PRESS

Tokyo, Japan. July 20, 2022



ThinkCyte Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering novel cell analysis and sorting instruments, announced today the launch of their Premier Early Access Program and recruitment of participation from key biopharmaceutical industry partners and leading academic centers. The program will give a select group of innovation-minded life science organizations from across the globe advanced access to ThinkCyte’s new label-free platform for cell analysis and sorting. Through a combination of proprietary optical signals and artificial intelligence, the system provides researchers with an entirely new data readout of ‘single-cell fingerprints’ and enables the isolation of target cells, untouched by external labels, for downstream research and development.



“We have seen tremendous excitement and interest in the early access program for the new system, which lets scientists reach deeper insights into cellular phenotypes and enables isolation of precious target cells truly untouched,” said Janette Phi, Chief Business Officer of ThinkCyte. “Currently, the ability to isolate cells with specific functional characteristics is limited to invasive technologies that can alter cellular states. Our new system not only allows scientists to sort cells by traditional fluorescence markers, but also unlocks the critical ability to perform truly label-free cell analysis and sorting. This is a new chapter in the way cellular therapy, tumor profiling, and genomics R&amp;D will be done and we look forward to having our premier early access partners join us on this journey.”&nbsp;



The system will provide researchers with a powerful tool to study solid tumor and hematological cancers, isolate live cells with defined phenotypes such as non-exhausted or activated T-cells, and characterize subtle phenotypes that aren’t detectable by current approaches. Through the premier early access program, the company will accelerate innovative R&amp;D programs by working with select biopharmaceutical companies and key academic and clinical centers of excellence to develop custom, partner-specific applications prior to the full commercial launch of the system in early 2023. To learn more about the Premier Early Access Program or other partnering opportunities at ThinkCyte, <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/contact/">thinkcyte.com/contact/</a>. 



For job opportunities at ThinkCyte, explore our careers page at <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/careers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thinkcyte.com/careers/</a>. 



About ThinkCyte Inc.



ThinkCyte, founded in 2016 with offices in Tokyo, Japan and San Carlos, California is a biotechnology company that develops innovative instruments based on integrated, multidisciplinary technologies to enable life science research, diagnostics, and therapeutic development. The company pioneered Ghost Cytometry, a proprietary AI-based, label-free cell sorting technology with partners in major global biopharmaceutical companies and leading academic research institutes to drive pioneering research. <a href="https://thinkcyte.com">www.thinkcyte.com</a>.

ThinkCyte announces Premier Early Access Program for its new label-free cell characterization and sorting system

Tokyo, Japan. July 11, 2022



ThinkCyte Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering novel cell analysis and sorting instruments, announced today that applications of its Ghost Cytometry technology were presented at several leading industry meetings. In May, the company was selected to present applications of the platform to experts in drug discovery at the prestigious Keystone Symposia. The company was also selected to deliver a podium presentation at the 2022 International Association for the Advancement of Cytometry’s (CYTO) annual meeting, sharing applications in clinical medicine and cellular therapy with a talk entitled ‘Machine vision-based label-free cell analysis and sorting for clinical diagnosis and cell therapy.’ The company and its Ghost Cytometry platform were also selected as one of three finalists for the Technology Showcase at CYTO, which highlights innovative and disruptive cytometric technologies.



“We are incredibly pleased to be able to share our most recent work using Ghost Cytometry with the broader scientific community.” said ThinkCyte’s CEO Waichiro Katsuda. “It’s an exciting time to be in the field of drug and cellular therapy with innovative approaches being developed to extract novel information from cells. We look forward to showcasing more of our internal work and collaborations with existing partners in the months ahead.”



Ghost Cytometry is a novel flow-cytometry based platform for cell analysis and sorting. Using a combination of proprietary optical designs and artificial intelligence, Ghost Cytometry provides researchers with an entirely new data lens for capturing complex single-cell phenotypes into a “cellular fingerprint” and enables the isolation of live target cells, untouched by external labels, for downstream research and development applications.



To learn more about partnering opportunities with ThinkCyte, <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/contact/">contact ThinkCyte here</a>. For information about job opportunities at ThinkCyte, explore our careers page at <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/careers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thinkcyte.com/careers/</a>. 



About ThinkCyte Inc.



ThinkCyte, founded in 2016 with offices in Tokyo, Japan and San Carlos, California is a biotechnology company that develops innovative instruments based on integrated, multidisciplinary technologies to enable life science research, diagnostics, and therapeutic development. The company pioneered Ghost Cytometry, a proprietary AI-based, label-free cell sorting technology and works with major global biopharmaceutical companies and leading academic research institutes to further drive pioneering research. For more information, please visit <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.thinkcyte.com</a>.

ThinkCyte shares applications of Ghost Cytometry with industrial and academic thought leaders

ThinkCyte Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering Ghost Cytometry, a proprietary AI-based, label-free cell sorting technology, today announced the establishment of their new US office in the San Francisco Bay Area and the appointment of Janette Phi as Chief Business Officer (CBO). Both are major milestones in the company's continued global expansion and growth. The previous acting CBO, Hikaru Nagahori, has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and President of ThinkCyte, North America.



