tella, Inc.

Company name

tella, Inc.

Address

Sunline 7th Bldg 7th Floor,
4-7-2 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo. 102-0083, Japan
TEL: +81-3-6272-6477
FAX: +81-3-6272-6466

Incorporation

June 24, 2004
Listed on JASDAQ Neo（Security code：2191）

Capital Amount

JPY 406,343,750 （as of December 2009）

Directors and Corporate Auditors

• Representative Director and President：Yuichiro Yazaki
• Directors：Kenichiro Horinaga / Naoko Iino / Ryohei Yamamoto / Masato Okamoto / Kunio Ohno
• Corporate Auditors：Nobuo Endo / Masashi Ichikawa / Hitoshi Suzuki

Principal Business Activities

- Research & Development of Dendritic Cell (DC) Vaccine Therapy and Other Cancer Treatments.
- Provision of Technical Expertise on DC Vaccine Therapy and Other Cancer Treatments.
- Research & Development of Regenerative Medicine

Results of Academic and Clinical Efforts

Our DC vaccine therapy is based on the technical expertise we have garnered through clinical studies* on malignant melanoma and thyroid cancer at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, and on oral cancer at Tokushima University. Based on this expertise, we have treated more patients than any other contemporary domestic clinical facilities in cooperation with our affiliated medical institutions.
According to an article published in Current Opinions in Immunology (2005, vol. 17:163-169), about 1,000 cases worldwide had received DC vaccine therapy as of December 2004 (excluding patients treated by medical institutions affiliated with our Company). By comparison, our affiliated medical institutions have treated about 900 patients (as of the end of December 2008).

* Scientific Articles

• Nagayama H. et al. Melanoma Res. 2003 Oct; 13(5): 521-30.
  (Study on malignant melanoma, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo)
• Kuwabara K. et al. Thyroid. 2007 Jan; 17(1): 53-8.
  (Study on thyroid cancer, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo)
• Okamoto M. et al. Res. Adv. in Cancer 2005 May; 61-76.
  (Study on oral cancer, Tokushima University)

Technical Expertise in Cell-Based Therapy

DC vaccine therapy requires a laboratory equipped not only with instrumentation for the high-quality cultivation of cells, but also the organizational support necessary for that high-quality cultivation. Based on technical expertise introduced from the Division of Cell Processing in the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo, a leading Japanese research unit in cell-based therapy (until the end of August, 2008), we have developed even more sophisticated technical expertise in cell-based therapy.

Exclusive License (Patent)

The application of DC vaccine therapy requires a cancer antigen through which dendritic cells can recognize the characteristic features of cancer, in addition to technical expertise on the high-quality cultivation of dendritic cells. We hold an exclusive license for the use of “WT1 peptide” in the application of DC vaccine therapy and other medical processes. The “WT1 peptide,” a discovery of Dr. Haruo Sugiyama (Professor of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine), is a cancer antigen that can be used in the treatment of almost all patients with solid and hematological cancers. Thus, our affiliated medical institutions can solely and exclusively use the WT1 peptide for DC vaccine therapy and other medical processes.

Based on the research results we have obtained in cooperation with universities and research institutes, we are positioned to provide medical institutions with the comprehensive services cited below, in order to help them to pursue safe and high-quality DC vaccine therapies themselves.

Flowchart: How We Provide Services to Customers

Affiliated medical institution, basic

Medical institutions to which the Company leases facilities, provides expertise, or grants licenses

Affiliated medical institutions, clinical

Medical institutions to which the Company provides expertise or grants licenses

Client medical institution

Medical institutions which, when receiving outpatients for clinical consultation, refer the patients to affiliated medical institutions (basic)

* A client medical institution provides patients with medical consultation only. If, as a result of a medical consultation, the patient wishes to receive medical treatment, the client medical institution refers the patient to an affiliated medical institution (basic). A client medical institution provides no medical treatment using the expertise provided by the Company

1. Services to support the establishment of cell cultivation systems

We are supporting affiliated medical institutions in their efforts to establish a system that will enable them to pursue the stable and high-quality cultivation of dendritic cells

• (1) Support for the installation of a cell cultivation facility
• (2) Teaching and guidance on cultivation methods
• (3) Lease of an instruction manual on standard procedures
• (4) Support for introduction of a cultivation management system
• (5) Service to support the management of cell quality

2. Services to support the establishment of operation systems

We are supporting affiliated medical institutions in their efforts to ensure the proper operation of an operation system for the assurance of high-quality medical treatment for their patients.

• (1) Support for the establishment of a therapeutic operation system
• (2) Lease of documents related to necessary tasks
• (3) Support for the establishment of a system for practicing a therapy evaluation method

3. Technical expertise on the storage of cancerous tissues

We are providing affiliated medical institutions with the technical expertise of a “private cancer bank” which, on receipt of cancerous tissue from a cancer patient, will preserve the tissue at an ultra-low temperature. This will improve the availability of self-cancerous tissues, one of the essential antigens in the practice of DC vaccine therapy, which in turn will increase the number of patients who can benefit from the therapy.

4. Introduction of partner medical institutions

We are assisting affiliated medical institutions by introducing them to other appropriate medical institution(s), in order to ensure that their patients are afforded better medical services.

5. Services supporting the recruitment of patients responsive to the therapy

DC vaccine therapy is a state-of-the-art cancer treatment. To facilitate the provision of the therapy and increase the number of patients to be afforded the treatment, we need to publicly furnish information to promote the understanding the therapy and proper recognition of its significance.
In view of this, we are supporting affiliated medical institutions in the recruitment of patients responsive to the therapy by providing the institutions with the expertise we have accumulated in information propagation and public relations.