BioJapan 2023, Japan's premier three-day biotechnology event, kicked off at the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Center on October 11th. Around twenty Taiwanese companies and organizations from academia and industry have been exploring opportunities in licensing, investment, clinical trials, sales, and CDMO markets. According to Taiwanese participants, Japan has been actively seeking external collaborations in recent years, particularly in regenerative medicine, which Japan was devoted to.
 
In line with Japan's growing interest in collaboration in regenerative medicine, Taiwan companies in the cell therapy and regenerative medicine sectors are making significant strides. For instance, TFBS Bioscience (6939. TWO) recently inked a partnership with Teijin, a major Japanese pharmaceutical company, and then signed with Mitsui Fudosan Group to establish a presence at the Kashiwanoha Smart City, a life science business park in Kashiwa-shi, showcasing their innovations and giving specialized presentations.
 
UnicoCell Biomed (6794. TWO) showcased their certified medical device-grade freezing tube product, UnicoVial, designed for ultra-low-temperature storage needs of biopharmaceuticals, cellular therapies, and specimens, drawing substantial attention.
 
Meanwhile, Spirit Scientific successfully set up a laboratory in Japan this year and secured a new round of funding.
 
LumiSTAR Biotechnology collaborated with the University of Tokyo and the large CRO company TECHNOPRO Group, participating in the global roadshows held by the Shonan Health Innovation Park.
 
LuminX Biotech partnered with the Japanese distributor NexCulture to exhibit their innovative cellular and exosome tracking analysis platform. They also planned to integrate LuminX's instruments into TECHNOPRO's service chain to accelerate the progress of cellular therapy research and development.




DuoGenic StemCells, in a joint effort with National Chung Hsing University, presented their exhibits at the regenerative medicine zone.(Photo/Peian Wu)

Amarex Taiwan, and Wolf Dataware, set up booths at the Maryland Pavilion to seek potential clients in Japan.

OneKENSA, established in Japan by 20/20 Gene Systems, showcased their non-invasive multi-marker cancer screening project powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The project was collaborative with Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital based on data from 28,000 real individuals.

Simultaneously, the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, in collaboration with the Taiwan-Japan SME Cooperation Promotion Platform, BE Accelerator, TMU BioMed Accelerator, and the Institute for Information Industry, organized a Taiwan-Japan Smart Healthcare/Long-term Care/Health Exchange Event at Nihonbashi, facilitating interactions between Taiwanese and Japanese startups, investors, hospitals, and accelerators.



Maryland Pavilion at BioJapan 2023. Left to right: Heather Gramm, Assistant Secretary; Hui-Min Tzeng, Senior Regional Manager for East Asia; Brian Castleberry, Senior Regional Manager of Middle East, Africa and UK at Maryland Department of Commerce.(Photo/Peian Wu)