Head of industry group in Japan makes personal plea at major biotech meeting for improvements to Japan’s innovation ecosystem, as government representatives say steps are already being taken to improve collaborative research and foster bioventures.

Emerging Company Profile: Newly formed Singapore venture DotBio aims to develop novel immuno-oncology therapies based on optimized, multi-specific humanized domain antibodies, with a focus on targeting checkpoint blockades, positive immune signals and tumor-specific processes in oncology.

With partner CCHN, Alvotech will help finance construction of a biologics facility in Changchun, China. Novartis will work with Cellular Biomedicine to produce Kymriah for China, and will gain access to its CAR-T platform.

Japan was never known for its healthcare-focused venture capital funds, but Whiz Partners, Inc. is looking to fill what it sees as a void, helped by some heavy corporate hitters, and a major new collaboration with Takeda's spun out preclinical development operations in Japan.

Japan's National Cancer Center is progressing a collaborative project with industry to encourage the development of targeted therapies for rare cancers, as part of wider efforts to support early access to personalized oncology drugs.

Healios, a Japanese regenerative medicine bioventure, expects to continue benefiting from a supportive regulatory environment in Japan as it progresses three clinical assets toward approval in the next few years, says CEO Dr. Hardy Kagimoto in an exclusive interview.