Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Enhances StemFit iPSCell Expansion Medium
Leveraging Advanced Manufacturing and Strict Quality Control for Superior Performancein Cellular Medicine
TOKYO, March 26, 2024 –Today, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) (TSE: 2802) launched a new versionof its StemFit™ iPSC expansion medium. The enhanced version of its widely used StemFit™ products isdesigned to improve the growth and pluripotency of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and meet the Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).
While iPSCs are used for developing and discovering cellular medicines that have the potential to change theway doctors treat intractable diseases, StemFit™ ensures high survival rates and rapid proliferation of cells,
reducing both the time and cost of generating iPSCs. Its animal-origin-free formulation reduces spontaneousdifferentiation, enabling efficient single-cell passing. The product line-up of StemFit™ is ideal for regenerative
medicine, drug discovery and disease modeling. Additionally, it also enhances further manufacturing of cellularmedicines, ensuring superior performance and reliability in iPSC culture.
The Ajinomoto Group recently enhanced its product manufacturing and quality control methods for cell therapy
developers to use StemFit™ as a raw material for iPSC cellular medicine by leveraging the Ajinomoto Group’s
state-of-the-art facilities and capabilities in manufacturing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Active
Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). This enhancement not only allows the ability to produce high-quality, reliable
products but also ensures strict quality control at each stage of the manufacturing process. The Group’s
expertise in GMP API production contributes to the superior performance of the StemFit™ medium, ensuring itmeets the highest industry standards.
Michael Lish, Executive Officer, Deputy General Manager, AminoScience Division and General Manager, Amino
Acids Dept., of Ajinomoto Co. shared, “The Ajinomoto Group’s long-standing nutritional and biomedical research
has optimized the ingredients of StemFit™ as a medium for the growth of cells using its deep knowledge ofamino acids. StemFit™ is designed to maintain the pluripotency of stem cells, ensuring they can differentiate
into any cell type, which is vital for their use in diverse applications. Through this advancement, we hope tofurther advance translational research, drug discovery and development and help bring high-quality iPSC
based- therapies from bench to bedside.”
The Ajinomoto Group has more than a century’s worth of research and development in the field of amino acidtechnology. In 1908, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) discoveredthat glutamate is responsible for umami taste which led to the launch of the world’s first umami seasoning, AJINO-MOTO®. Since then, the Ajinomoto Group has expanded to a wide variety of businesses by leveraging ourongoing research into the properties and functions of amino acids, including the application of amino acidtechnology to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The Ajinomoto Group will contribute to the well-being of all human beings, our society and our planet with “AminoScience” basedon the corporate slogan “Eat Well, Live Well.”. The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 36 countries and regions, and sells products inmore than 130 countries and regions. In fiscal 2022, sales were 1.3591 trillion yen (10.0 billion U.S. dollars). To learn more, visit
www.ajinomoto.com.

For further information, please visit ajitrade.com/stemfit/ or linkedIn. Please contact Todd Ringler, Edelman,
for questions, +1-617-872-1235.