The new location in San Carlos, CA is the company's first office outside of its Tokyo headquarters and will be home to a growing team of biologists, data scientists, and commercial executives. Following recent announcements of <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/news/20210512-en/">strategic partnerships</a> with leading scientific instrument manufacturers and the successful closing of $26M in <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/news/20210519-en/">Series B funding</a>, the establishment of a US-base of operations is a significant step in the company's plans to commercialize ThinkCyte's technology. ThinkCyte's platform, originally described in Science, enables researchers to isolate specific cell populations of interest, untouched by external molecular labels, for downstream R&amp;D applications.



"We are very excited to announce these major achievements in the company's continued growth," said ThinkCyte's CEO Waichiro Katsuda. "The San Francisco Bay Area has a storied history for bringing new life science technologies to market and we couldn't imagine a better place to continue our engagements with innovation-minded partners. We are also extraordinarily fortunate to bring someone of Janette Phi's caliber and experience to ThinkCyte. She is a recognized industry leader with a proven track record of guiding innovative scientific instrumentation companies through the pivotal stages of their commercial evolution."



Ms. Phi brings over 30 years of business experience with advanced scientific technology companies. She has served as CBO for IntelliCyt, COO for Xcell Biosciences and CCO for Applied Cells and ONI. She holds a B.S. in Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing &amp; Finance from Santa Clara University.



Commenting on her appointment, Ms. Phi said, "Throughout my career, I've been exposed to many novel technologies, but ThinkCyte's approach is truly revolutionary. I am thrilled to join a purpose-driven company providing an entirely new way of looking at biology. The impact on disease diagnosis and drug development will drive better clinical, operational, and research outcomes for biopharmaceutical organizations of all sizes."



To learn more about partnering opportunities with ThinkCyte, <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/contact/">contact here</a>. For information about job opportunities at ThinkCyte, explore <a href="https://jobs.lever.co/thinkcyte" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">our careers page</a>.







About ThinkCyte Inc. ThinkCyte, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a biotechnology company that develops innovative instruments based on integrated, multidisciplinary technologies to enable life science research, diagnostics, and therapeutic development. The company pioneered Ghost Cytometry, a proprietary AI-based, label-free cell sorting technology and works with major global biopharmaceutical companies and leading academic research institutes to further drive pioneering research. The company was selected for the prestigious J-Startup program by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and has graduated from the Berkeley SkyDeck Startup Accelerator program. Visit <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.thinkcyte.com</a>.

ThinkCyte Establishes Presence in the Bay Area and Strengthens Senior Management Team With Industry Veteran

Tokyo, Japan. December 21, 2021



ThinkCyte Inc., a company focusing on the development of novel cell analytics and sorting platforms for applications in cell therapy, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics, announced today the publication of their “in-silico ghost cytometry (iSGC)” technology in <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/67660" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eLife</a>. The study was led by Dr. Sadao Ota, associate professor at Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, and ThinkCyte’s co-founder and CSO.



The same team previously reported on the novel ghost cytometry (GC) technique, which utilizes proprietary optical designs combined with artificial intelligence to enable high-throughput, high-content analysis and sorting of cells, in a recent article in <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aan0096">Science</a>. Compared to conventional flow cytometry and microscopy techniques, GC can simultaneously capture high-content data with high speed and has the potential to revolutionize life science research and cell therapy manufacturing.



In this study, the team developed an “in silico-labeling” method, where a machine learning approach was used to identify unique optical features that matched cellular phenotypes. The iSGC platform could discern and classify cells based on target phenotypes, without the need for molecular markers or labels. The paper demonstrated several use cases of the novel iSGC technique including in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) differentiation and 5-part differential of white blood cells (WBCs), which can be applied in clinical applications for stem cell therapy and hematologic diagnostics, respectively.



“Being able to analyze and sort cells in a label-free manner can significantly improve the overall process and workflow efficiencies in life science research and cell therapy manufacturing,” said Dr. Ota. “The iSGC platform can be integrated into process automation systems to avoid contamination risks and preserve precious cell samples, for example.”



Publication details



Title: In silico-labeled ghost cytometry



Authors: Masashi Ugawa, Yoko Kawamura, Keisuke Toda, Kazuki Teranishi, Hikari Morita, Hiroaki Adachi, Ryo Tamoto, Hiroko Nomaru, Keiji Nakagawa, Keiki Sugimoto, Evgeniia Borisova, Yuri An, Yusuke Konishi, Seiichiro Tabata, Soji Morishita, Misa Imai, Tomoiku Takaku, Marito Araki, Norio Komatsu, Yohei Hayashi, Issei Sato, Ryoichi Horisaki, Hiroyuki Noji, &amp; Sadao Ota



Journal: eLife (doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.67660">10.7554/eLife.67660</a>)



About ThinkCyte Inc.



ThinkCyte, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and founded in 2016, is a biotechnology company which develops innovative life science research, diagnostics, and treatments using integrated multidisciplinary technologies. The company focuses on the research and development of novel cell analytics and soring platforms for applications in drug discovery, cell therapy, and clinical diagnostic using its proprietary high-throughput machine vision-activated cell sorting technology based on ghost cytometry. In June 2019, the company was selected for J-Startup by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. For more information, please visit our <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/">website</a>.

