VC Cell Therapy, Inc.

VC Cell Therapy, Inc. (株式会社VC Cell Therapy), also referred to as VCCT Inc. (Japan), is a Japanese regenerative-medicine company headquartered on the fifth floor of the Kobe Eye Center in Chuo-ku, Kobe. It was established on 8 March 2021 as a subsidiary of Vision Care, Inc. (株式会社ビジョンケア) and is recognized as an official RIKEN venture. The company's purpose is the research, development, manufacture, sale, import and export of regenerative-medicine technologies and related goods, as well as the acquisition, holding, licensing, assignment and management of intellectual property in the ophthalmology and regenerative-medicine fields. The company is led by President and CEO Masayo Takahashi, a physician and Doctor of Medical Science who is internationally known for leading the world's first clinical study using iPS cells in 2014 and for founding the Kobe Eye Center concept in 2017. VC Cell Therapy operates within the Vision Care Group, whose stated vision is to be a global leader in eye health and whose mission is to develop and deliver treatments for intractable retinal outer-layer diseases. The group describes the Kobe Eye Center as the world's first attempt to integrate a regenerative-medicine research facility, a cutting-edge ophthalmic medical facility and an information-care facility for social implementation. VC Cell Therapy's pipeline centers on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell therapies and photoreceptor regeneration. Its RPE work spans clinical research using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for patients with age-related macular degeneration, confirming the safety of both autologous and allogeneic RPE cell transplantation. Its newer "RPE aggregation string" technology is described as combining the advantages of cell sheets and cell suspensions to offer a minimally invasive yet highly precise transplantation method, and the company is exploring gene editing for immune evasion to broaden the applicability of allogeneic RPE transplantation. In photoreceptor regeneration, it is developing retinal organoids as a promising approach for transplantation, and with the Kobe City Kobe Eye Center Hospital it has begun clinical research to confirm the safety and efficacy of retinal organoid-based treatment. The company has an American subsidiary, VCCT USA Inc., established on 24 June 2024 and located in Escondido, California. Its group companies include VC Gene Therapy, Inc. (株式会社VC Gene Therapy). VC Cell Therapy's fiscal year ends at the end of February. Its management team includes President and CEO Masayo Takahashi, Director and CFO Takuma Fukuda, Director and CTO Seiji Hori, Outside Director Shin Nakamura and Auditor Yoshinori Nishikawa. The company is active in research and development aimed at the early practical application of regenerative medicine, and it also engages in public-facing activities such as crowdfunding to support research toward clinical application at the Kobe Eye Center.

VC Cell Therapy, Inc. was established on 8 March 2021 as a subsidiary of Vision Care, Inc. (株式会社ビジョンケア) and was certified as a RIKEN venture. Its creation followed the career trajectory of its president, Masayo Takahashi, a physician and Doctor of Medical Science who completed the doctoral program at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine (visual pathology) and led the RIKEN retinal regeneration medical research and development project from 2006 to 2022. In 2014 she conducted the world's first clinical study using iPS cells, and in 2017, with the cooperation of Kobe City, the Kobe Eye Center was established, realizing the Eye Center concept she advocated in December 2017. After leaving RIKEN, she became representative director of Vision Care, Inc. in 2019 and established two subsidiaries for gene therapy and cell therapy development; VC Cell Therapy is the cell-therapy arm. The Kobe Eye Center is described by the group as the world's first attempt to integrate a regenerative-medicine research facility, a cutting-edge ophthalmic medical facility and an information-care facility conducting social implementation. Under the Kobe Eye Center concept, the Vision Care Group develops regenerative medicine as a new medical field for retinal diseases that have no treatment, aiming not only to sell regenerative-medicine products but also to solve problems in the medical system by making regenerative medicine succeed as sustainable healthcare. VC Cell Therapy's research has advanced along two main lines. In RPE cell therapy, its work spans many landmark developments in retinal pigment epithelium research: using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, it conducted clinical research for patients with age-related macular degeneration and confirmed the safety of autologous and allogeneic RPE cell transplantation. Its latest technology, the "RPE aggregation string," combines the advantages of cell sheets and cell suspensions to provide a minimally invasive yet highly precise transplantation method. It is also exploring gene editing for immune evasion to broaden the applicability of allogeneic RPE transplantation. These efforts aim not only to restore lost retinal function but also to make treatment more accessible, cost-effective and safe for patients. In photoreceptor regeneration, the company is developing treatments for photoreceptor dysfunction, a major cause of blindness in aging societies such as Japan, using stem cell technology to develop retinal organoids as a promising transplantation approach. In partnership with Kobe City Kobe Eye Center Hospital, it has begun clinical research to confirm the safety and efficacy of retinal organoid-based treatment, creating high-quality retinal organoids with advanced retinal differentiation technology; its latest research results demonstrate the functional efficacy of transplanted photoreceptors, offering a realistic path to restoring lost vision. The company expanded internationally with the establishment of its U.S. subsidiary VCCT USA Inc. on 24 June 2024, located at 500 La Terraza Blvd Suite 150, Escondido, CA 92025, USA. Its group companies include VC Gene Therapy, Inc. (株式会社VC Gene Therapy). The company's fiscal year ends at the end of February. Recent activities include a business and capital alliance agreement with Kuraray Co., Ltd. in February 2026, a memorandum of understanding with Institute of Science Tokyo and Kobe City Kobe Eye Center Hospital in July 2026, selection for an AMED project on base technology development for industrialization of regenerative medicine and gene therapy in August 2026, nomination for the Best Startup category of Prix Galien USA 2026, and a paper published in the scientific journal npj Robotics. The company also solicits public support, including crowdfunding, for research and development toward clinical application at the Kobe Eye Center.

• President Masayo Takahashi conducts the world's first clinical study using iPS cells

• The Kobe Eye Center is established, realizing the Eye Center concept advocated by Masayo Takahashi

• Masayo Takahashi becomes representative director of Vision Care, Inc. after leaving RIKEN

• VC Cell Therapy, Inc. is established as a subsidiary of Vision Care, Inc. and certified as a RIKEN venture

• U.S. subsidiary VCCT USA Inc. is established in Escondido, California

• Business and capital alliance agreement signed with Kuraray Co., Ltd.

• Memorandum of understanding signed with Institute of Science Tokyo and Kobe City Kobe Eye Center Hospital

• Selected for AMED's project on base technology development for industrialization of regenerative medicine and gene therapy

• Nominated for the Best Startup category of Prix Galien USA 2026

• Paper published in the scientific journal npj Robotics

A RIKEN-certified regenerative-medicine venture within Vision Care Group, developing iPS cell-based therapies for intractable retinal diseases with the aim of making regenerative medicine accessible, cost-effective and safe.

• RPE cell therapy

  iPS cell-based retinal pigment epithelium transplantation for age-related macular degeneration, with confirmed safety of autologous and allogeneic transplantation

• RPE aggregation string

  A transplantation technology combining the advantages of cell sheets and cell suspensions for minimally invasive, highly precise delivery

• Gene-edited allogeneic RPE cells

  Exploration of gene editing for immune evasion to broaden the applicability of allogeneic RPE transplantation

• Retinal organoids

  Stem cell-derived retinal organoids developed as a promising approach for photoreceptor transplantation

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