Novacellum

What Novacellum does

Novacellum Inc. (ノバセラム株式会社) is a Japanese biotechnology company founded in December 2019 and headquartered in Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, operating out of the Saito Bio Incubator. The company develops personalized cancer immunotherapies based on neoantigens identified from circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that are isolated from patient blood via apheresis, eliminating the need for surgical tumor tissue collection. Its core technology stack combines whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry (using DIA-NN software) with patient-specific amino acid sequence databases to perform proteogenomic identification of neoantigen candidates, which can then be combined with dendritic cell vaccination. Novacellum protects this workflow with a Japanese patent granted in January 2024 and a PCT international application filed in June 2022.

Commercially, Novacellum is pre-revenue at scale and operates primarily through collaborative research and professional service engagements rather than a marketed product. Its distribution and go-to-market are anchored by direct relationships with research hospitals and academic partners, including joint research agreements with the National Cancer Center (June 2022), Musashino University (January 2022), the National Institute for Materials Science (December 2021), and Tokyo Women's Medical University (October 2025), as well as membership in the CTC-Derived Neoantigen Peptide Study Group launched in August 2025. The company is also a collaborator in the Jasmy-led 'My Genome Guard' genomic personalized medicine initiative (April 2026). The revenue streams disclosed in registration materials cover neoantigen immunotherapy services, R&D services, and whole genome analysis services, though pricing is not publicly disclosed. As of August 2025, Novacellum is a wholly owned subsidiary of Biomedica Solutions Co., Ltd., and as of March 2026, Kaori Takeda serves as Representative Director and President, with founder Naohide Yamashita (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo) continuing as Chairman and CTO.

Name

Novacellum

Legal name

Novacellum Inc. (ノバセラム株式会社)

Website

https://novacellum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Novacellum Inc. is a Japanese biotech company developing personalized cancer immunotherapies by identifying neoantigens from circulating tumor cells isolated via blood apheresis. It serves advanced-stage cancer patients and research partners through collaborative R&D, dendritic cell vaccine services, and whole genome analysis, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Biomedica Solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Immunotherapy Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Medical Laboratories (621511), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dendritic Cell & Other APC-based Therapies (HLAAABAF), Oncology Diagnostics (tumor profiling, MRD, liquid biopsy) (HLAAALAE), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Neoantigen immunotherapy
• Circulating tumor cells
• Proteogenomic analysis
• Personalized cancer treatment
• Dendritic cell vaccines

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Neoantigen Immunotherapy Services: Development and provision of personalized cancer immunotherapy treatments based on patient-specific neoantigen identification using CTC technology.
2. Research and Development Services: Disease research using genes, gene products, cells, and tissues; development of therapeutic methods; and commercialization of research outcomes.
3. Whole Genome Analysis Services: Services including antigen identification and confirmation of antigen expression, along with whole genome analysis services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Novacellum develops and provides personalized cancer immunotherapy services based on proprietary neoantigen identification using circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from patient blood via apheresis, eliminating the need for surgical tumor tissue collection. The company combines whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry-based proteogenomic analysis to identify patient-specific neoantigens, which are then deployed in dendritic cell (DC) vaccine therapies, alongside offering whole genome analysis services and collaborative disease research using genes, gene products, cells, and tissues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CTC-based Neoantigen Identification Service Non-surgical neoantigen identification service that isolates circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from patient blood via apheresis and uses whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry to identify patient-specific neoantigens. Sold to research institutions, cancer hospitals, and biotech collaborators developing personalized immunotherapies.
• CTC + Neoantigen + Dendritic Cell Vaccine Therapy Proprietary personalized cancer therapy that combines CTC isolation and neoantigen identification with dendritic cell vaccination to induce immune responses against cancer cells. Offered to healthcare institutions and research collaborators pursuing personalized cancer immunotherapy.
• Whole Genome Analysis Service Whole genome analysis service including antigen identification and confirmation of antigen expression, exposed via the company's privacy policy as a distinct registerable service offering. Provided to research institutions, hospitals, and industry partners requiring genomic-level analysis.
• Collaborative Disease Research and Therapy Development Services Collaborative research and therapeutic development services using genes, gene products, cells, and tissues, delivered through joint research agreements with academic and governmental research institutions. Offered to university research groups, national research centers, and clinical collaborators pursuing novel cancer and cell therapy methods.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jasmy (ジャスミー株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Novacellum, along with Biomedica Solutions, is collaborating with Jasmy on the 'My Genome Guard' project. This project aims to promote genome-based personalized medicine using genomic information. The three companies are working together to advance the practical application of individualized healthcare solutions.
• Tokyo Women's Medical University Department of Pharmacology (東京女子医科大学薬理学分野)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Collaborating institution for proteogenomic analysis in the neoantigen DC therapy feasibility study. The university conducts mass spectrometry analysis of neoantigen proteins as part of the collaborative research.
• Biomedica Solutions (バイオメディカ・ソリューション株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2025Novacellum became a wholly owned subsidiary of Biomedica Solutions Co., Ltd. as of August 22, 2025. The acquisition provides Novacellum with greater resources and integration capabilities within the biomedical solutions ecosystem while maintaining its independent research and development operations.
• National Cancer Center Research Institute (国立研究開発法人国立がん研究センター)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2022Joint research agreement for the development of novel cancer immunotherapies. Novacellum collaborates with the Division of Rare Cancer Research at the National Cancer Center on proteogenomic analysis of neoantigens in circulating tumor cells, utilizing the center's specialized software for sample-specific proteome database construction.
• Musashino University (武蔵野大学)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2022Joint research agreement for advancing research on cancer immunotherapy and personalized medicine using genomic information.
• National Institute for Materials Science (国立研究開発法人 物質・材料研究機構)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2021Joint research agreement for materials science and biotechnology research applications in cancer treatment development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Novacellum