Junten Bio
Junten Bio is a Japanese clinical-stage biopharmaceutical spin-off from Juntendo University developing JB-101, an inducible inhibitory T-cell therapy designed to induce antigen-specific immune tolerance in organ transplant patients and enable discontinuation of lifelong immunosuppressants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Junten Bio does
Junten Bio Co., Ltd. (株式会社JUNTEN BIO) is a Japanese clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in June 2018 as a venture spin-off from Juntendo University to commercialize the university's foundational immunology research. The company's core technology, JB-101, is a cell therapy consisting of inducible inhibitory T-cells that suppress organ rejection in an antigen-specific manner, enabling organ transplant recipients to discontinue lifelong immunosuppressant administration. T-cells are collected from both donor and recipient via apheresis, co-cultured with anti-human CD80/CD86 antibodies, and re-administered to induce immune tolerance. A 2016 Hokkaido University clinical study demonstrated 70% success (7 of 10 patients) in achieving complete immunosuppressant discontinuation in living-donor liver transplant recipients.
The pipeline targets living-donor liver transplants, late-phase and brain-dead liver transplants, living-donor kidney transplants, and related antibody drug development. JB-101 was designated under Japan's MHLW Sakigake (Expedited Review) system in June 2020, with a stated target of domestic launch by 2027. The company operates from Tokyo, employs 51–100 staff, and is led by Representative Director Masanari Kawaminami with scientific leadership from Ko Okumura, discoverer of Suppressor T-cells in 1971.
Junten Bio is pre-commercial with no disclosed revenue. Its business model is built around eventual product sales of hospital-administered autologous cell therapies and licensing-based commercialization, evidenced by its November 2023 license agreement with AlliedCel Corporation (a Sysmex/JCR Pharmaceuticals joint venture). Capital formation has been modest — approximately USD 14.7 million in disclosed equity funding from BiGEN, DCI Partners, H.U. Group Central Research Institute, Miraca Holdings, Sosei CVC, and Fujifilm, supplemented by a 2023 venture debt instrument from the Mizuho Venture Debt Fund. Distribution is expected to occur through transplant centers rather than traditional pharmaceutical channels, consistent with the autologous cell therapy delivery model.
Junten Bio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Junten Bio
- Legal name
- 株式会社JUNTEN BIO
- Website
- https://juntenbio.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Junten Bio is a Japanese clinical-stage biopharmaceutical spin-off from Juntendo University developing JB-101, an inducible inhibitory T-cell therapy designed to induce antigen-specific immune tolerance in organ transplant patients and enable discontinuation of lifelong immunosuppressants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Junten Bio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell Therapy / Regenerative Medicine Pharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies (HLAAABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL), Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK), Transplant & Immunosuppression Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAJ)
Keywords
Where Junten Bio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Junten Bio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Cellular medicine development and commercialization: JUNTEN BIO develops and plans to commercialize cell therapy products (cellular medicines) for organ transplantation. The company is in pre-commercial stage with JB-101 undergoing clinical trials. Revenue will come from product sales of cell therapy treatments upon regulatory approval.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Junten Bio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
JUNTEN BIO develops cell therapy (regenerative medicine) products for organ transplant patients, with its core product JB-101 consisting of inducible inhibitory T-cells that induce antigen-specific immune tolerance. T-cells are collected from both the organ donor and recipient via apheresis, then co-cultured with anti-human CD80/CD86 antibodies to produce cells that specifically suppress rejection of the transplanted organ, enabling eventual discontinuation of lifelong immunosuppressant therapy. The company is running Phase I/II investigator-initiated clinical trials at Juntendo University for living-donor liver transplants and expanding indications to brain-dead liver and living-donor kidney transplants.
Product overview
Junten Bio is a Juntendo University spin-off biotech company founded in June 2018, developing cellular medicines and regenerative medicine products. Their core product is JB-101 (Inducible Inhibitory T-cells), a cell therapy that achieves antigen-selective immunosuppression to induce immune tolerance in organ transplant patients. The company is pursuing pipeline expansion for living-donor liver transplants, brain-dead liver transplants, living-donor kidney transplants, and related antibody drug development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- JB-101 (Inducible Inhibitory T-cells) A cellular medicine product using inducible inhibitory T-cells to induce antigen-specific immune tolerance in organ transplant recipients. T-cells are collected from both the donor and recipient via apheresis, then co-cultured with anti-human CD80/CD86 antibodies to create cells that suppress rejection of the transplanted organ in an antigen-specific manner. After administration, immunosuppressant dosage is gradually reduced and eventually discontinued, achieving immune tolerance. Indicated for living-donor liver transplant recipients, with pipeline expansion to brain-dead liver and living-donor kidney transplants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 7 out of 10 liver transplant patients achieved complete discontinuation of immunosuppressant administration
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Junten Bio
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Junten Bio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Junten Bio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Stanford UniversitymajorJUNTEN BIO signed a Sponsored Research Agreement with Stanford University in the United States for collaborative research. This partnership represents international expansion of the company's research activities and access to Stanford's research capabilities in immunology and transplantation medicine.