ThinkCyte’s novel label-free in-silico Ghost Cytometry published in eLife

Funding will be used to advance the development of AI-based cell analysis and sorting platforms in cell therapy and diagnostics

Tokyo, Japan. May 19, 2021

ThinkCyte, Inc., a company focusing on the development of novel cell therapy, drug discovery and diagnostic platforms, announced today the completion of a $26 million (JPY 2.85 billion) Series B financing, led by SPARX Group with participation from Sysmex Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment as well as existing investors, SBI Group and Itochu Technology Ventures. The company has raised a total of $45 million (JPY 4.9 billion) to date.

“We are excited to welcome new investors, Sysmex and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment, and to have continued support from existing investors to transform the future of therapeutics and diagnostics," said Waichiro Katsuda, ThinkCyte’s co-founder and CEO. “With this financing, we are well positioned to accelerate the development and promotion of our proprietary image-based cell sorting system globally. In addition, we are extremely grateful to initiate a joint development project with Sysmex, the global leader in hematology, to deliver an innovative AI-based cell diagnostic technology to the market.”

ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry technology uses a combination of proprietary advanced optics, microfluidics, and machine-learning techniques to realize high-throughput single cell analysis and sorting using image based information. It is of use in a variety of research, therapeutic, and diagnostic applications, such as identifying and extracting cells with higher therapeutic values from unlabeled cell populations for cell production in cell therapy, or detecting abnormal cancerous cells from bloods in clinical diagnostics. Ghost Cytometry is able to use image information from cells with no physical labels to distinguish different cell states, cell types, and cell qualities including cell-cycle phases, glycolytic levels, and apoptotic status.

Proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate the development of its proprietary image-based cell analysis and sorting system for cell therapy, clinical diagnostics, and drug discovery, as well as further business expansion and growth in the global market.

About ThinkCyte, Inc.

ThinkCyte, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a biotechnology company which develops innovative life science research, diagnostics, and treatments using integrated multidisciplinary technologies, and was founded in 2016. The company focuses on the research and development of drug discovery, cell therapy, and diagnostic platforms using its proprietary image-based high-throughput cell sorting technology, Ghost Cytometry. In June 2019, the company was selected for J-Startup by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. For more information, please visit our <a href="https://thinkcyte.com">website</a>.

ThinkCyte Secures $26 Million in Series B Financing

Commencing development of novel AI-based cell analyzers and testing techniques



TOKYO, JAPAN. MAY 12, 2021



Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Chairman and CEO: Hisashi Ietsugu) and ThinkCyte, Inc. (HQ: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; CEO: Waichiro Katsuda) announced today the signing of joint development and investment agreements during May 2021 for the commercialization of an AI-based cell analysis technology.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img src="http://wp.thinkcyte.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TC_Sysmex.png" alt="" class="wp-image-144"/></figure>



As healthcare becomes more precise and personalized at an accelerated rate - in tandem with the advancement of technology, development of novel testing and diagnostic technologies with high clinical value is being sought to increase the accuracy of diagnoses and optimize treatment. Meanwhile, digitalization is rapidly gaining pace in healthcare fields such as telehealth, AI-powered medical imaging analysis, and automated testing using robots.



Sysmex has been proactively acquiring technologies for analyzing cells, genes, and proteins with a high degree of precision and sensitivity. Among those technologies, a cell analysis platform has been applied to a diverse range of Sysmex products. Sysmex's current focus in this field is to develop technology that precisely analyzes cells using various kinds of information such as cell function and responsiveness, in addition to seeking greater speed in cell analysis.



ThinkCyte possesses "Ghost Cytometry technology,"*1 which analyzes morphological information of cells in a fast and simplified process, while the information that this technology gathers is far richer than what can be obtained by using the conventional flow cytometry (FCM) technique. Beyond counting and analyzing cells based on their simple morphological features, this technology allows users to classify each cell based on its detailed morphological information with respect to its characteristics and functions. This high-resolution analysis will enable highly effective determination of clinical conditions using bodily fluids such as blood, increase accuracy in a wide range of cell-based diagnosis, and lead to better personalized healthcare.



As a result of ongoing collaborative research between Sysmex and ThinkCyte increasing the feasibility of applying Ghost Cytometry technology to diagnostic techniques with high clinical value, on March 31, 2021 the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to start full-fledged joint development of the novel AI-based cell analysis technology. Furthermore, on May 1, 2021, the two companies agreed on joint development, pursuant to which efforts will be made to commercialize cell analyzers and testing techniques using Ghost Cytometry technology for cell analysis (including research purposes) in the field of in vitro diagnostics (IVD). Meanwhile, Sysmex agreed on an equity investment in ThinkCyte on May 11, 2021, which is expected to allow the two companies to reinforce their robust partnership.



Through the alliance, Sysmex and ThinkCyte aim to develop novel cell analysis technology and testing techniques by integrating Sysmex's wealth of knowledge and expertise in IVD and ThinkCyte's proprietary Ghost Cytometry technology, thus contributing to the advancement and evolution of healthcare the world over.



