot current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) pilot-scale plant. Building upon this, Teijin will support Hilleman Laboratories in the establishment of a cell processing center in Singapore for cell and gene therapy. Teijin's accumulated knowledge and experience in this field will be shared with Hilleman Laboratories.

"Teijin and Hilleman Laboratories are contributing to the provision of innovative medical care through manufacturing," said Takayuki Nakano, Ph.D., Mission Executive and General Manager, Regenerative Medicine & Implantable Medical Device Division of Teijin Limited. "And we will build a strong cooperation system for the cell and gene therapy CDMO business to provide more desirable development and manufacturing support services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region."

Teijin group will invest in facilities and human resources to meet customer needs, with a goal of generating JPY 20 billion in regenerative medicine sales by FY 2030. The partnership with Hilleman Laboratories will help achieve this goal.

"At Hilleman Laboratories, we are driven by our mission to deliver impactful healthcare solutions" said Raman Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Hilleman Laboratories. "This partnership with Teijin marks a significant milestone in Hilleman Laboratories' journey to expand our capabilities in bioprocessing. By combining our expertise with Teijin's leadership in regenerative medicine, we are pushing the boundaries of innovation to develop cutting-edge solutions. This collaboration opens new opportunities for innovation and growth, enabling us to meet the evolving needs of the global healthcare market and positioning Singapore as a hub for the next generation of advanced therapeutic products."

Demand for CDMO services in cell and gene therapies, including regenerative medicines, is rising due to heightened technical levels in manufacturing and greater specialization in manufacturing and development functions. The fast-growing regenerative medicine market in Japan is forecast to exceed JPY 850 billion in 2030. This trend is expected to result in a greater number of regenerative medicine products that originate outside Japan. For this reason, it is vital to create a system that connects development demand within and outside Japan.

Teijin has established a comprehensive CDMO platform that provides everything from product design to industrialization for regenerative medicine products, focusing on cell and gene therapy. This platform leverages the product launch experience, technical capabilities and knowledge of Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd.(J-TEC), a Teijin Group company, and the advanced research, development and production system of Teijin Regenet Co., LTD.

Hilleman Laboratories, established in 2009 as a joint venture between Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC (MSD) and the Wellcome Trust, aims to make vaccines and biologics affordable in low- and middle-income countries.  Hilleman Laboratories operates a dual-feature development and manufacturing hub, which provides comprehensive end-to-end biopharmaceutical product development solutions, from concept to the pilot manufacturing of clinical trial materials (CTM) for phase I and II clinical studies.