PhenoVista Biosciences a provider of both custom and off-the-shelf, imaging-based assay services based in San Diego, California, has announced a strategic investment by Fujifilm Corporation, Tokyo.
Fujifilm Corporation’s Life Sciences Corporate Venture Capital (LS-CVC) strategic investment fund is investing in PhenoVista to accelerate the development of new high-content screening (HCS) assay services using Fujifilm iCell differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and PhenoVista’s cutting-edge imaging technologies.
This investment builds upon the existing strategic alliance between Fujifilm Corporation subsidiary, Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics, Inc., a leading global developer and manufacturer of human iPSCs, and PhenoVista. Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics aims to further expand its drug-discovery business through this alliance initiated in November 2021 by collaboratively developing high-content, imaging-based assays using human iPSC-derived differentiated cells, which are highly relevant biological systems. These HCS assay services using iPSCs are capable of monitoring complex intracellular functions, such as cell health, mitochondrial health, and synapse formation, in individual human cells that are involved in disease progression, supporting pharmaceutical companies in their drug-discovery processes.
“Fujifilm’s investment will accelerate an exciting phase of growth for PhenoVista, further solidifying our position as the leader in imaging-based analysis of complex cell models,” said James G Evans, CEO and co-founder of PhenoVista Biosciences. “Through this deepening relationship, PhenoVista’s current and future partners and collaborators will have early access to new cell models from Fujifilm, our long-trusted source of validated iPS cell models in the most relevant therapeutic areas, and we will continue to develop new models in both our bespoke and Ready-2-Go service platforms.”
Launched in February 2022, LS-CVC is a newly established group within Fujifilm’s Life Sciences Strategy Headquarters in Tokyo. Fujifilm is initially investing 7B¥ (about £41 million) to start the fund, targeting cutting-edge biotechnology primarily through partnerships with early-stage companies around the world.
Pictured above are Fujifilm iCell Motor Neurons stained with Hoechst to identify nuclei (magenta) and with anti-Tuj1 to label neurites (cyan), imaged with a Yokogawa CQ1 automated microscope. (Photo: Business Wire)