Cytlimic

About Cytlimic

Cytlimic Inc., established on December 16, 2016, was a biopharmaceutical venture that originated from NEC Corporation's healthcare division.

The company was founded to develop and commercialize therapeutic cancer peptide vaccines discovered through the application of NEC's proprietary artificial intelligence. This initiative represented a strategic entry into the drug discovery market by the IT giant, NEC, leveraging its long-standing research in AI and biotechnology. The founding President and CEO, Shun Doi, had been leading NEC's life science and bio-IT business development since 2000, bringing over two decades of relevant experience to the new venture. His leadership was pivotal in bridging NEC's advanced AI capabilities with the complex challenges of pharmaceutical development.

Cytlimic's core business was centered on advancing cancer immunotherapy. The company focused on conducting preclinical and clinical trials for its pipeline of cancer vaccines, managing the development and stability testing of investigational formulations, and ultimately partnering with pharmaceutical companies for commercialization. The business model was rooted in a collaborative, open-innovation approach, with initial funding secured from NEC Corporation, Fast Track Initiative, SMBC Venture Capital, and NEC Capital Solutions. Upon establishment, NEC held a 39.9% stake, with the remaining capital provided by its venture partners. The company successfully raised an additional JPY 1.3 billion in August 2019 to advance its lead candidate, CYT001, into Phase I clinical trials for hepatocellular carcinoma, bringing its total funds raised to JPY 2.3 billion.

The primary product in development was a cancer peptide vaccine platform. This platform emerged from joint research with Yamaguchi and Kochi Universities, which began in 2014. It utilized NEC's "Immune Function Prediction Technology," an AI system that combines machine learning with experimental data to efficiently identify promising peptide vaccine candidates from a vast number of possibilities at a lower cost and in a shorter timeframe. This technology was instrumental in discovering peptides effective against cancers like hepatocellular and esophageal cancer, which were compatible with approximately 85% of the Japanese population's HLA type. The vaccine aimed to activate the patient's own immune system to target and attack cancer cells, a method intended to offer a better quality of life compared to conventional treatments. The company's pipeline also included a novel adjuvant, discovered in partnership with Yamaguchi University, designed to enhance the vaccine's effectiveness.

Cytlimic Inc. was officially closed on December 22, 2022.