About
Company Overview
VCGT Inc. was established in August 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Vision Care Inc. (certified as a RIKEN Venture). It is responsible for the development of gene therapy, one of the Vision Care Group’s businesses, and is currently developing its first pipeline of gene therapy for autosomal dominant inherited retinal degenerative diseases using genome editing with the aim of clinical trials in two years.
| Company Name | VCGT Inc. |
| Representative | CEO Masayo Takahashi , President and Representative Director |
| Location | Kobe Eye Center 5F, 2-1-8 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan |
| Founded | August 7, 2020 |
| Fiscal Year End | End of July |
| Business | Research and development of technologies related to gene therapy, etc. Manufacture, sale, and import/export of goods related to gene therapy, etc. Acquisition, possession, licensing, transfer and management of intellectual property such as plant ownership and copyrights |
| Parent company | Vision Care Inc. |
| Group company | VCCT Inc. |
Members
President and CEO
Masayo Takahashi MD, PhD
Affiliations:
- Councilor, Japan Ophthalmological Society
- Executive Director, Japan Society for Regenerative Medicine
- Executive Director, Japan Retina and Vitreous Society
- Director, Japan Retinitis Pigmentosa Society
- Director, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation NEXT VISION
- Fellow, Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA), Ritsumeikan University
- Senior Adviser, Research Center, Kobe City Eye Hospital Membership in International Organizations
- The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
- Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis (AOI)
- International Member, National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
- Associate Member, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
Masayo Takahashi is an ophthalmologist who completed her doctoral program (Visual Pathology) at the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University. She served as the leader of the Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research from 2006 to 2022, conducting groundbreaking clinical research using the world’s first induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in 2014. In 2017, she collaborated with the city of Kobe to establish the “Kobe Eye Center.” After leaving RIKEN in 2019, she became the CEO of Vision Care Inc. and subsequently founded two subsidiary companies dedicated to gene therapy development and cell therapy research.
Director and CTO
Tetsuo Itoh PhD
After completing his doctoral program at the Graduate School of Medicine, Hiroshima University, Tetsuo Itoh founded Advanced Life Science Institute Inc. (ALSI), following a career at International Reagents Corp. (IRC). He was appointed as the president of ALSI and expanded research and development projects related to diagnostic tools for hepatitis C and B viruses, as well as small-cell lung cancer. These initiatives were extended under his guidance. Furthermore, he made significant contributions to the advancement and early realization of regenerative medicine research at Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).
Director
Yuji Inomata PhD
Yuji Inomata completed his doctoral program at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama. After engaging in drug discovery and clinical development at Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, he has been providing regulatory consulting focused on advanced medical technologies such as cell therapy and gene therapy at M3, Inc In 2023, he assumed the position of Director at VCGT Inc. where he leveraged his extensive experience in regulatory consulting.
Director and CFO
Takuma Fukuda
After graduating from the Faculty of Education at Waseda University, Takuma Fukuda worked at Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd. before founding BuzzBox Inc. engaged in recruitment support services, which he later sold. He has since focused on investment and business development in the healthcare and human resources sectors. Leveraging his diverse experiences, he is actively involved in the management of the Vision Care Group as a founding member.
Auditor
Takaaki Oe
Takaaki Oe is a certified public tax accountant who Established the Oe Accounting Firm in 1998. In 2000, he established Kyoto Management Consulting Co., Ltd. and became its representative director, and in 2007, he established Kyoto Management Tax Corporation and became its representative partner.
Access
Transportation and Access Information
By train
2 minutes walk from “Iryo Center” station of Portliner.
From Sannomiya
Please take the train bound for Kobe Airport. Please note that the bus bound for “North Pier” does not stop at this station.
From Kobe Airport
Please take the Port Liner through the connecting passageway from the 2nd floor of the Airport Terminal Building.
By car
Follow signs for Port Island from all directions. It takes about 15 minutes after crossing Kobe Ohashi.
You can also use Minatojima Tunnel in Sannomiya East.
Using Hanshin Expressway Route 3
Exit at “Ikuta River IC” or “Kyobashi IC” and follow the signs for Port Island.
Using Hanshin Expressway Wangan Route 5
Exit at “Sumiyoshigawa IC” and proceed via “Harbor Highway” and follow the signs for Port Island.
Parking lot
Parking is available at the Advanced Medical Center and Kobe Eye Center. Parking for general use is available 24 hours a day. Fee: 160 yen per hour (daily limit is 1,000 yen).
＊1-3 hours may be free depending on the nature of use.
