Innovation Kyoto 2016 Investment Limited Liability Partnership ("KYOTO-icap No.1 Fund"), with Kyoto University Innovation Capital Corporation ("Kyoto iCAP") (Head office: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Koji Murota) as unlimited liability partner, has made an additional investment in Sias Inc. ("Sias") (Head office: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Yasumichi Todo), a venture company that utilizes research results from Kyoto University.

Outline of this investment
Sias is a regenerative medicine venture that aims to regenerate T cells using human iPS cells generated from patients' own cytotoxic T cells (killer T cells, CTL) and to commercialize T cell therapy for cancer and infectious diseases. CTLs infiltrated into a patient's tumor tissue or peripheral blood have the ability to recognize and specifically injure cancer cells, and are expected to have anti-tumor effects when cultured, proliferated, and transplanted. However, CTLs are difficult to culture and proliferate in vitro, and their cytotoxic activity declines due to exhaustion of the CTLs themselves. By initializing CTLs into iPS cells, the exhaustion of CTLs is removed and they can be differentiated and induced to become CTLs with cytotoxic activity again, and can be proliferated in large numbers. With this technology, Sias aims to realize the world's first immunotherapy using autologous regenerated T cells (T-iPS cells).

Sias has signed a joint research agreement with the Kaneko Laboratory (Associate Professor Arata Kaneko) of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, to develop T-iPS cells for use in autologous therapy. In addition to building our own patents, in January 2019, we also entered into an agreement with iPS Academia Japan K.K. (Head office: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Mitsuomi Shirahashi) for a group of Kyoto University patents related to technology for inducing differentiation into functional T cells, and in June of the same year, with OncoTherapy Science, Inc. ("OTS") (Headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Kyoko Fujitani) for an exclusive non-exclusive license agreement to develop and provide autologous immunization and regenerative medicine products for a group of patents related to a specific cancer therapeutic peptide vaccine, and other efforts to enhance our patent portfolio. Currently, we are making steady preparations for the early launch of pre-clinical and clinical trials, including the finalization of cell production methods. Kyoto iCAP decided to make this investment in recognition of Sias' challenge and its social significance to deliver regenerative T-cell therapy, which could become an important technology for advanced cancer immunotherapy, to patients as soon as possible using Kyoto University's iPS cell technology. Kyoto iCAP, together with SMBC Venture Capital Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Tatsushi Ishibashi), has concluded an investment agreement with Sias for a total of 600 million yen, and as of June 28, Kyoto iCAP has subscribed 100 million yen of the 200 million yen private placement of new shares as part of this investment.

Outline of Sias Corporation

Establishment	August 24, 2015
Business	Innovative cell therapeutics for cancer by T-iPSC
Head Office Location	Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
President & CEO	etc.