Media Release
EditForce completed fund raising by third-party allotment andAMED adopts our program
Fukuoka, Japan, 30 June, 2021 – EditForce Inc. (“EditForce”) has announced that it has raised
500 million yen (approximately 4.51 million US dollars) on June 30, 2021, from MP Healthcare
Venture Management, Inc.(“MPH”), corporate venture capital (CVC) of Mitsubishi Tanabe
Pharma Corporation, etc. by third-party allotment.
For this round, EditForce was funded by not only MPH but FFG Venture Investment LimitedPartnership No. 2 and Yoshimei Co., Ltd. and has completed raising a total of 1.3 billion yen(approximately 11.78 million US dollars), together with the financing completed in May, 2021.
Dr. Takashi Ono, President and CEO, said, "We have taken the investment from CVC of the major
pharmaceutical company as a certain degree of evaluation of, and interest in, the potential of ourtechnology in the pharmaceutical field." He added, "The support from the investment companyof Fukuoka Financial Group Inc. is very encouraging to our company located in Fukuoka. The
investment from Yoshimei Co., Ltd. could support future applications of our technology in fields
other than drug discovery. "Furthermore, on 4 June, 2021, a gene therapy development program that applies our proprietary
RNA-binding PPR was adopted by Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development(AMED) in "Project Focused on Developing Key Technology for Discovering and Manufacturing
Drugs for Next-Generation Treatment and Diagnosis (development of RNA-targeted drug
discovery technology)" (started in FY2021), the title of which is "Therapeutic development ofPPR protein targeting toxic RNA" (Research Leader : Dr. Masayuki Nakamori, Associate
Professor of Osaka University / Research Collaborator : EditForce). We believe that ourtechnology is expected to possibly contribute to the next generation therapies by AMED.
Utilizing the funds raised this time and the support from AMED over the next five years, we willcontinue to enhance and strengthen pipelines through alliances with universities and companies
in Japan as well as overseas and to promote research and development for the application of PPR
platform technology to pharmaceutical products.

About EditForce
EditForce, Inc., a Kyushu University-originated venture company developing a unique DNA /RNA editing technology (PPR platform technology*) was established in May 2015 by KISCO
Co., Ltd., and Dr. Takahiro Nakamura, Professor of Kyushu University (former president ofEditForce and currently its scientific advisor) and funded by companies and funds that have trackrecords of investing in life sciences and biotechnology. EditForce aims for drug discovery thatapplies the PPR platform technology through joint research with universities and privatecompanies.
For more information, visit https://www.editforce.co.jp/*About PPR platform technology
PPR is a protein that was discovered in plants, which regulates the gene expression bybinding RNA or DNA in a sequence-specific manner. PPR proteins are also found inhumans and yeasts, and have similar functions to those of plants. Dr. Takahiro Nakamuraand Dr. Yusuke Yagi (CTO, EditForce) focused on the PPR proteins and elucidated therecognition mode of RNA/DNA by PPR proteins. This elucidation paves the way to a
new technology for the rational design of artificial PPR proteins targeted to specific
RNA/DNA sequences. Versatile DNA/RNA editing tools can be created by integrating
the PPR protein with various enzymes.
About MP Healthcare Venture Management, Inc.
MP Healthcare Venture Management, Inc. (MPH) is a life sciences venture capital firm based inBoston, USA, investing in innovative companies developing novel therapeutics, platformtechnologies and vaccines. MPH typically invests in seed and early-stage private companies, andinvestment is not limited by geographic region. MPH is the corporate venture capital firm ofMitsubishi Tanabe Pharma group.
For more information, visit https://www.mp-healthcare.com/
About FFG Venture Investment Partnership No.2
FFG Venture Investment Partnership No.2 is a venture capital fund managed by FFG Venture
Business Partners Co., Ltd. based in Fukuoka, Japan, a venture investment subsidiary of Fukuoka
Financial Group Inc. which operates as a holding company to provide banking and other financialservices.
For more information, visit https://www.ffg-venture.co.jp

About Yoshimei Co., Ltd.
Yoshimei Co., Ltd.(“Yoshimei”) is a total supplier of building materials, headquartered in Yoshino,Nara, which has a long history of wood production. Since its establishment, Yoshimei has handled
various kinds of wood to meet the changing needs of the times. It has cultivated knowledge andexperience as a wood professional. While introducing and utilizing the latest technology inproduction, sales, and quality control, Yoshimei actively invests in start-up companies in various
fields to contribute to the advancement of science and technology. With the vision of "Exploretrees scientifically" Yoshimei aims to explore the relationship between trees and humans, andadvance wood to the next stage.
For more information, visit https://www.yoshimei.co.jp/

Contact:
Administration Department
EditForce, Inc.
Tel: +81-3-6721-8883