About Sysmex Corporation In line with its mission of “shaping the advancement of healthcare,” which is defined in the “Sysmex Way,” the corporate philosophy of the Sysmex Group, Sysmex works to contribute to the development of healthcare and the healthy lives of people. Sysmex conducts integrated R&amp;D, manufacturing and sales, and provides support services for its instruments, reagents and software for in vitro testing of blood, urine and other bodily fluids. Sysmex supplies its products to medical institutions in more than 190 countries and regions throughout the world. In recent years, Sysmex has been expanding its business in the life science domain, using proprietary technologies to create new testing and diagnostic value, realize healthcare that is optimized for individual patients, and help reduce patients’ burdens and enhance their quality of life.



Company Profile Name: Sysmex Corporation Location: 1-5-1 Wakinohama-kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan Established: February 20, 1968 Paid-in capital: ¥12,877.7 million (As of March 31, 2020) Lines of business: Development, manufacture, sales and export/import of diagnostic instruments, reagents and related software URL: <a href="https://www.sysmex.co.jp/en">https://www.sysmex.co.jp/en</a>



About ThinkCyte, Inc. ThinkCyte, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a biotechnology company, which develops innovative life science research, diagnostics, and treatments using integrated multidisciplinary technologies, founded in 2016. The company focuses on the research and development of drug discovery, cell therapy, and diagnostic platforms using its proprietary image-based high-throughput cell sorting technology, Ghost Cytometry. In June 2019, the company was selected for J-Startup by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.



Company Profile Name: ThinkCyte, Inc. Location: 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan Established: February 2, 2016 Paid-in capital: ¥100 million (as of April 30, 2021) Lines of business: Research and development of drug discovery and diagnostic platforms using a proprietary AI-powered image-based high-throughput cell sorting technology URL: <a href="https://thinkcyte.com">https://thinkcyte.com</a>



Terminology *1 Ghost Cytometry technology A new technique of flow cytometry, which combines high-speed imaging and AI-enabled analysis for the fast and accurate classification of cells based on their detailed morphological information. By applying machine learning methods directly to the compressively measured optical signals containing the detailed morphological information of cells, this method enables high-speed real time analysis in a flow. By further being combined with fluidic technologies, this technology enables fast, selective and precise sorting of cells.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img src="http://wp.thinkcyte.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GC_technology_3step_300dpi.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-145"/></figure>



&lt; Schematic of the fast and accurate analysis, classification and sorting by Ghost Cytometry > Source: Nature Biopharma Dealmakers, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d43747-021-00033-x">“ThinkCyte, Inc.: Machine vision-based cell sorting transforms cell therapy and drug discovery”</a>

Sysmex and ThinkCyte Agree on Joint Development and Capital Alliance

TOKYO, JAPAN. August 24, 2020

ThinkCyte, a company focusing on the development of novel cell therapy, drug screening, and clinical diagnostic platforms, has been awarded a Product Commercialization Alliance (PCA) grant from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan. The grant will provide up to JPY250 million (approx. US$2.4 million) to advance research and development work on the company’s high-content label-free cell sorting system for cell therapy. To learn more about the grant program by NEDO, please visit NEDO's website at <a href="https://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html</a>.

ThinkCyte Awarded NEDO PCA Grant to Advance Label-free Cell Sorting Technology for Cell Therapy

TOKYO, JAPAN. July 9, 2020

ThinkCyte, a company focusing on the development of novel cell therapy, drug screening, and clinical diagnostic platforms, and National Cancer Center Japan (NCCJ) have been jointly awarded a Development of Advanced Measurement and Analysis Systems grant from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) for the research and development of a high-accuracy method to isolate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using Ghost Cytometry™ for genetic cancer profiling. Shinji Kosaka, M.D., Ph.D., Unit Leader of NCCJ, will lead the project in collaboration with Yoko Kawamura, Ph.D., Head of Applied Microfluidics of ThinkCyte.

A liquid biopsy is a test conducted using a sample of body fluids, primarily blood, to detect cells or pieces of DNA from the cancer cells circulating in the body fluids. This test is considered as a simple and non-invasive alternative to surgical biopsies that provides a broad range of information for the diagnosis and characterization of cancers. Several methods are currently available to perform CTC diagnostics; however, the existing methods can still be ameliorated for sensitivity and specificity.

Using ThinkCyte’s proprietary Ghost Cytometry technology, ThinkCyte and NCCJ together aim to establish a novel CTC diagnostic method to ensure high-throughput and high-accuracy isolation of CTCs and detect genomic mutations in the isolated cells for the development of personalized medicine. This will institute a liquid biopsy test that could enable the molecular profiling of cancer cells over time, leading to the improvement of patient prognosis by selecting the optimal course of treatment and the advancement of research and development in drug discovery and treatment resistance.

The AMED grant program will allow ThinkCyte to further accelerate the development and commercialization of novel treatment and diagnostic platforms using integrated multidisciplinary technologies.

ThinkCyte and National Cancer Center Japan Jointly Awarded AMED Grant for Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells

<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img src="http://wp.thinkcyte.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hitachi_TC.png" alt="" class="wp-image-147"/></figure>



TOKYO, JAPAN. July 1, 2020



Hitachi, Ltd (TSE: 6501, “Hitachi”) and ThinkCyte, Inc. (“ThinkCyte”) today announced that they have entered into a collaboration focused on developing an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cell analysis and sorting system. Hitachi provides a broad range of solutions such as automated cell culture technologies to pharmaceutical companies in the value chain*1 of the regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry. Through the addition of this cell analysis and sorting system to the value chain, Hitachi continues contributing to cost reductions in the manufacturing of regenerative medicine and cell therapy products. Further, Hitachi and ThinkCyte are promoting collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and research institutes working in the field of regenerative medicine and cell therapy to expedite the development of the system toward commercialization.



