CellFiber

What CellFiber does

CellFiber Co., Ltd. is a Japanese biotech company founded in 2017 as a spinout from the University of Tokyo's Takeuchi Laboratory, specializing in cell and gene therapy manufacturing technology. The company's core innovation is a hollow hydrogel fiber encapsulation technology in which cells are encapsulated in porous, uniform gel tubes approximately 0.3mm in diameter, protecting cells from shear stress in bioreactors while enabling high-density, scalable cell culture. The company claims its technology achieves 1/10th the cost and 10x the yield of conventional cell production methods, with demonstrated capacity of 20 billion cells in a closed system and expansion from 20 million to 13 billion cells in 10 days.

The company's product portfolio is built around the Zeito platform: the Zeito Plus System (formerly CellFiber Extruder) is a GMP/GCTP-compliant fabrication system for clinical-grade manufacturing that integrates with bioreactor bags for aseptic closed seeding, while the Zeito Lite System targets research and development applications. CellFiber sells this hardware to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and CDMOs, and supplements equipment sales with technology licensing (e.g., Healios) and CDMO/manufacturing services partnerships (e.g., Locus Cell, the largest CDMO in Asia, and Lejia in Taiwan). Key customers and collaborators include the CiRA Foundation (iPSC research), Orizuru Therapeutics (iPSC regenerative medicine), Mie University (CAR-T research), Healios, and partnerships with Hitachi (cGMP equipment co-development) and TTP (scalable GMP instrument). The licensed U.S. patent from the University of Tokyo was defended against an inter partes review by Aspect Biosystems, which was settled amicably.

CellFiber goes to market through direct enterprise sales targeting cell and gene therapy developers, supported by participation in industry conferences (ISCT, ASGCT, ARM), scientific publications, and academic collaborations. The company is venture-backed, with cumulative funding of approximately USD 9.6 million across seed rounds (2017, 2020) and Series A rounds (2022, 2023) from investors including Real Tech Holdings, JAFCO Group, Daiwa Corporate Investment, UMI, FTI, and Chiba Dojo. Total government and grant support includes NEDO Deep Tech Startup Support, AMED CiCLE/ViCLE, and Mitsubishi UFJ R&D grants. As of 2025-2026, the company is undergoing a leadership transition with a new CEO (Kazuchika Furuishi, ex-Hitachi Chemical/Minaris Regenerative Medicine) and a new US General Manager (Shannon Eaker, ex-Xcell Biosciences/CTO, Cytiva) to drive global expansion, particularly US market entry.

Name

CellFiber

Legal name

株式会社セルファイバ (CellFiber Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://cellfiber.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CellFiber is a Japanese biotech spinout from the University of Tokyo that develops hollow hydrogel fiber encapsulation technology and GMP-compliant Zeito Plus manufacturing systems for scalable, cost-efficient cell and gene therapy production, serving pharmaceutical companies, CDMOs, and academic researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Therapy Manufacturing Equipment

NAICS

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Cell Therapy Manufacturing Platforms & Automation (closed systems, bioreactors, fill-finish) (HLAAABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cell Processing & Ancillary Materials (media, cytokines, beads, vectors, disposables) (HLAAABAH)

Keywords

• Cell therapy manufacturing
• Bioprocessing equipment
• Cell encapsulation technology
• Regenerative medicine tooling
• GMP cell production

Headquarters

HQ city

Koto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cell Manufacturing Equipment Sales: Sale of GMP-compliant cell fiber manufacturing equipment (Zeito Plus System/CellFiber Extruder) to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and CDMOs for cell therapy manufacturing.
2. Technology Licensing: Licensing of CellFiber proprietary technology to partners for cell manufacturing. Includes licensing agreements with Healios for cell-based product development.
3. CDMO/Manufacturing Services: Contract manufacturing services through partnerships with CDMOs like Locus Cell, enabling large-scale production of cell therapy products using CellFiber technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CellFiber develops and sells proprietary cell fiber encapsulation technology and GMP-compliant manufacturing equipment for cell and gene therapy production. Its core products are the Zeito™ Plus System (GMP/GCTP-compliant cell fiber fabrication system) and the Zeito™ Lite System (compact R&D-scale system), which encapsulate cells in porous hollow hydrogel tubes (~0.3mm diameter) to enable high-density cell culture with protection from shear stress. The company targets pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, CDMOs, and academic institutions, achieving 10x higher cell yields at 1/10th the cost of conventional cell production methods.

