INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
By Yoojung Lee and Simone FoxmanToru Kawanishi and Keita Mori met in Tokyo while studying biochemistry, but moved to Silicon Valley to
launch their firm, betting it would be easier to bring their products to clinical trials in the United States
Their ideas were
ambitious.
SanBio Co., founded in 2001, sought to use stem cells to restore function to people suffering from traumatic brain and spinal
advantage of a more accommodating regulatory regime, the pair have struck it rich
1, SanBio disclosed results of a phase 2 clinical trial that showed patients with traumatic brain injury achieved statistically significant
manager who specializes in Japanese equities at Baillie Gifford Co
and took a stake SanBio about three years ago
Kawanishi, now executive chairman, holds a 25 percent stake that makes him a billionaire, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index
regulation since its founding
Scientists have discovered that they can modify stem cells from a healthy donor and reintroduce them into another person, bringing the
possibility of mass production to regenerative medicine
which supplies medical information to healthcare suppliers online
He was also a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group
Mori, 51, had been head of product development at San Francisco-based startup Xuma and previously worked in research and manufacturing at
pharmaceuticals law that would create one of the most favorable regulatory regimes in the world
The company still maintains an office in Mountain View, California.
Based on the results of the clinical trial, SanBio aims to file for
marketing approval in Japan by January 2020
This month, it secured a 2 billion yen ($17.8 million) loan commitment from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc
for manufacturing, logistics and sales of the drug.
China took a similar path last year as it announced new rules in an effort to speed up
approvals of medicines and medical devices
developing this treatment," he said