- AlliedCel CorporationmajorJUNTEN BIO concluded a license agreement with AlliedCel Corporation, a joint venture between Sysmex Corporation and JCR Pharmaceuticals. This partnership enables the larger pharmaceutical companies to leverage JUNTEN BIO's cell therapy technology for development and potential commercialization.
- Juntendo UniversitycoreJUNTEN BIO is a Juntendo University venture company (junkangaku hajime) established to commercialize research from Juntendo University's immune tolerance research project. The company collaborates with Juntendo University on JB-101 development, with investigator-initiated clinical trials conducted at the university.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Junten Bio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing TCR-T cell therapies. Comparable as a T-cell engineering platform company pursuing antigen-specific immune modulation, although focused on cancer indications rather than transplant tolerance.
- Tessa Therapeutics: Cell therapy company developing virus-specific T-cell therapies and CAR-T programs. Comparable through its autologous and allogeneic T-cell engineering capabilities and clinical-stage cell therapy regulatory pathway experience.
- Sangamo Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing cell-engineering therapies including Treg cell therapies for autoimmune and transplant applications. Operates in the same cell-engineering immune tolerance space as JUNTEN BIO and represents a direct strategic competitor in transplant immunology.
- Helocyte (Cellenkos): Clinical-stage cell therapy company developing regulatory T-cell (Treg)-based therapies for immune tolerance and inflammatory conditions. Directly comparable to JUNTEN BIO's approach of using engineered T-cells to induce immune tolerance, although targeting different indications.
- Atara Biotherapeutics: Allogeneic T-cell therapy developer with a pipeline of CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies. While focused on oncology, Atara's technology platform for engineered T-cell manufacturing and its cell therapy regulatory experience make it highly comparable to JUNTEN BIO's engineered T-cell approach.
- AlliedCel Corporation: Joint venture between Sysmex and JCR Pharmaceuticals focused on regenerative medicine and cell therapy. AlliedCel is JUNTEN BIO's direct licensing partner for JB-101 development and commercialization, making it the closest comparable company and a strategic counterparty rather than a pure competitor.
Broad incumbents
- JCR Pharmaceuticals: Japanese specialty pharma with cellular medicine products including approved regenerative medicine products and parent of AlliedCel JV. Comparable as a Japanese-based specialty pharmaceutical partner operating in the same cell therapy and rare disease ecosystem as JUNTEN BIO.
- Mesoblast: Commercial-stage cell therapy company with mesenchymal stem cell products approved in several geographies. Comparable as an established cell therapy developer with regulatory and manufacturing experience relevant to JUNTEN BIO's commercial ambitions.
Emerging players
- Regeneus: Australian cell therapy company developing stem cell and immune cell therapies for inflammatory and pain indications. Comparable as a clinical-to-commercial stage cell therapy developer with platform technology approach.
Others
- Sysmex Corporation: In vitro diagnostics and life sciences company and parent of the AlliedCel JV with JCR. Comparable as a strategic ecosystem partner for JUNTEN BIO and a Japanese healthcare platform with active interest in cellular medicine commercialization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Junten Bio social profiles
Digital presenceJunten Bio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Junten Bio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Junten Bio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Junten Bio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Junten Bio
What does Junten Bio do?
JUNTEN BIO develops cell therapy (regenerative medicine) products for organ transplant patients, with its core product JB-101 consisting of inducible inhibitory T-cells that induce antigen-specific immune tolerance. T-cells are collected from both the organ donor and recipient via apheresis, then co-cultured with anti-human CD80/CD86 antibodies to produce cells that specifically suppress rejection of the transplanted organ, enabling eventual discontinuation of lifelong immunosuppressant therapy. The company is running Phase I/II investigator-initiated clinical trials at Juntendo University for living-donor liver transplants and expanding indications to brain-dead liver and living-donor kidney transplants.
Is Junten Bio a public or private company?
Junten Bio is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Junten Bio founded?
Junten Bio was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Junten Bio based?
Junten Bio is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Junten Bio make money?
One revenue line is on record: cellular medicine development and commercialization.
Who are Junten Bio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Tessa Therapeutics, Sangamo Therapeutics, Helocyte (Cellenkos), Atara Biotherapeutics and AlliedCel Corporation. Broad incumbents are JCR Pharmaceuticals and Mesoblast. Regeneus is listed as an emerging player. Sysmex Corporation is listed as an others.
Does Junten Bio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Junten Bio.
What industry is Junten Bio in?
Junten Bio's product category is Cell Therapy / Regenerative Medicine Pharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAABAC, CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies, with a secondary code of HLAAABAL, Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.