MiCAN Technologies Inc.
Corporate brand
UnclaimedJapanese regenerative-medicine biotechnology company producing immortalized specialty blood cells for infectious-disease research and drug/material safety evaluation.
Last updated September 27, 2026
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Overview
MiCAN Technologies Inc. (マイキャン・テクノロジーズ株式会社) is a Japanese biotechnology company headquartered in Kyoto that applies regenerative-medicine technologies to mass-produce and stably supply homogeneous, high-precision "specialty blood cells" for infectious-disease research and for the efficacy and safety evaluation of pharmaceuticals and functional materials. The company was established in July 2016 in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and later moved its headquarters and research base to the Kyodai Katsura Venture Plaza in Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto. Its representative director and CEO is Kazuo Miyazaki, and its stated mission is to contribute to the health of people worldwide through the provision of specialty blood cells created with regenerative-medicine technology. MiCAN's core technology platform combines four cell-focused capabilities: gene-editing technology, differentiation-induction technology, immortalized cell creation technology, and integrated production technology. Using these, the company designs specialty blood cells at will, differentiating stem cells into blood cells and then applying its proprietary immortalization and integrated production methods to deliver homogeneous specialty blood cells in large quantities and with stable supply. Its flagship cell line is the proprietary monocyte cell line aMylc, which is positioned as delivering high reactivity, reproducibility, and stable supply in MAT (monocyte activation test) applications. The company sells evaluation kits and provides evaluation services built around its specialty blood cells (Mylc cells). Its product lineup includes immortalized myeloid cells (Mylc cells) produced via regenerative-medicine technology, SRIPs that enable infection evaluation without using live virus, dedicated culture media, pyrogen-testing cells, and evaluation kits. On the service side, MiCAN undertakes screening tests of drug candidates and immune evaluation of functional materials using its high-precision blood-cell products, and it designs evaluation systems tailored to customer needs, including pharmaceutical efficacy evaluation and safety evaluation contracting services. MiCAN has built a collaborative research and development network with Japanese universities and institutions. In October 2017 it co-developed, with Kyoto University and Nagasaki University, red-blood-cell-like cells for infectious-disease research (its first product, Mpv cells) and filed a patent; in August 2018 it filed a patent with Osaka University and Kumamoto University concerning myeloid cells for virus research (its second product, Mylc cells). In April 2020 it began joint coronavirus research with Osaka University using Mylc cells, and in October 2020 it began supplying cMylc cells for novel-coronavirus research. The company has been selected for various public support programs, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's advanced-issue-solving venture support program in 2015, AMED's infectious-disease countermeasure technology development program in 2020, and NEDO's research-and-development startup support program in 2021. It has raised funding through third-party allotments of new shares, including approximately 127 million yen in a Series A SP round in August 2019 and approximately 189 million yen in a Series A2 round in September 2021. Operationally, MiCAN maintains its Kyoto head office and research institute, a Kobe manufacturing site at the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, and a European development office at BioLabs Heidelberg in Germany. Its capital was 30,000,000 yen as of June 30, 2025. The company remains a privately held, venture-backed enterprise focused on becoming a cell-based drug-discovery platform.
History
MiCAN Technologies was established in July 2016 in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, founded on the idea of applying regenerative-medicine technology to create specialty blood cells. In 2015, before incorporation, the venture was selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "advanced-issue-solving venture support program." In November 2016 it won the Globis Venture Challenge Grand Prize. In October 2017, MiCAN co-developed red-blood-cell-like cells for infectious-disease research (its first product, Mpv cells) with Kyoto University and Nagasaki University and filed a patent. In December 2017 it began development of myeloid cells for virus research (its second product, Mylc cells). In February 2018 it established its own research and development base at the Kyodai Katsura Venture Plaza (a small-and-medium-enterprise agency incubation facility in Kyoto City), and in July 2018 it began shipping red-blood-cell-like cells (pilot Mpv cells). In August 2018 it filed a patent with Osaka University and Kumamoto University concerning myeloid cells for virus research (Mylc cells), and in September 2018 it relocated its head office into the Kyodai Katsura Venture Plaza. In November 2018 it was selected for Kyoto Sangyo 21's "Economic Gardening" program, and in December 2018 it was selected for the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry's "Wisdom Management Contest." In March 2019 MiCAN expanded its head office and research institute, and in April 2019 it concluded a joint research agreement on culture media for product development with Nissui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. In July 2019 it began shipping myeloid cells for virus research (pilot Mylc cells). In August 2019 it raised approximately 127 million yen through a third-party allotment of new shares to Osaka University VC and others (Series A SP). In November 2019 it won the top prize and the Kansai Mirai Bank Award at the first Osaka Tech Plan Grand Prix. In April 2020 MiCAN began joint coronavirus research with Osaka University using Mylc cells. In June 2020 it was selected for AMED's "infectious-disease countermeasure technology development program" as improved-technology support, and in July 2020 it was adopted for the "novel-coronavirus infectious-disease countermeasure technology concentration project," won the excellence award at the 7th Kyoto Shinkin regional entrepreneur awards, and was adopted for the fiscal 2020 "strategic foundational technology advancement support program." In October 2020 it began supplying cMylc cells for novel-coronavirus research, and in November 2020 it opened the Kobe Lab at the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (Creative Lab Kobe/CLIK). In September 2021 MiCAN raised approximately 189 million yen through a third-party allotment of new shares to Real Tech Fund and others (Series A2). In October 2021 it was adopted for NEDO's "research-and-development startup support program / commercialization support for seed-stage R&D startups (STS)," and in November 2021 it won the Kansai NBC New Business Award 2021. The company has continued to develop and market evaluation kits and services based on its immortalized blood-cell lines, and it maintains a European development office at BioLabs Heidelberg in Germany. As of June 30, 2025, its stated capital was 30,000,000 yen.
- 2021
Raised approximately 189 million yen via third-party allotment (Series A2)
- 2021
Adopted for NEDO's R&D startup support program (STS)
- 2021
Won Kansai NBC New Business Award 2021
- 2020
Began joint coronavirus research with Osaka University using Mylc cells
- 2020
Selected for AMED's infectious-disease countermeasure technology development program
- 2020
Adopted for novel-coronavirus countermeasure technology concentration project; won excellence award at 7th Kyoto Shinkin regional entrepreneur awards; adopted for strategic foundational technology advancement support program
- 2020
Began supplying cMylc cells for novel-coronavirus research
- 2020
Opened Kobe Lab at Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (CLIK)
- 2019
Expanded head office and research institute
- 2019
Concluded joint research agreement on culture media with Nissui Pharmaceutical
Products and positioning
A regenerative-medicine biotechnology company providing homogeneous, high-precision specialty blood cells and cell-based evaluation kits/services to make infectious-disease research and drug/material safety evaluation dramatically more efficient.
Mylc cells
Immortalized myeloid cells produced via regenerative-medicine technology; used for virus research and evaluation.
aMylc
Proprietary monocyte cell line delivering high reactivity, reproducibility, and stable supply in MAT.
Mpv cells
Red-blood-cell-like cells for infectious-disease research; first product.
cMylc cells
Cells for novel-coronavirus research, supplied from October 2020.
SRIPs
Reagents enabling infection evaluation without using live virus.
Evaluation kits
Kits combining specialty blood cells and related reagents for drug and material evaluation.
Sources3 sources
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