Rege Nephro Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kyoto City, Representative Director: Dr. Akifumi Morinaka, hereinafter referred to as “Rege Nephro”) is pleased to announce that it has raised funds amounting to a total of 135 million yen for the development of drugs for treating inherited kidney disease, by borrowing money from The Bank of Kyoto, Ltd., Japan Finance Corporation, MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Rege Nephro is a start-up company established in September 2019 based on the research results of Professor Kenji Osafune of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University. Professor Osafune has succeeded in establishing a technology for highly efficient production of nephron progenitor cells from iPS cells, starting with the world’s first discovery of the existence of nephron progenitor cells, which are a type of renal progenitor cells during the embryonic period. The iPS cell-derived nephron progenitor cells have been shown to improve renal damage in animal experiments. Rege Nephro is working on the practical application of cell medicine using these cells and aims to obtain regulatory approval for chronic kidney disease as an indication.

Professor Osafune has also been working on the creation of disease models for inherited kidney disease from an early stage and succeeded in identifying therapeutic drug candidates from the created disease models. Rege Nephro has been preparing for the clinical development of this promising drug candidate for the treatment of inherited rare disease.

With this fund raising, Rege Nephro will be able to start clinical study for inherited kidney disease. Rege Nephro will accelerate its business under the mission of improving the quality of life (QOL) of patients suffering from kidney disease and contributing to society.

<Overview of Rege Nephro>
Rege Nephro Co., Ltd.
Representative Director: Dr. Akifumi Morinaka
Address: 46-29 Yoshidashimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Kyoto University Med-Pharm Collaboration Building
Business: R & D, production and sales of therapeutic agents for renal diseases
Established: September 2019
URL: https://www.regenephro.co.jp

<Inquiries regarding this matter>
Katsuhisa Yamaguchi
(a member of Board of Directors, CFO / General Manager of Finance & Administration)
TEL: +81-75-744-6858
E-mail: info@regenephro.co.jp