Cellares to Open Asia Hub for Regenerative Medicine
in Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City by 2027
Aiming to Advance Cancer Treatment in Japan and Accelerating Access to Life-Saving Cell Therapies
May 30, 2025
Cellares Japan Co., Ltd.
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Cellares Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Omar Kurdi, including Cellares Corporation, hereinafter referred to as "Cellares") and Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takeshi Ueda, hereinafter referred to as "Mitsui Fudosan") are pleased to announce the establishment of an Asia development and manufacturing hub for regenerative medicine products . The facility will be located within Mitsui Link Lab, currently under construction in Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, and is scheduled to open in 2027.
Cellares, a U.S.-based company, specializes in contract manufacturing of cell therapies medicine products under contract with companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb. Cell therapies are highly effective in treating severe diseases such as cancer, and form part of the broader field of regenerative medicine. However, their production and transportation pose significant challenges, leading to issues limiting to life-saving cell therapies. To address these challenges, Cellares is building a global manufacturing network of IDMO Smart Factories with facilities in Asia, the United States, and Europe. The Kashiwa-no-ha hub will serve as Cellares’ initial manufacturing base for cell therapy for Asia.
Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City has been designated by the Cabinet Office as one of the eight bio-innovation hubs under the Greater Tokyo BioCommunity initiative. The area is home to key players in the life sciences sector, including the National Cancer Center Hospital East. The addition of Cellares to this ecosystem is expected to further enhance the area’s status as a life sciences hub.
Cancer immunotherapy products are classified as regenerative medicine products and have been confirmed to demonstrate high efficacy in the field of cancer treatment. However, their manufacturing and transportation pose significant challenges. In Japan, the lack of a robust manufacturing and distribution infrastructure, combined with the unique characteristics of the Japanese market, has led to critical issues such as delays in patient access to new treatments and the absence of certain therapies that are already available in the U.S. and Europe
The image of Cellares Smart Factory(Mitsui Link-Lab)
Cell Shuttle
Cell Q
Executive Messages
Takeshi Ozane
General Manager, Kashiwa-no-ha Urban Development Department,
Innovation Promotion Division, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
"We are honored that Cellares, an innovative U.S.-based company, has chosen Kashiwa-no-ha as its Asia hub. We are confident that their presence will not only deliver advanced treatments to more patients but also contribute to the further development of Japan’s life sciences industry. Mitsui Fudosan remains committed to supporting this growth."
Fabian Gerlinghaus
CEO & Co-founder, Cellares Corporation:
"Accessing CAR-T therapies in Japan is currently challenging, partly due to the limited number of commercial manufacturing facilities in the country. This Cellares IDMO Smart Factory will be a game-changer for eligible cell therapy patients in Japan."
Expert Message
Toshihiko Doi
Chairperson of the Kashiwa-no-ha Life Science Council
In the past, blood cells harvested from cancer patients in Japan had to be transported to the United States, where they were modified and manufactured into cell-based medicines. These were then shipped back to Japan for administration to the patients. This process involved risks such as delays in manufacturing and transportation issues.
With Cellares now enabling domestic manufacturing and supply within Japan, these challenges in cancer immunotherapy can be addressed. I believe this development will bring great hope to cancer patients in Japan and contribute to resolving issues related to drug inefficiencies and delays in the country.
Property Information
| Property Name | Mitsui Link-Lab Kashiwa-no-ha2 |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-6-1, Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Site Area | 10,263.43m2 |
| Total Floor Area | 16,791.43m2 |
| Purpose | Factory, Lab, Office, etc. |
| Structure and Scale | Steel Structure, 4stories |
| Design and Construction | Daiwa Co.,Ltd. |
| Schedule(planned) | Construction Start: November 2024 Opening: 2027 |
About Cellares
Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) and takes an Industry 4.0 approach to mass manufacturing the living drugs of the 21st century. The company is developing and operating integrated technologies for cell therapy manufacturing to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies. Thecompany’s Cell Shuttle™ integrates all the technologies required for the entire manufacturing process in a flexible and high-throughput platform that delivers , end-to-end automation. While the Cell Shuttle™ automates cell therapy manufacturing, the Cell Q™ automates quality control at high throughput, for in-process and batch release QC, addressing both manufacturing and QC bottlenecks. Cell Shuttles and Cell Qs will be deployed in Cellares’ IDMO Smart Factories around the world, enabling each Smart Factory to produce 10 times as many cell therapy batches as conventional CDMOs with the same facility size and number of employees. Partnering with enables academic medical centers, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate cell therapy development, scale-out manufacturing, lower process failure rates, lower manufacturing costs, and meet global patient demand.
The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California with its first commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Cellares is building a global network of IDMO Smart Factories with additional facilities under construction in Europe and Japan. The company is backed by world-class investors and has raised over $355 million in financing.
About Mitsui Fudosan
Mitsui Fudosan, through initiatives such as the provision of lab and office spaces via "Mitsui Link Lab" and the promotion of open innovation through the Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J), continues to contribute to the advancement of the life sciences industry by fostering "places" and "communities."
The company has consistently contributed to the creation of new industries by serving as a "platform provider" that brings together the collective wisdom of companies, society, and individuals during times of social and economic paradigm shifts.
In April 2024, under its new Group Long-Term Management Policy, Mitsui Fudosan established the Innovation Promotion Division to explore new business domains beyond the real estate sector. This division is dedicated to fostering innovation and contributing to the creation of new industries.
In Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, Mitsui Fudosan is advancing initiatives in collaboration with public, private, and academic sectors. The company aims to create an area where people can live healthy lives throughout their lifetime and where new medical industries can emerge and thrive.
（References）
・Further information about MitsuiFudosan：https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/
・Kashiwa-no-ha Smart city：https://www.kashiwanoha-smartcity.com/lifescience/
Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Group
Based on the meaning of its “& mark,” “to generate new value with society through cooperation, coexistence and co-creation, we forge ahead, innovating,” the Mitsui Fudosan Group views the “creation of social value” and the “creation of economic value” as two wheels of a cart. Accordingly, we believe that the creation of social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that this economic value then creates even greater social value.
Moreover, we identified six Group Materiality priority issues when formulating our new management philosophy in April 2024. These Group Materiality priority issues are (1) Contribute to industrial competitiveness, (2) Coexist with the environment, (3) Health and Vitality, (4) Safety and security, (5) Diversity and inclusion, and (6) Compliance and governance. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will work to address each of the materialities through its core business activities and contribute to the promotion of sustainability.
(References)
・Group Management Philosophy and Long-Term Vision
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/innovation2030/
・Group Materiality
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/approach/materiality/