PRESS RELEASE
Rebirthel Co., Ltd.

Room 311, Creation Core Kyoto Mikuruma,
448-5 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-0841 Japan
Phone: (81)75-212-3770
Fax: (81)75-212-3780
URL: https://rebirthel.com/en/

Rebirthel and Otsuka Sign Licensing Agreement for iPSC-derived CAR-T / TCRT Production Technology
Rebirthel Co., Ltd. (Rebirthel) announces that it entered into an exclusive commercial
licensing agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) for its technologies
on CAR-T/TCR-T genetically engineered cell production using induced pluripotent stem(iPS) cells. The agreement covers multiple therapeutic areas worldwide.
Professor Kawamoto's laboratory at Kyoto University has been conducting joint researchwith Otsuka on iPS cell-derived CAR-T production technology. Last year, Rebirthel also
signed a research licensing agreement with Otsuka for research use of iPS cell-derived
CAR-T/TCR-T production technology.
Under the terms of the commercial licensing agreement, Rebirthel will grant an exclusive
license to Otsuka to use the technology for the generation of iPS cell-derived CART/TCR-T for commercial use in multiple therapy areas. Otsuka will pay Rebirthel an
upfront payment, development milestone payments and royalties based on sales.
Otsuka is engaged in the research and clinical development of autologous CAR-T/TCRT therapies. In parallel with these efforts, Otsuka will continue to research and develop
allogeneic CAR-T and TCR-T therapies that may enable rapid administration using thetechnology licensed under this agreement.

www.rebirthel.com

Rebirthel itself also aims at the in-house cell manufacturing for sale. However, bytransferring technology outside its field of business to Otsuka, Rebirthel expects that its
technologies will become widely used for treatments.
[Epexegeses]
1) Rebirthel Co., Ltd.
Rebirthel Co., Ltd (hereafter Rebirthel) is a venture company which aims at the clinical applicationof the therapy using “universal” and “off-the-shelf” killer T cell preparation, which has beendeveloped by Professor Hiroshi Kawamoto, Kyoto University. Rebirthel was founded in October
2019 by Professor Kawamoto.
Killer T cells are a type of T cells that have the ability to find cancer cells or virus-infected cells,and kill them. Rebirthel’s technology mainly uses such killer T cell (hereafter T cell). Rebirthel ispursuing the strategy to deliver T cells “as drug” “to everyone” “very soon” and “at low cost”. T cell
preparation will be regenerated from iPS cells, so a mass production becomes possible.
Using universal iPS cells that have the low risk of rejection as a material, it will be possible to produce
a T cell preparation that can be given to anyone. We will produce these T cells in large numbers andcryopreserve them. When needed, T cells will be thawed and administered to patients. Moreover, amass production will make it possible to cut cost.
Currently, at Kawamoto lab in Kyoto University, therapeutic strategy is being developed for acutemyeloid leukemia targeting the WT1 antigen. Rebirthel is supporting this development. This strategy
is being prepared for clinical trials at Kyoto University Hospital in collaboration with Department ofHematology and Oncology, Center for Research and Application of Cellular Therapy（C-RACT）, andInstitute for Advancement of Clinical and Translational Science (iACT), planned to be realized in 2024.
In parallel with the above WT1 project, Prof Kawamoto also leads a laboratory in Fujita Health University,where a novel cell therapy against COVID-19 is being developed by using the regenerated killer T cells
that are specific for SARS-Cov-2. Rebirthel also supports this project.
2) Adoptive immunotherapy using autologous T cells
Firstly, T cells are collected from a patient’s peripheral blood, and genetically engineered so that they
can recognize cancer cells. These cells are then stimulated in vitro to promote proliferation andactivation. After such an expansion process, T cells are given back to the patient. One example is theT cells to which a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) gene, targeting CD19 (cell-surface molecule),
has been transferred. This method has been shown to be highly effective on a certain type of leukemia,
and was approved in 2019 in Japan. However, such strategies using autologous T cells have facedproblems: 1) time-consuming (It takes 1 – 2 months including preparation period of patient), 2) costly,and 3) uneven in quality because it depends on the quality of T cells from patients. The strategy using
allogeneic T cells but not autologous T cells may solve the above three problems.

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