New Publication Highlights Ghost Cytometry for Quality Control in Cell Therapy Manufacturing
ThinkCyte today announced the publication of a joint research paper together with Astellas Pharma Inc, in the September 19th issue of Scientific Reports showcasing the potential of its Ghost Cytometry® technology for quality control (QC) in cell therapy product manufacturing. As the clinical use of cellular therapies in oncology and autoimmune conditions explodes, the need for efficient and reliable methods to ensure the quality of cell therapy products has become increasingly important. Current QC processes for cell therapy manufacturing involve complex analytical tests, including fluorescence-based flow cytometry, which requires skilled operators, is prone to variability, and can be costly to perform due to the requirement of using expensive antibodies. The […]
ThinkCyte Secures $32 million in Series C Funding to Drive Global Expansion of VisionSort™
Tokyo, Japan. / Redwood City, CA ThinkCyte today announced the successful completion of its Series C funding round. Including the equity financing secured last November, the company raised an additional $15 million in the extension round, bringing the total to $32 million. The extension round was led by Japan Green Investment Corp. for Carbon Neutrality (JICN), KIRIN-GB Fund I L.P., and SMBC Venture Capital No. 7 Investment Limited Partnership. The company also secured a loan from Japan Finance Corporation. This latest round brings ThinkCyte’s total funding to $91 million, reinforcing the company’s commitment to expanding the global reach of its flagship product, VisionSort™. Since its launch in June 2023, VisionSort™ […]
ThinkCyte Launches New Website and Showcases VisionSort at Global Events
ThinkCyte today announced that it will be presenting at three major international scientific conferences in the first week of May and the launch of its updated website. The company will have a presence at the American Society for Immunology (AAI) from May 3rd to 7th, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) from May 5th to 9th, and CYTO 2024 presented by the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) from May 4th to 8th. The events will showcase both internal research and development achievements as well as presentations from VisionSort customers on the application of the platform to advance research and therapeutic development efforts. “A year ago […]
ThinkCyte advances biopharma phenotypic drug discovery programs with publication and presentation milestones
ThinkCyte today announced the publication of a paper in the March issue of Cell Reports Methods on a new method for high-throughput drug discovery. Together with a joint research group including investigators at the University of Tokyo and the University of British Columbia, the team describes the development of an approach to identify new candidate drugs by CRISPR screening using Ghost Cytometry; its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, label-free, morphology-based cell sorting technology. In the publication, ‘Pooled CRISPR screening of high-content cellular phenotypes using ghost cytometry, the team shows how VisionSort can be used to perform both label-free and fluorescence-based screening for a range of phenotypes relevant to drug discovery. Specifically, the […]
ThinkCyte collaborates with joint research group to advance development of stem cell-based therapies
ThinkCyte today announced the publication of a paper in the January 4 issue of Stem Cell Reports on a method to improve pluripotent stem cell-based therapies for retinal degenerative diseases. Together with a joint research group led by Masayo Takahashi, Senior Advisor, Michiko Mandai, Director, and Yasuaki Iwama, Researcher, Research Center at Kobe City Eye Hospital, Sadao Ota, Associate Professor at University of Tokyo, and Hiroko Nomaru, Senior Research Scientist at ThinkCyte, the team describes the development of an approach to increase the purity of retinal progenitor cell (RPC) populations generated from human ES/iPS cells using Ghost Cytometry; an AI-driven, label-free, morphology-based cell sorting technology. The joint research began at […]
ThinkCyte Launches Partnering Platform
ThinkCyte today announced the launch of its new partnering program for the biopharmaceutical and diagnostics industry. The program is designed to help accelerate research and development of novel therapeutics and artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches in life science. The program consists of three strategic arms; the Disease Profiling Platform, the Biopharma Platform, and the AI Platform, each designed to enhance collaboration with industry partners and advance fundamental new discoveries in healthcare. The Disease Profiling Platform offers partners the opportunity to co-develop assessment tools from liquid biopsies, such as disease measurement, treatment monitoring, therapeutic response prediction, and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring with biopharmaceutical and diagnostics companies. The Biopharma Platform focuses on […]
ThinkCyte Secures $24 million in Funding to Accelerate Growth
