Pharmaco-Cell Company Ltd.

Pharmaco-Cell Company Ltd. (ファーマコセル株式会社) is a Japanese life-science company based in Nagasaki that specialises in in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) reconstitution models. Its flagship product line, the BBBキット™ (BBB Kit™), is a ready-to-use, frozen reconstituted rat BBB model supplied in multi-well insert formats for evaluating how drugs and compounds cross the blood-brain barrier. The company markets these kits to academic and industrial researchers working in central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery, pharmacokinetics and BBB pathology. The BBB Kit™ is built around a three-dimensional cell culture device in which rat brain endothelial cells are reconstituted on a permeable membrane insert. Pharmaco-Cell offers several variants distinguished by membrane material and pore size: the RBE-12 (formerly PET-12) uses a 0.4 µm polyester membrane that allows direct observation of endothelial cells and is suited to disease-model and BBB cell analysis; the RBC-12 (formerly PC-12) uses a 3.0 µm polycarbonate membrane with low drug adsorption, making it a general-purpose format for testing permeability of small molecules through to macromolecules and even cells. Newer 24-well formats, MBT-24H and RBT-24H, are also listed as newly released products. Kits are shipped frozen and stored at -80 °C, with a recommended use window of about one month and a documented shelf life of up to six months under the company's own data. Each kit includes thawing solution, culture media and control inserts (Corning Transwell®). According to the company's product documentation, the kits maintain transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) of 150 Ω·cm² or higher, a key indicator of a tight, functional BBB model. After thawing and medium exchange, TEER can be measured from day three, and the kit is usable as a BBB model from day four, with use recommended through day six. This makes the product a plug-and-play alternative to labour-intensive in-house BBB cell culture, aimed at detecting changes in drug brain penetration under disease states such as brain disorders, hypertension, diabetes and infections. Pharmaco-Cell operates from offices in Nagasaki City and sells primarily through direct contact and its Japanese-language website, with product documentation and handling instructions provided online. The company is a small, privately held specialist supplier rather than a large pharmaceutical manufacturer, and its brand identity rests on the BBB Kit™ as a niche research tool for CNS drug development.

Pharmaco-Cell Company Ltd. is a Japanese life-science company located in Nagasaki City. Public information about the company is limited; its own website and Wikidata describe it simply as a company in Nagasaki, Japan. Its commercial identity is built around a single specialised product family: the BBB Kit™, an in vitro reconstitution model of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB Kit™ was developed as a ready-to-use alternative to conventional in-house BBB cell culture. The product line has evolved through several generations and naming changes. Earlier formats were sold as PET-12 and PC-12; these were later renamed RBE-12 and RBC-12 respectively, reflecting a shift to a clearer nomenclature based on membrane material and application. The RBE-12 uses a 0.4 µm polyester membrane that is optically clear, allowing researchers to observe endothelial cells grown on the membrane, and is positioned for disease-model and BBB cell analysis. The RBC-12 uses a 3.0 µm polycarbonate membrane with low compound adsorption, making it a general-purpose format for permeability testing of small molecules, macromolecules and even cells. More recently the company introduced 24-well formats, MBT-24H and RBT-24H, which are highlighted on its website as newly released products. These extend the kit range beyond the original 12-well inserts. The kits are supplied as frozen finished products that must be stored at -80 °C; the company's data indicate they can be stored for six months but should be used within one month. Each kit contains thawing solution, two culture media and control inserts (Corning Transwell®). Functionally, the kits are designed to reproduce BBB pathology associated with brain diseases, hypertension, diabetes and infections, and to detect changes in drug brain penetration under those conditions. The company reports that its kits maintain TEER of 150 Ω·cm² or higher, with TEER measurable from day three after thawing and the kit usable as a BBB model from day four, recommended through day six. This positions Pharmaco-Cell as a niche supplier to the CNS drug discovery and pharmacokinetics research community, rather than a broad pharmaceutical or diagnostics company.

• Earlier BBB Kit™ formats sold as PET-12 and PC-12

• PET-12 renamed RBE-12 and PC-12 renamed RBC-12

• New 24-well formats MBT-24H and RBT-24H released

Specialist supplier of ready-to-use in vitro blood-brain barrier model kits for CNS drug permeability testing.

• BBB Kit™ (RBE-12)

  12-well in vitro rat BBB model using a 0.4 µm polyester membrane; allows observation of endothelial cells; for disease-model and BBB cell analysis.

• BBB Kit™ (RBC-12)

  12-well general-purpose in vitro rat BBB model using a 3.0 µm polycarbonate membrane with low drug adsorption; for permeability testing from small molecules to macromolecules and cells.

• BBB Kit™ (MBT-24H)

  24-well format listed as a newly released product.

• BBB Kit™ (RBT-24H)

  24-well format listed as a newly released product.

1. 1ファーマコセル株式会社 -革新的な 血液脳関門 in vitro 再構成系モデル BBBキット-pharmacocell.co.jp
2. 2製品紹介｜ファーマコセル株式会社pharmacocell.co.jp
3. 3製品紹介（RBE-12）｜ファーマコセル株式会社pharmacocell.co.jp
4. 4製品紹介（RBC-12）｜ファーマコセル株式会社pharmacocell.co.jp
5. 5Pharmaco-Cell Company Ltd. (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org