August 8, 2022
Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd.

Supporting the Early Commercialization of Regenerative Medicinefor Corneal Endothelium— Partial Product Development Contract with ActualEyes Inc. —Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd. (“J-TEC”, headquarters in Gamagori, Aichi, Japan; President &CEO, Ken-ichiro Hata) is pleased to announce that it has concluded an agreement with ActualEyes
Inc. (“ActualEyes”, Kyotanabe, Kyoto, Japan; President & CEO, Iku Sugioka), a company that isengaged in R&D on regenerative medicine for the treatment of corneal endothelial disorders, toperform part of the product development for a regenerative medical product candidate for corneal
endothelium (development name: AE101) that ActualEyes is developing in collaboration with D.
Western Therapeutics Institute, Inc. (Aichi, Japan; President & CEO, Yuichi Hidaka).
Corneal endothelium is positioned on the inside of the cornea, and it is indispensable to maintaining
the transparency of the cornea. If the corneal endothelium becomes damaged, the cornea becomesclouded and loses its transparency, leading to severe visual disorders. At present, the only treatment
method for corneal endothelial damage is corneal transplantation, but there are various problems
involved, such as the insufficient number of donors worldwide, and new treatment methods are sought.
J-TEC has made inroads into regenerative medicine in the ophthalmology field, developing andmarketing first Autologous Cultured Corneal Epithelium “Nepic”, Japan’s first regenerative medical
product in the ophthalmology field, and then a second product, Autologous Cultured Oral Mucosal
Epithelium “Ocural”. Using the knowledge and expertise acquired in the process, J-TEC will support
the early commercialization of regenerative medical product candidates developed by ActualEyes thatare new treatment methods for the corneal endothelium.
For information about the regenerative medicine for the corneal endothelium that ActualEyes isinvolved in, please visit the company website at www.actualeyes.co.jp.
About J-TEC’s custom development & manufacturing business for regenerative medicine
J-TEC has obtained approval for 4 products in Japan (autologous cultured epidermis, autologous
cultured cartilage, autologous cultured corneal epithelium, and autologous cultured oral mucosalepithelium) and is providing a stable supply of these products nationwide. By making the most of theexperience and knowhow cultivated through these achievements, it is engaging in contractdevelopment of regenerative medical products, consulting, and contract manufacture of specific cellprocessed products. For details, please see our company website.
https://www.jpte.co.jp/en/business/cdmo-cro/index.html(Reference: About J-TEC)
J-TEC is a maker of regenerative medical products whose corporate vision is “creating a future
for regenerative medicine,” and has been a member of the Teijin Group since March 2021. As
Japan’s top runner in regenerative medicine, J-TEC obtained marketing approval for autologous
cultured epidermis “JACE”, Japan’s first regenerative medical product, in October of 2007, andbegan marketing the product in January of 2009. J-TEC then went on to obtain marketing approvalfor Autologous Cultured Cartilage “JACC” in July of 2012, for Autologous Cultured Corneal
Epithelium “Nepic” in March of 2020, and for Autologous Cultured Oral Mucosal Epithelium “Ocural”
in June 2021. “JACC” was Japan’s first regenerative medical product for use in orthopedic surgery,and “Nepic” was the first for use in ophthalmology. Of the 16 regenerative medical products thathave been approved in Japan, four are J-TEC products.
Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd., 6-209-1 Miyakitadori, Gamagori, Aichi 443-0022, Japan. URL: https://www.jpte.co.jp

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(Reference: About ActualEyes)
ActualEyes is a bioventure company that was established on the basis of the research results
obtained by Professor Noriko Koizumi and Professor Naoki Okumura of the Faculty of Life andMedical Sciences, Doshisha University. It conducts research and development on regenerative
medicine and pharmacotherapy for corneal endothelial disorders, such as Fuchs endothelial
corneal dystrophy and bullous keratopathy.

[Contact information for inquiries about this announcement]
Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd.
TEL0533-66-2020
E-mail jtec-info@jpte.co.jp

Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd., 6-209-1 Miyakitadori, Gamagori, Aichi 443-0022, Japan. URL: https://www.jpte.co.jp

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