TOKYO -- The Biomedical Division of PHC Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President: Nobuaki Nakamura), has received a 2024 Innovation Award from The Analytical Scientist[1] for its live cell metabolic analyzer, LiCellMoTM. LiCellMo, launched for research use in Japan in September and the United States, UK, EU, China and other Asian select geographies in October[2], provides continuously measured data on key cellular metabolic pathways[3], giving researchers a precise picture of previously unobservable changes in the state of cells over time and allowing them to make more informed research decisions. This will help contribute to novel research findings and important advances in therapies. It is designed to reveal cellular metabolic mechanisms and improve the reproducibility and quality of cell cultures in the development of manufacturing processes for cell and gene therapy products.

The Analytical Scientist focuses on the people, technology and innovations shaping measurement science. The publication issues its annual Innovation Awards to recognize technical advances that are positioned to open doors in analytical sciences.

In research for new cell and gene therapies (CGT), it is essential to assess the state of cells and create an optimal cell culture environment. LiCellMo allows researchers to visualize metabolic changes in cell cultures in real time, providing a more complete picture of cell activity for research uses in CGT. Instead of requiring researchers to take periodic samples of the culture medium for evaluating cell metabolism, which can make it difficult to monitor changes in cell conditions over time and carries the risk of contamination, LiCellMo provides minute-by-minute measurements of glucose and lactate levels in the culture medium. LiCellMo can be easily installed in a laboratory’s existing compatible CO2 incubator with no change to the usual culture environment. It offers researchers a flexible solution to challenges faced in conventional cell culture methods.

PHC Corporation is a subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (TOKYO: 6523), a global collection of healthcare companies referred to collectively as PHC Group. The in-line monitoring technology[4] featured in LiCellMo builds on proprietary technology from a blood glucose monitoring sensor developed by another part of PHC Corporation, the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Division.

Chikara Takauo, Director of PHC Corporation and Head of the Biomedical Division, said, “We believe LiCellMo will give researchers the opportunity to gain unprecedented new knowledge on cell metabolism, especially in the fields of cancer immunology and stem cell research, and advance the manufacturing process for new treatments in those fields. This award is a recognition of both the immediate contribution of LiCellMo in research laboratories and of its promise for supporting the development of future therapies.”

[1] https://theanalyticalscientist.com/techniques-tools/the-analytical-scientist-innovation-awards-2024-10
[2] www.phchd.com/global/phc/news/2024/0904
[3] A series of biochemical reactions within cultured cells that produce the energy required for cellular functions and survival.
[4] A technology that enables continuous measurement of cellular metabolites in culture medium without the need for sampling, achieved by maintaining constant immersion in the medium.