A New Basic Patent on iPS Cell Technology Has Been Issued in Japan

A new member of the basic patent family on the iPS cell technology which has been first established in the world by the research group of Prof. Shinya Yamanaka, the director of iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University has been issued in Japan on June 3 2016. (Our Ref. No. AJ001(JP)-08 / Patent No.5943324). Accordingly, a total of eight family members of the basic patent on the Yamanaka iPS cell technology has been issued in Japan.

The 8th member of the basic patent on iPS cell technology in Japan, as well as the 7th member (Our Ref. No. AJ001(JP)-07 / Patent No.5603282), is a product patent which covers iPS cell itself. The effects of these two patents in accordance with their claims are different from those of other six members which are process patents relating to the method of generating iPS cells. As a result, Kyoto University now hold broad patent right which covers iPS cell technology from both aspects of the cell and the production method regardless of vector type used in Japan.

All of eight family members of the basic patent on the Yamanaka iPS cell technology are listed in iPS Academia Japan’s Patent Portfolio, and are licensable from us. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in licensing such patents for your iPS cell business in Japan.