The practical applications of regenerative medicine and cell therapy using cells for treatment have been expanding rapidly with the first regulatory approval of CAR-T*2 therapy for leukemia in 2017 in the United States and 2019 in Japan. The global market for regenerative medicine and cell therapy is expected to grow from US$5.9 billion (JPY 630 billion) in 2020 to US$35.4 billion (JPY 3.8 trillion) in 2025*3. In order to scale up treatment using regenerative medicine and cell therapy products, it is critical to ensure consistent selection and stable supply of high quality cells in large quantities and at a low costs.



Hitachi has been providing large-scale automated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell culture equipment, cell processing facilities (CPFs), manufacturing execution systems(MES), and biosafety cabinets among other products to pharmaceutical companies and research institutes, and has developed a value chain to meet a variety of customer needs in the regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry. Hitachi has also been carrying out collaborative research projects with universities, research institutes, and other companies to develop core technologies for pharmaceutical manufacturing instruments and in vitro diagnostic medical devices, prototyping for mass production, and working on manufacturing cost reduction and the development of stable and reliable instruments.



ThinkCyte has been performing research and development focused on high-throughput single cell analysis and sorting technology to precisely analyze and isolate target cells. While such single cell analysis and sorting technologies are vital to life science and medical research, it has been thought impossible to achieve high-throughput cell sorting based on high-content image information of every single cell. ThinkCyte has developed the world's first Ghost Cytometry™ technology to achieve high-throughput and high-content single cell sorting*4 and has been conducting collaborative research projects with multiple pharmaceutical companies and research institutes to utilize this technology in life science and medical fields.



Hitachi and ThinkCyte have initiated a joint development of the AI-driven cell analysis and sorting system based on their respective technologies, expertise, and know-how. By combining ThinkCyte’s high-throughput and high-content label-free single cell sorting technology and Hitachi’s know-how and capability to producing stably operative instruments on a large scale, the two companies will together develop a novel reliable system to enable high-speed label-free cell isolation with high accuracy, which has been difficult to achieve with the existing cell sorting techniques, and to realize stable, low-cost and large-scale production of cells for regenerative medicine and cell therapy.



Hitachi and ThinkCyte will further advance partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and research institutes that have been developing and manufacturing regenerative medicines and cell therapy products in Japan and other countries where demand is expected to be significant, such as North America, in order to make this technology a platform for the production of regenerative medicines and cell therapy products. At the same time, taking advantage of the high-speed digital processing technologies cultivated through the development of information and communication technology by the Hitachi group, Hitachi will integrate this safe and highly reliable instrument in its value chain for regenerative medicine and contribute to the growth of the regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry.



Note: *1. Cell manufacturing processes, including cultivation, selection, modification, preservation, product quality control, etc. *2. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells that have been genetically engineered to produce an artificial T-cell receptor for use in immunotherapy. *3. Division of Regenerative Medicine, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, The final report for market research on regenerative medicine and gene therapy (2020). *4. S, Ota et al., Ghost Cytometry, Science, 360, 1246-1251 (2018).



About the AI-driven cell analysis and cell sorting technology ThinkCyte has developed high-throughput image-based cell sorting technology based on the Ghost Cytometry technology by integrating the principles of advanced imaging technology, machine learning, and microfluidics. By applying structured illumination to cell imaging, structural information of a single cell can be converted to one-dimensional waveforms for high-throughput data analysis. Based on the judgment of a machine-learning (AI) model developed using the waveform data, target cells are isolated in a microfluidic device with high throughput and with minimal damage to the cells.



This data analysis approach eliminates time-consuming image reconstruction processes and allows high-throughput image-based single cell sorting, enabling the discrimination of cells that were previously considered difficult to distinguish by the human eye. Conventional cell sorting methods rely on the use of labels such as cell surface markers for cell sorting; in contrast, ThinkCyte’s technology can sort cells without such labels by employing this unique approach. In addition to the field of regenerative medicine and cell therapy, this technology can also revolutionize drug discovery and in vitro diagnostics fields.



About Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is focused on its Social Innovation Business that combines information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and products. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2019 (ended March 31, 2020) totaled JPY 8,767.2 billion (US$80.4 billion), and it employed approximately 301,000 people worldwide. Hitachi drives digital innovation across five sectors - Mobility, Smart Life, Industry, Energy and IT - through Lumada, Hitachi's advanced digital solutions, services, and technologies for turning data into insights to drive digital innovation. Its purpose is to deliver solutions that increase social, environmental and economic value for its customers. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.hitachi.com" target="_blank">https://www.hitachi.com</a>.