Product overview

CellFiber offers a portfolio of cell manufacturing products built around its proprietary CellFiber™ cell encapsulation technology. The core technology consists of encapsulating cells in hollow, porous, uniform hydrogel microtubes (cell fibers) that protect cells from physical stress during culture and enable high-density, scalable cell production. The main products are the Zeito™ Plus System (formerly CellFiber Extruder), a GMP-compliant manufacturing system for clinical-grade cell production, and the Zeito™ Lite System, a compact solution for scalable cell culture. The Zeito™ Plus System integrates with standard bioreactor bags to enable closed, aseptic cell seeding and culture, while the core CellFiber™ Technology Platform serves as the foundational technology underlying both product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zeito™ Plus System: GMP/GCTP-compliant cell fiber manufacturing system designed for fiber culture in GMP cell manufacturing. Previously known as CellFiber Extruder. Encapsulates cells directly into culture bags for sterile and closed seeding.
• Zeito™ Lite System
• CellFiber™ Technology

Products and services

• Zeito™ Plus System (formerly CellFiber Extruder) GMP/GCTP-compliant cell fiber manufacturing system designed for fiber culture in GMP cell manufacturing. The system welds with bioreactor bags and enables aseptic and closed-system seeding of cells encapsulated in fibers directly into culture bags. Used by pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and CDMOs for clinical-grade cell and gene therapy production.
• Zeito™ Lite System Compact cell fiber manufacturing system for cell and gene therapy applications, providing scalable cell culture technology for research and development use in a smaller footprint.
• CellFiber™ Technology Platform (Technology Licensing) Proprietary cell encapsulation technology platform using hollow hydrogel tubes (~0.3mm diameter) licensed to partners for cell mass manufacturing. Underpins both Zeito™ Plus and Zeito™ Lite systems and is licensed separately to companies such as Healios K.K. for cell-based product development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1/10th cost of conventional cell production
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TTP (The Technology Partnership)coreTechnology or Integration · 16 July 2026Cell encapsulation scale-up partnership mentioned in TTP's cell therapy innovation strategies. TTP identifies CellFiber as key partner for addressing manufacturing bottlenecks in cell and gene therapy development.
• Lejia Regenerative TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Collaboration to achieve large-scale production of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells at Zhubei factory in Taiwan. Implementation of smart sensors and real-time monitoring systems for manufacturing efficiency improvements. Aims to attract global biopharma companies as strategic partner.
• Locus Cell Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2023MOU with Asia's largest CDMO for cell manufacturing technology development. CellFiber provides proprietary cell manufacturing technology, Locus Cell provides manufacturing capability. Aims to realize mass production technology for cell and gene therapy products at low cost. Includes clinical trial collaboration in Taiwan and technical cooperation.
• Hitachi Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2023Co-development of cGMP cell mass manufacturing equipment for advanced therapies. Hitachi contributes pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment expertise. Target market launch for cGMP CellFiber Extruder by 2025. Collaboration part of ViCLE grants from AMED.
• Orizuru Therapeutics Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2023Outsourcing testing agreement to accelerate iPS cell-derived regenerative medicine development. Orizuru uses CellFiber technology to improve cell expansion efficiency and expand culture to manufacturing scale for heart failure and diabetes treatments.
• Mie UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2022Research collaboration with Professor Hiroshi Shiku at Mie University for CAR-T cell therapy advancement. CellFiber's culture system demonstrated as excellent option for CAR-T cell expansion. Collaboration focuses on optimizing cell culture and harvest methods.
• Healios K.K.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 March 2022License agreement for CellFiber technology. Healios aims to develop highly efficient and scalable cell culture mass manufacturing systems for certain cell-based products using CellFiber's technology.
• CiRA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2022Research collaboration to co-develop iPSCs culture technology. Aims to enhance CiRA Foundation's mission to provide best iPS cell technology at affordable prices through efficient culture technology.
• The Technology Partnership (TTP)coreTechnology or Integration · 14 January 2022Partnership to develop scalable GMP instrument using CellFiber's alginate culture technology. TTP is a British technology company that developed the prototype of closed CellFiber Extruder in closed system from 2021-2022. Collaboration aims to enable affordable cell production for cell and gene therapies.
• Kyoto University and HiLung Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2021Co-research paper published in Biomaterials on expansion of human pluripotent stem cell-derived lung progenitors using CellFiber microfiber technology for potential lung disease therapies.
• TOYOBOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2020Joint research project for R&D of high-producing cell culture and material production technologies. Technical evaluations in small-scale trials with several companies planned, with potential for joint development.
• MAB (Manufacturing Technology Association of Biologics)minorOthers · 11 March 2020Joined MAB which supports manufacture of next-generation biopharmacy and aims to establish industrial technology base for next-generation antibody drugs meeting international standards.
• Human Life CodeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partner listed on CellFiber website.
• Fujita Health UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partner listed on CellFiber website.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Aspect Biosystems: Aspect Biosystems develops microfluidic 3D bioprinting and hollow-fiber cell encapsulation platforms for cell therapies. Most direct technology overlap with CellFiber; Aspect previously challenged CellFiber's foundational US patent via IPR, evidencing direct competition.
• MaxCyte: MaxCyte provides electroporation-based cell engineering technology and instrumentation used in cell therapy manufacturing. Comparable as an enabling technology platform sold to cell therapy developers and CDMOs in similar workflow positions to Zeito.

