MIMETAS and Yamaha Motor Sign Joint Marketing Agreement to Advance Automated Human Disease Model Applications for Drug Development

MIMETAS, a leader in human 3D disease modeling, and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., a developer of the CELL HANDLER™, announce a strategic joint marketing agreement aimed at advancing therapeutic development using human-relevant models throughout the early drug development pipeline. The collaboration combines MIMETAS’ comprehensive disease modeling and assay development expertise with Yamaha Motor's state-of-the-art CELL HANDLER, an automated system for selecting, picking and imaging spheroids, tissues and organoids.

Bas Trietsch, CTO of MIMETAS, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating, “Introducing patient-relevant 3D disease models into the drug development pipeline is key to developing new therapeutics for unsolved diseases. However, most of these models lack a vascular system and integrated immune cells, which are critical for studying disease processes and therapy efficacy. One of the primary challenges with complex biological models lies in the variability of growth rate and morphology, making high-throughput, robust assays challenging and time consuming. To address these challenges, state-of-the-art automation, such as the Yamaha Cell Handler, is critical.”  “By combining our technologies, we will improve the quality and robustness of tissue model applications in high-throughput,” said K. Matsuno, General Manager of Medical Device Business Division of Yamaha Motor.  “Together, we can make advanced 3D human disease models suitable for all stages of early drug development.”

MIMETAS and Yamaha Motor will work together to develop innovative applications of the CELL HANDLER in combination with MIMETAS’ 3D tissue models. The result is an end-to-end solution, providing pharmaceutical researchers with essential tools to expedite their drug discovery endeavors. The integrated solution will allow automated integration of organoids, spheroids, and tumors tissues into vascularized, perfused and immunocompetent tissues, with increased throughput and improved robustness and reproducibility.

For more information about this collaboration and to stay updated on the latest developments, please visit: www.mimetas.com  and https://global.yamaha-motor.com/cn/business/hc/.

About MIMETAS

MIMETAS is a global leader in disease modeling using Organ-on-a-Chip technologies. Founded in 2013 in Leiden, the Netherlands, MIMETAS strives to contribute to groundbreaking therapies based on their comprehensive human disease models. By combining technological strengths and expertise, MIMETAS establishes strong drug development partnerships with and offers services to global pharmaceutical companies to develop innovative therapies to target untreatable diseases. MIMETAS was founded in 2013 in Leiden, the Netherlands, and has grown to a multinational company with operations in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

About YAMAHA MOTOR

Yamaha Motor is a world-leading enterprise manufacturing land-mobility such as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and electrically power assisted bicycles, marine products such as boats and outboard motors, robotics products such as surface mounters and drones, as well as engagement in the finance business. The company’s diverse businesses and wide variety of products are built around its proprietary technologies focused on powertrain, chassis and hull, electronic control, and manufacturing technologies. Yamaha Motor operates global development, production and sales networks through 140 subsidiaries and equity-method affiliates in 30 countries and regions, working to realize our Corporate Mission of being a “Kando* Creating Company.” About 90% of consolidated net sales are generated in more than 180 countries and regions outside of Japan.