About ThinkCyte, Inc. ThinkCyte, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a biotechnology company, which develops innovative life science research, diagnostics, and treatments using integrated multidisciplinary technologies, founded in 2016. The company focuses on the research and development of drug discovery, cell therapy, and diagnostic platforms using its proprietary image-based high-throughput cell sorting technology. In June 2019, the company was selected for J-Startup by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. For more information on ThinkCyte, please visit the company’s website at <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://wp.thinkcyte.com" target="_blank">https://thinkcyte.com</a>.



Contacts Hitachi, Ltd. Analytical Systems Division, Healthcare Division, Smart Life Business Management Division <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www8.hitachi.co.jp/inquiry/healthcare/en/general/form.jsp" target="_blank">https://www8.hitachi.co.jp/inquiry/healthcare/en/general/form.jsp</a>



ThinkCyte, Inc. <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/contact">https://thinkcyte.com/contact</a>

Hitachi and ThinkCyte Announce Collaboration to Develop an AI-driven Cell Analysis and Sorting System

Financing accelerates the development of cell therapy and drug discovery platforms based on its proprietary image-based cell sorting system



TOKYO, JAPAN. May 29, 2020



ThinkCyte, Inc., a company focusing on the development of novel cell therapy and drug screening platforms, today announced the completion of a US$15.3 million (JPY 1.65 billion) Series A financing, led by SPARX Group with participation from SBI Group, Itochu Technology Ventures, Inc. (ITV), and Fuyo General Lease. Existing investors Real Tech Fund and Osaka University Venture Capital also participated. This brings the total amount raised so far to US$18.5 million (JPY 2 billion.)



“We are deeply grateful for the excitement and support our investors have expressed for our vision, technology, and team,” said Waichiro Katsuda, ThinkCyte’s co-founder and CEO. “This investment from new and existing investors is proof that ThinkCyte has made significant strides in transforming the future of cell therapy, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics through the development of our proprietary image-based cell sorting system, Ghost Cytometry™. We look forward to building the innovative platform company together.”



ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry system uses a combination of proprietary advanced imaging, microfluidics, and machine-learning techniques to realize high-throughput single cell sorting based on the image information. It is of use in a variety of research, therapeutic, and diagnostic applications, such as identifying and extracting cells with higher therapeutic values without any labels for cell productions in cell therapy. It is able to distinguish different cell states and cell types based on image information without using fluorescence labeling. This is particularly useful in cell manufacturing for cell therapy because the labeling could affect the final cell products.



Proceeds from the financing will be used to expedite solutions for cell therapy and drug discovery, as well as to increase the global presence of ThinkCyte’s technology and expand collaborative research projects with biopharmaceutical companies.



“We are confident that ThinkCyte’s unique and innovative technology will solve imminent issues in life science research and medicine,” commented Masatoshi Fukami, Executive Vice President of SPARX Group. “We will fully support ThinkCyte and the team to transform cell therapy and drug discovery to deliver better therapeutics and diagnostics for patients.” From SPARX Group, Shigeki Sakuraba, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, has joined ThinkCyte’s board of directors and brings his unique mixture of experiences in clinical, academic, and financial environments.



“Ghost Cytometry has the potential to drastically change single cell analysis and advance cell-based treatments and diagnostics,” said Tsuyoshi Ogawa, Partner at Itochu Technology Ventures (ITV.) “We believe that ThinkCyte’s team delivers on its commitments and will help millions of patients around the world by providing innovative platforms.”



About ThinkCyte, Inc.



ThinkCyte is a biotechnology company focusing on the development of novel cell therapy, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostic platforms with integrated multidisciplinary technologies. Its proprietary technology, Ghost Cytometry, combines advanced optics, machine learning and biotechnology to improve lives. In June 2019, the company was selected for J-Startup by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. For more information, please visit <a href="https://thinkcyte.com">our website</a>.

ThinkCyte Completes $15 Million Series A Financing

INFORMATION

TOKYO, JAPAN. June 24, 2019

ThinkCyte was selected for J-Startup, a government-led initiative for supporting startups.

“J-Startup” is a selective startup support program managed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan, and aims to cultivate promising startups to succeed in the world market and create new values with cutting-edge technology and business models. The selected companies are allowed to use various beneficial supports from the government and the private sectors, including an invitation to visit / exhibition tours to international events, business matching opportunities with major companies, financial support, and preferential application of the regulatory sandbox.

With support from the J-Startup community, consisting of leading venture capitalists, business professionals, large corporations, and government organizations, ThinkCyte plans to accelerate its international business expansion and collaborative projects with leading biopharmaceutical companies.

For more on the program, see this website on <a href="https://www.j-startup.go.jp/en/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">J-Startup Program</a>.

ThinkCyte Selected for J-Startup Program

TOKYO, JAPAN. December 20, 2018

In June, ThinkCyte joined the largest startup class to enter the <a href="https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Berkeley SkyDeck</a> Cohort Program. Today, the company has graduated the program with six-months of formal training designed to help launch and grow ThinkCyte’s Ghost Cytometry technology, which is the world’s first high-throughput label-free, image-based cell sorting system that allows physical sorting based on high-content cell morphology.

Founded in 2012, Berkeley SkyDeck is a joint program of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. The program combines hands-on mentorship of traditional accelerators with the vast resources and networks of a research university. The cohort is highly selective – only 3.5% of applicants were accepted. As part of the program, ThinkCyte received a $100,000 investment and intensive mentoring in product strategy, funding planning, and team building. As part of the program, ThinkCyte had access to experienced advisors, industry partners, and accredited investors.