ThinkCyte today announced the successful completion of a funding round, raising $24 million USD (approx. JPY 3.3 billion) from both equity investments and a non-dilutive grant. Leading the investment were Nomura SPARX Investment, with participation from Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Tokyo Century, and Toyoda Gosei. Support also continued from existing investors, including Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment, Itochu Technology Ventures, and Realtech Fund. With this latest round, ThinkCyte’s total fundraising efforts have reached $76 million¹ (JPY 9 billion). “We are immensely thankful for our investors’ confidence in us. This endorsement fortifies our dedication to advancing innovative products and solutions for the life science community and strengthens our ability to keep developing […]
ThinkCyte and FIMM Establish Research Partnership to Advance Understanding and Treatment of Blood Cancer
ThinkCyte today announced a strategic research partnership with the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM-HiLIFE), University of Helsinki aimed at advancing the understanding of leukemia and its treatment. The research partnership leverages ThinkCyte’s new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cell characterization and sorting platform, VisionSort, with FIMM’s world renowned biorepository of clinically annotated leukemia samples and expertise in drug screening, with the aim of uncovering new insights into how to treat leukemias and other hematological malignancies. “Blood cancers are a complex, heterogeneous set of diseases and while the treatment landscape has advanced in recent years, there is still a lot we don’t know,” said Caroline Heckman, Research Director at FIMM. “By combining ThinkCyte’s AI-based platform […]
Juntendo University, Sysmex, and ThinkCyte collaborate to advance the early detection and treatment of blood cancer
Juntendo University, Sysmex Corporation, and ThinkCyte K.K. have announced a collaborative research partnership to advance the early detection and treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The joint research program aims to develop a sensitive diagnostic approach for blood cancers and deliver critical new cellular insights to advance the treatment of CML using Ghost Cytometry, ThinkCyte’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cell characterization and sorting technology. Under the partnership, the research teams will apply a novel approach that captures high-resolution information about the structure, shape, and size of cells (morphology) at high speed. By generating ‘morphometric signatures’ directly from CML patient samples, the research teams seek to identify, isolate, and characterize disease-driving cells. […]
ThinkCyte primed for continued growth as it expands with new Bay Area headquarters
ThinkCyte, a biotechnology company pioneering a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based cell analysis, characterization, and isolation platform, today announced the relocation of its US headquarters to Redwood City, California to accommodate its rapid growth and leverage the areas diverse biotechnology resources. The new office will be housed in the Redwood Lab and Innovation Focused Environment (LIFE) complex, a purpose-built ecosystem for cutting-edge life science organizations. Serving as a global bridge between ThinkCyte’s corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, the new office and lab space quadruples the company’s existing physical footprint in the US and supports its long-term growth strategy. With the recent launch of its flagship product, the VisionSort cell analysis and […]
ThinkCyte to Showcase VisionSort at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting
ThinkCyte to showcase VisionSort, the next-generation morphotypic cell analysis and sorting system for cancer profiling, at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL from April 14th-19th, 2023 (Booth #962).
ThinkCyte reveals VisionSort™, the world’s first dual mode, AI-driven cell characterization and sorting platform.
ThinkCyte, a biotechnology company pioneering novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based cell analysis, characterization, and isolation technologies, announced today that it will begin the commercial launch of its new cell sorting platform, VisionSort™. The launch coincides with the 2023 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) conference in San Diego, CA from February 25-March 1, 2023 where VisionSort and its integrated Ghost Cytometry® technology were selected as finalists for Best New Product and Innovation Awards, respectively. The new ThinkCyte VisionSort is powered by Ghost Cytometry, an innovative AI-driven technology for characterizing and sorting cells based on their physical properties (morphology) and recognized by publication in the prestigious journal Science. It is the […]
ThinkCyte to Debut VisionSort at the 2023 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) International Conference and Exhibition
ThinkCyte to launch VisionSort, the next-generation in cell analysis and sorting, at the 2023 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) International Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, CA from February 26th-March 1st, 2023 (Booth #1854). The event will include a ThinkCyte presentation at the Innovation Award Showcase on the use of VisionSort to advance modern phenotypic CRISPR screening on Monday, February 27th at 4 PM.
ThinkCyte broadens Advisory Board with the appointments of Dr. Diether Recktenwald, Ph.D. and Dr. Bo Saxberg, M.D. Ph.D.
