| Our core business regarding antibodies |
Our core business regarding antibodies includes 1. development, production and sales of our original antibody products, 2. production of antibodies upon the request of customers.
| 1. |
Development, production and sales of our original antibody products
We have been producing numerous kinds of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies by using the proteins or information on proteins provided by academic institutions or pharmaceutical companies. We have been selling these antibody drugs to academic institutions or pharmaceutical companies via agents. We utilize the published articles of researchers who have used our antibody products as a business material. |
 Examples of our antibody products
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Antibodies associated with environmental research
We have produced antibodies against vitellogenin, which is an environmental hormone and a barometer of the confusion of the endocrine system. We are selling antibody kits for measuring vitellogenin in carp or killifish to assess the extent of river pollution and kits for measuring vitellogenin in birds.
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Antibodies associated with AGE
We have produced antibodies against AGE (Advanced Glycation End Product), which is a barometer of diabetes mellitus or arthrosclerosis. AGE has been revealed to be involved in senescence or associated chronic diseases. This product is useful for all related research. |
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Antibodies associated with macrophages
Macrophages are cells, which take up and digest invading foreign pathogens such as bacteria. Macrophages are involved in host defense and inflammation. Our products help research the role of macrophages mainly in arthrosclerosis. |
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Antibodies associated with amino acid transporter
We have produced antibodies against a membrane protein, drug transporter, which imports and exports drugs from bodies. Some drug transporters are expressed frequently in cancer cells. This product is useful for all related research. |
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We collaborate with universities and work on projects under government approval. We manufacture and commercialize products based on the research results gained from such projects. Among the products developed is a new major product called "Urinary Diacetylspermine ELISA Kit" which measures the amount of diacetylspermine, a kind of polyamine, which is highly observable in the urine of cancer patients. |
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Major projects that we have carried out
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 A
project for the development of new technology in direct response
to need (2000, 2001 FY). |
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Development of a cancer diagnostic drug targeting amino acid transporters. |
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A
project for the development of new local research with rapid
compensation (2002 FY). |
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Development of a diagnostic drug kit for cancer combined with gene mutation analysis and measurement of urine cancer marker. |
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A
project for industry-academy-government collaboration research
development based on the matching-fund system (2004 FY). |
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Establishment of basic technology for producing high-affinity antibodies using GANP transgenic mice. |
| 2. |
Production and marketing of antibodies
We produce and market polyclonal antibodies and monoclonal antibodies
for institutions, universities and pharmaceutical companies
upon request. |
 The difference between polyclonal antibodies and monoclonal antibodies
After injecting a mouse or rabbit with a certain protein (antigen), many kinds of antibodies arise which are specific to that antigen. Such antibodies collected from the blood are known as "polyclonal" antibodies. Production of the polyclonal antibody itself is relatively easy. However, it is difficult to select and efficiently expand a certain antibody from the pool of antibodies.
To solve this problem, a method to produce a "monoclonal antibody" which specifically binds to a certain part of the antigen was established. Thereafter, monoclonal antibodies have been used as highly specific diagnostic or therapeutic drugs. One of the examples is the trial of missile therapy, which specifically attacks and targets cancer cells. |
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