Read more about the program:

<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/07/20-startups-take-center-stage-at-berkeley-skydecks-demo-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechCrunch</a>: 20 startups take center stage at Berkeley SkyDeck’s demo day

<a href="https://xconomy.com/san-francisco/2018/06/27/largest-startup-class-yet-enters-uc-berkeleys-expanding-accelerator/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xconomy</a>: Largest Startup Class Yet Enters UC Berkeley’s Expanding Accelerator

ThinkCyte Graduated Berkeley SkyDeck Cohort Program

TOKYO, JAPAN. November 1, 2018

After rigorous screening, ThinkCyte and six other startup companies were selected to participate in an international mentor program hosted by Google. The program, called <a href="https://events.withgoogle.com/launchpad-tokyo/class1-startups/#content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Launchpad Accelerator Tokyo</a>, is an equity-free, three-month program with three boot camps in Tel Aviv, Silicon Valley, and Tokyo. Each boot camp brings together 20 mentors who advise on various parts of starting and leading a business, including goal management and product market fit. The goal is to help startup companies overcome business, technology, and organizational scaling challenges.

For more on the program, see this website on <a href="https://developers.google.com/community/launchpad/accelerators" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Launchpad Accelerator</a>.

ThinkCyte Selected for the Inaugural Class of Google Launchpad Accelerator Tokyo

TOKYO, JAPAN. June 15, 2018



ThinkCyte, Inc., a company focusing on developing a high-throughput imaging-activated cell sorting system, today announced the completion of a US$3.2 million (JPY 350 million) seed-financing round.



ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry™ method uses a proprietary combination of ghost motion imaging, microfluidics, and machine-learning to image and sort single-cells. It is of use in a variety of medical, research, and therapeutic applications, such as identifying and extracting circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood.



To date, the ThinkCyte has raised more than $5 million (JPY 550 million) including angel investments and grants. This round of financing included new investors, Real Tech Fund, Japan Science &amp; Technology Agency (JST) and Osaka University Venture Capital.



This round of seed funding will accelerate ThinkCyte’s product and application development efforts. The company's proprietary Ghost Cytometry method, and commercialization of an imaging-activated cell sorting system based on the technology has the potential to transforms single cell research, cell therapy and other clinical applications.



ABOUT GHOST CYTOMETRY™ Imaging flow analyzers are a valuable tool used to detect and analyze single cells in fields as diverse as oncology, immunology, and drug screening.



ThinkCyte’s proprietary Ghost Cytometry system integrates compressive imaging, flow cytometry, microfluidics, and machine learning algorithms to achieves the trifecta of single-cell analysis: high content, ultrahigh throughput, and selective, morphology-based cell sorting in one instrument. Investors have agreed and the company is in scaling production of the novel instrument.



“We invented Ghost Cytometry to fundamentally change the nature and definition of cell sorting. Now we are in product development to deliver this system to customers,” said Waichiro Katsuda, Chief Executive Officer and the co-founder of ThinkCyte, Inc. “Our technology has the potential to uncover hidden crucial information in cell images that could lead to new scientific findings, treatments and diagnostics. The proceeds from this financing will accelerate commercialization of our new system.”



ABOUT THINKCYTE, INC.



ThinkCyte, Inc. is a biotechnology company that enables innovative life science research, diagnostics and treatments, with integrated multidisciplinary technologies. ThinkCyte’s technologies combine advanced optics, machine learning and biotechnology to improve lives.



The company developed the Ghost Cytometry™ technology, the world’s first high-throughput fluorescent image-based cell sorting system. ThinkCyte was founded by leading experts in applied physics, optics, bioengineering and machine learning with a mission to advance single-cell analysis for research, diagnostics, and therapeutics with an integrated multidisciplinary approach.



ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry method integrates advanced imaging technology, machine learning tools, microfluidics and flow cytometry. Ghost Cytometry enables researchers to identify cells based on their images and isolate target cells, including rare cells in real time. This innovative approach brings ultrahigh throughput, content-rich analysis and sorting on a single cell level to disciplines such as drug discovery, cell therapy and clinical diagnostics. To learn more, please visit <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thinkcyte.com/" target="_blank">thinkcyte.com</a>.

ThinkCyte Completes Seed Financing

TOKYO, JAPAN. June 15, 2018



In response to the growing demand for advanced single-cell identification and sorting system, ThinkCyte, Inc. has developed Ghost Cytometry™. The system combines a novel imaging technique with machine learning to identify and sort cells with unprecedented high-throughput speed.



Until now, conventional methods to sort cells have been based on total fluorescence intensity. But with Ghost Cytometry single-cells are sorted based on images which means richer information content and more discerning algorithms. As Dr. Yoko Kawamura, ThinkCyte’s scientist says succinctly “A picture is worth a thousand numbers”.



This week ThinkCyte announces a high-profile <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6394/1246" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">publication in Science</a> validating the use of ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry method to image and sorting cells in experiments designed to mimic circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood.