Broad incumbents

• Cytiva: Major life science tools and bioprocessing supplier offering cell therapy manufacturing workflow solutions and instruments. CellFiber's new US GM Shannon Eaker previously led Cytiva's Cell Therapy Enterprise Solutions, underscoring competitive and ecosystem overlap.
• Miltenyi Biotec: Provider of cell processing instruments, reagents and GMP manufacturing solutions for cell and gene therapy, including the Prodigy platform. Comparable as a GMP cell manufacturing equipment provider serving overlapping pharma/biotech customers.
• Lonza: Global CDMO leader with major cell and gene therapy manufacturing services and proprietary technology platforms (e.g., Cocoon). Comparable because it both provides CDMO services that could adopt CellFiber's tech and competes with it via its own platforms.
• Terumo BCT: Terumo BCT supplies cell processing and cell therapy manufacturing systems (e.g., Quantum, Finia) used by pharma, biotech and CDMOs. Comparable as a GMP cell manufacturing equipment vendor targeting the same buyers as CellFiber.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Cell Therapy): Provides Gibco cell culture media, instruments and integrated cell therapy manufacturing solutions across pharma/biotech. Comparable as a broad incumbent in GMP cell manufacturing inputs and workflow tools overlapping with Zeito customers.

Regional players

• Minaris Regenerative Medicine: Cell therapy CDMO with operations in Japan/US/EU, formerly part of Hitachi Chemical. Closely comparable because CellFiber's new CEO Kazuchika Furuishi was previously its CEO, and it both competes for and potentially adopts CellFiber's manufacturing tech in Asia.

Others

• Locus Cell Co., Ltd. Asia's largest cell therapy CDMO and a CellFiber strategic partner for mass production of cell and gene therapies. Included as a strategic peer given its dual role as adoption channel and adjacent CDMO capability.
• Hitachi (Life Sciences / Cell Manufacturing): Hitachi is co-developing cGMP cell mass manufacturing equipment with CellFiber while also being a broader industrial bioprocessing player. Included as an adjacent strategic partner/incumbent given dual collaborator and ecosystem role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cellfiber
• Xx.com/CellfiberL
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CellFiber