Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces that it has developed the SU10 Single Cellome Unit, a device that uses a nanopipette*1 to inject substances such as genes and drugs and aspirate intracellular materials at target locations in individual cells. Targeting the biological research market, the SU10 is being released on this date in Japan, with release in other markets such as the US to follow at a later date.

Through the development of such solutions, Yokogawa’s life innovation business is fostering the development of an industry centering on the use of smart cells, i.e. finely-designed, expression-controlled biological cells.

Development Background

Rapid advances in biotechnology are leading to the development of a bioeconomy that is expected to have a wide-ranging impact on fields ranging from agriculture to manufacturing and healthcare. One segment of this bioeconomy will be the smart cell industry, which will involve the manufacture of high-performance products such as biological medicines and replacements for petroleum-derived products using finely-designed, expression-controlled cellular organisms (smart cells). Smart cells are expected to bring about major changes in the energy and environmental industries as well as such fields as agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare, and to solve a number of problems facing humanity.

In April 2018, Yokogawa established a Life Innovation Business Headquarters with the goal of promoting well-being for all. In addition to engaging in our existing life science and manufacturing solutions businesses targeting the pharmaceutical and food industries, the headquarters will work with our customers to develop new products and services that make use of Yokogawa’s core measurement, control, and information technologies, and provide one-stop solutions that revolutionize productivity throughout the pharmaceutical and food industry value chain, from basic research to manufacturing, logistics, and services.

There is keen interest within the cancer and immunology research fields in the use of single-cell analysis to clarify the causes of diseases and study pathological conditions, and this is expected to lead to advances in drug discovery research and the development of precision medicine and regenerative medicine. With the aim of fostering the development of a smart cell industry, Yokogawa has developed the SU10 for use by researchers in single-cell analysis.