Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Enhances StemFit iPS Cell Expansion Medium

Leveraging Advanced Manufacturing and Strict Quality Control for Superior Performance in Cellular Medicine

TOKYO, March 26, 2024  /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. ("Ajinomoto Co.") (TSE: 2802) launched a new version of its StemFittm iPSC expansion medium. The enhanced version of its widely used StemFittm products is designed 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 the way doctors treat intractable diseases, StemFittm ensures high survival rates and rapid proliferation of cells, reducing both the time and cost of generating iPSCs. Its animal-origin-free formulation reduces spontaneous differentiation, enabling efficient single-cell passing. The product line-up of StemFittm is ideal for regenerative medicine, drug discovery and disease modeling. Additionally, it also enhances further manufacturing of cellular medicines, 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 StemFittm 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 StemFittm medium, ensuring it meets 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 StemFittm as a medium for the growth of cells using its deep knowledge of amino acids. StemFittm 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 to further 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 acid technology. In 1908, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) discovered that glutamate is responsible for umami taste which led to the launch of the world's first umami seasoning, AJI-NO-MOTO®. Since then, the Ajinomoto Group has expanded to a wide variety of businesses by leveraging our ongoing research into the properties and functions of amino acids, including the application of amino acid technology to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The Ajinomoto Group will contribute to the well-being of all human beings, our society and our planet with "AminoScience" based on the corporate slogan "Eat Well, Live Well.". The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 36 countries and regions, and sells products in more 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.

SOURCE Ajinomoto Co., Inc