A FIRST FOR LIFE SCIENCE By integrating compressive imaging, flow cytometry, microfluidics, and machine learning algorithms, ThinkCyte has created a system that achieves the trifecta of single-cell analysis: high content, ultrahigh throughput, and selective, fluorescence image-based cell sorting in one instrument.



Conventional approaches to measure cells using flow cytometry and imaging systems have been unable to meet the simultaneous needs of high sensitivity, polychromaticity, high shutter speed, high frame rates, and continuous image-acquisition necessary to identify and sort cells in real time. Previous attempts to identify and sort single cells with high-throughput fluorescent image-based identification have been unsuccessful.



Data published in the journal <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6394/1246" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Science</a> show that the proprietary Ghost Cytometry method successfully addresses the prior limitations of traditional flow cytometry and imaging systems.



EVIDENCE FOR GHOST CYTOMETRY In a series of experiments, lead authors Sadao Ota*, Yoko Kawamura, Masashi Ugawa from ThinkCyte, Inc. describe Ghost Cytometry, a ultrafast fluorescence-imaging flow cytometry that can capture cell images and sort targeted cells based on the images. The “Ghost Cytometry” name refers to how the technique analyzes minimal light wave data without transforming any of that light data into a picture; it is image-free imaging technology.



The authors validated that Ghost Cytometry can capture fast, continuous, multi-color imaging of flowing cells by creating a flow-cell assembly and measuring double-stained MCF-7 cells (cells derived from human breast adenocarcinoma). The method generated multicolor fluorescent images with clearly resolved cellular morphological features even though the cells were flowing at over 10,000 cells per second a rate at which conventional imagers (CCD or CMOS-based cameras) only create unreadable motion-blurred images.



MACHINE-LEARNING IN CELL DIAGNOSIS A critical component in correctly classifying a cell’s images at a such a throughput is the use of supervised machine learning tools. “Humans cannot classify objects based on waveforms, but machine learning methods can.” says Dr. Ota, “We apply machine learning algorithms directly to the temporal waveforms of light signals. This reduces the size of the imaging data and we are skipping the time-consuming process of reconstructing each image from waveforms before identifying it. However, actual images of the cells can still be produced for human validation.”



RESEARCH METHODS



<div class="news_indent">1) PROOF OF CONCEPT the study authors provide proof-of-concept for Ghost Cytometry by training the machine-learning algorithm with a set of waveforms collected from two different but morphologically similar cell types (MCF-7 and MIA PaCa-2 cells) with fluorescently stained cytoplasm and/or membranes. They then analyzed samples containing mixtures of both cell types and found that waveform-based Ghost Cytometry can accurately classify these cells despite the fact that they are similar in size, total fluorescence intensity, and morphological features. Conventional flow cytometers using molecule-specific cell-labeling cannot distinguish between these cells as the total intensity of each cell type is similar.</div>



<div class="news_indent">2) REAL-LIFE CHALLENGE the authors then used the Ghost Cytometry system to identify rare cells, with an experiment to mimic circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood. They trained the algorithm with fluorescently stained PBMCs and MCF-7 cells and then spiked PBMCs with MCF-7 cells. The system was able to accurately detect MCF-7 cells inside a complex mixture of PBMCs from waveforms at ultrahigh throughput without using specific surface biomarkers. Then when authors added a microfluidic cell sorting system they were also able to sort the cells in real-time separating the cancerous cells with high accuracy and throughput without the use of specific biomarkers for cell identification.</div>



IMPLICATIONS OF GHOST CYTOMETRY Imaging flow analyzers are a valuable tool used to detect and analyze single cells in fields as diverse as oncology, immunology, and drug screening. Ghost Cytometry is the first solution that enables the selective isolation of cells based on their morphology as captured in images (i.e. shape and size of nucleus, cytoplasm and membranes, protein co-localization) rather than labeled surface markers or clustered signal intensity.



As Dr. Ota explains, “This novel approach will enable the integration of image-based analysis with comprehensive, downstream -omics analyses at the single cell level.”



The paper describing the experiments is entitled “Ghost Cytometry” and appeared in the journal Science. (Science 15 June 2018: Vol.360, Issue 6394, DOI: 10.1126 / science.aan0096)



* Sadao Ota is CTO &amp; co-founder of ThinkCyte and Associate Professor of the University of Tokyo.



ABOUT THINKCYTE, INC.



ThinkCyte, Inc. is a biotechnology company that enables innovative life science research, diagnostics and treatments, with integrated multidisciplinary technologies. ThinkCyte’s technologies combine advanced optics, machine learning and biotechnology to improve lives.



The company developed the Ghost Cytometry™ technology, the world’s first high-throughput fluorescent image-based cell sorting system. ThinkCyte was founded by leading experts in applied physics, optics, bioengineering and machine learning with a mission to advance single-cell analysis for research, diagnostics, and therapeutics with an integrated multidisciplinary approach.



ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry method integrates advanced imaging technology, machine learning tools, microfluidics and flow cytometry. Ghost Cytometry enables researchers to identify cells based on their images and isolate target cells, including rare cells in real time. This innovative approach brings ultrahigh throughput, content-rich analysis and sorting on a single cell level to disciplines such as drug discovery, cell therapy and clinical diagnostics. To learn more, please visit <a href="https://thinkcyte.com/">thinkcyte.com</a>.

News