BIOSCIENCE FIRM DEVELOPING UNIQUE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM TO WORK WITH CASE & UH RESEARCHERS

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BIOSCIENCE FIRM DEVELOPING UNIQUE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM TO WORK WITH CASE & UH RESEARCHERS
31 January 2007 - Case Western Reserve University

Transcutaneous Technologies, Inc., a Japanese bioscience firm, which has ties to researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Health System, is currently developing a unique medication delivery system, has agreed to establish its U.S. headquarters in Cleveland.

The company has leased space in the BioEnterprise incubator in University Circle and will move its first employees to Cleveland this month.

Transcutaneous Technologies Inc., founded in 1997 in Tokyo, is focused on the development of Iontophoretic Drug Delivery Technology (TCT), a system by which medications can be delivered through the body's skin surface in a safe and stable fashion, using electric current and specialized exchange membranes. The advantages of the TCT system include highly localized medication delivery, the elimination of skin puncture, the ability to finely tune dosage, and the avoidance of unnecessary side effects.

The recruitment of Transcutaneous Technologies to Cleveland began with a meeting in Kyoto, Japan between Case President Edward M. Hundert, M.D., and Case Professor Emeritus Masamichi Aikawa, M.D., Ph.D., who is currently Visiting Scientist at the International Medical Center of Japan and a Visiting Professor at Mahidol University in Bangkok. Aikawa is Chairman of Transcutaneous Technologies, Inc., and in the course of a visit with Hundert, introduced him to the company and its technology and informed him of the company's desire to co-locate in the U.S.

Hundert and officials at Case invited Aikawa to Cleveland for a visit in December, where he met with key researchers from Case and University Hospitals, including George Perry, Ph.D., interim Chairman of the Department of Pathology, Hisashi Fujioka, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, and Mark Coticchia, Case Vice President for Research and Technology Management. Aikawa also met with officials from BioEnterprise Corporation, the bioscience business development firm co-founded by Case, University Hospitals, and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Early in 2004, the company, after entertaining competing offers from other U.S. locations, selected Cleveland. The company has leased nearly 1600 square feet in the BioEnterprise incubator and will move three employees to the location in March. Transcutaneous Technologies is currently in negotiations for a client relationship with BioEnterprise, according to James A. Scozzie, BioEnterprise senior vice president.

"The creation of Transcutaneous Technologies' U.S. presence in Cleveland is a testament to Aikawa's loyalty to the Case School of Medicine, and his recognition of the value that his colleagues, the institution and the region bring to a partnership with a commercial enterprise," said Hundert.

"The recruitment of Transcutaneous Technologies exhibits again the power of working together," noted Coticchia, who is Interim Co-President of BioEnterprise Corporation. "The company will be able to take advantage of the outstanding research community in Northeast Ohio."

"Working together, we can help Transcutaneous Technologies achieve a significant place in the worldwide market for medication delivery systems," said Joseph Hahn of The Cleveland Clinic, also Interim Co-President of BioEnterprise.

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About: Case Western Reserve University
The Case School of Engineering, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2005, has distinctive and acclaimed research programs, including biomedical engineering, functional polymers, fuel cells, advanced materials, microgravity fluid flow and combustion, biologically inspired robots, sensors and microfabrication. Research awards at the school have more than doubled since 2001 to nearly $60 million.

Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.

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