YiPSCELL

About YiPSCELL

YiPSCELL is a South Korean biotechnology firm founded in 2015 by Dr. Ju Ji-hyeon, a professor of rheumatology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. The company focuses on developing treatments for diseases with unmet needs using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which can differentiate into various cell types for regenerative medicine. Dr. Ju was inspired to establish YiPSCELL after recognizing the potential of iPSCs during a research collaboration in the United States.

The company's business model revolves around the research, development, and eventual commercialization of its iPSC-based therapeutic pipeline. YiPSCELL generates revenue through licensing out its technology, collaborative R&D projects, and has received funding from investors including Premier Partners, Tech Incubator Program for Startup, AJU IB Investment, HB Investment, and InterVest. The company serves the biopharmaceutical market, providing a disease modeling platform that can substitute for animal experiments and developing cell therapies. Key clients are expected to be healthcare providers and patients with incurable or degenerative diseases.

YiPSCELL's product pipeline includes several organoid-type cellular therapeutic agents. MIUChon™ is an injectable treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis, which received approval for investigator-initiated trials in Korea and is preparing for clinical entry in Japan. Other products in development are MIUKin™, a skin organoid agent, and MIURon™, a 3D neural therapeutic for spinal cord injuries. The company also provides cell line and analysis services and has established a bank of patient-derived and HLA-homozygous iPSCs. YiPSCELL has also entered into joint research agreements, such as one with Daewoong Pharmaceutical to develop artificial red blood cells.