ThinkCyte, a biotechnology company pioneering a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based cell analysis, characterization, and isolation platform, announced today the appointments of Dr. Diether Recktenwald Ph.D. and Dr. Bo E. H. Saxberg M.D., Ph.D. to its senior Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The appointments complement the strengths of ThinkCyte’s existing advisory team and bring deep experiential insights into emerging flow cytometry markets, strategic product development, and clinical applications to ThinkCyte’s SAB. Dr. Recktenwald has an expansive career in the development of flow cytometry instruments. He spent over three decades at Becton Dickinson (BD) Biosciences, culminating as Vice President of Advanced Technology where he guided the late-stage development of several novel flow cytometry […]
ThinkCyte and Axcelead DDP collaborate to advance novel phenotypic drug screening methods
ThinkCyte and Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners (DDP) announced a research partnership focused on developing new approaches to screen candidate drugs for treating human diseases. The partnership will combine Ghost Cytometry, ThinkCyte’s AI-driven cell characterization and sorting technology, with Axcelead DDP’s phenotypic screening techniques* and its diverse compound library of over 1.5 million candidate drugs to evaluate how these compounds change cellular phenotypes (their form and function) in a disease setting. Phenotypic drug discovery is a powerful method used in early therapeutic development and looks more broadly at how candidate drugs affect diseased cells compared to conventional target-based approaches. By combining Axcelead DDP’s world-class compound library and deep expertise in phenotypic […]
PhoreMost and ThinkCyte collaborate to advance AI-based drug discovery
PhoreMost Ltd. and ThinkCyte K.K. today announced a strategic research partnership aimed at advancing modern phenotypic drug screening using artificial intelligence (AI). The partnership leverages both companies’ distinctive technologies in high-throughput drug discovery, PhoreMost’s next-generation phenotypic screening platform, SITESEEKER®, and ThinkCyte’s AI-driven cell characterization and sorting platform, Ghost Cytometry®, with the aim of developing differentiated therapies for a range of diseases with unmet clinical need. Driven by advances in cell-based phenotypic screening tools and novel target discovery technologies, the power of Phenotypic Drug Discovery (PDD) lies in its unmatched ability to find completely new drug targets and disease mechanisms, providing not only new drug candidates, but a better understanding of […]
ThinkCyte to Showcase Ghost Cytometry at the 64th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition
ThinkCyte to exhibit at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans, LA from December 10th-13th, 2022 (Booth #1843). Exhibit will highlight the use of label-free cytometry to help diagnose hematological diseases, monitor treatment, and uncover entirely new biology.
Vision Care Group and ThinkCyte Announce Research Alliance in Advanced Cell Therapy
Vision Care Group and ThinkCyte today announced a research partnership aimed at advancing cell therapy in retinal disease. The partnership combines Vision Care Group’s expertise in developing investigative cellular therapies with Ghost Cytometry, ThinkCyte’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven label-free cell characterization and sorting technology. The partnership aims to improve manufacturing and pre-transplant testing for retinal cell therapy transplantation, leading to the development of cell-based therapies with superior therapeutic outcomes. The two companies have previously collaborated on technology research to increase the purity of target retinal cell populations using Ghost Cytometry-powered instruments. This partnership will develop a new approach for label-free classification and sorting of cell populations used for transplantation. Ghost Cytometry, […]
ThinkCyte announces Premier Early Access Program for its new label-free cell characterization and sorting system
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 […]
ThinkCyte shares applications of Ghost Cytometry with industrial and academic thought leaders
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 […]
ThinkCyte’s novel label-free in-silico ghost cytometry published in eLife
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 eLife. 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 Science. Compared to conventional flow cytometry and microscopy techniques, […]
ThinkCyte Secures $26 Million in Series B Financing
Funding will be used to advance the development of AI-based cell analysis and sorting platforms in cell therapy and diagnostics 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 […]
Sysmex and ThinkCyte Agree on Joint Development and Capital Alliance
Commencing development of novel AI-based cell analyzers and testing techniques 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. 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, […]
ThinkCyte Awarded NEDO PCA Grant to Advance Label-free Cell Sorting Technology for Cell Therapy
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 https://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html.
ThinkCyte and National Cancer Center Japan Jointly Awarded AMED Grant for Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells
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 […]
Hitachi and ThinkCyte Announce Collaboration to Develop an AI-driven Cell Analysis and Sorting System
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 […]
ThinkCyte Completes $15 Million Series A Financing
Financing accelerates the development of cell therapy and drug discovery platforms based on its proprietary image-based cell sorting system 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, […]
ThinkCyte Selected for J-Startup Program
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 […]
ThinkCyte Graduated Berkeley SkyDeck Cohort Program
In June, ThinkCyte joined the largest startup class to enter the Berkeley SkyDeck 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 […]
ThinkCyte Selected for the Inaugural Class of Google Launchpad Accelerator Tokyo
After rigorous screening, ThinkCyte and six other startup companies were selected to participate in an international mentor program hosted by Google. The program, called Google Launchpad Accelerator Tokyo, 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 Google Launchpad Accelerator.
ThinkCyte Publishes Paper on “Ghost Cytometry” Method in Science
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 publication in Science validating the use of ThinkCyte’s novel Ghost Cytometry method to image and sorting cells in […]
ThinkCyte Completes Seed Financing
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 includednew investors, Real Tech Fund, Japan Science & Technology Agency (JST) and Osaka University Venture Capital. This […]
