President and CEO

Tomohiro Oiwa

A physician, Tomohiro Ooiwa graduated from the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine. He initially worked as a dermatologist, mainly treating skin cancer and skin immune diseases. Later, he joined the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, where he engaged in projects related to market entry strategies, supply chain development, and R&D strategy formulation for pharmaceutical companies, both domestic and international.

Working as a physician, he profoundly realized that two things are equally essential for the advancement of the medical industry and the promotion of people's health: (1) providing the best possible treatment to patients in everyday clinical practice, and (2) bringing innovative treatments, not yet part of standard clinical practice, into the world. At Arktus, he sees his mission as the latter. His goal is to tirelessly work towards realizing innovative medical treatments, starting with the knee joint and eventually extending to a broader range of organs.

External Director

Makoto Ikeya

Associate Professor at the Kyoto University Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA). He completed his doctoral program in the Graduate School of Science at Kyoto University, earning a Ph.D. in Science. He developed methods for inducing mesenchymal stem cells, cartilage cells, and tendon/ligament cells from iPS cells.

External Director

Koichi Nakayama

Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Saga University. After graduating from Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine, he practiced clinically in orthopedics at Kyushu University while starting research in regenerative medicine. He invented the Kenzan-Method and founded Cyfuse Biomedical. The company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in December 2022.

External Director

Osami Kono

After working as a researcher in a chemical manufacturing company, he spent 20 years at Nikkei BP as a journalist, covering industries including finance, heavy industry, IT, fintech, healthcare, and biotechnology. While at Nikkei Biotech, he followed the latest technological trends in life sciences such as drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and gene therapy. In April 2016, he joined Kyoto University Innovation Capital. He is also involved in Cuorips inc., a project on iPSC-derived cardiac muscle sheets, and Rege Nephro Co., Ltd., focusing on iPSC-derived renal precursor cells. He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University, majoring in Polymer Chemistry, and completed his postgraduate studies at the Graduate School of Business Sciences, University of Tsukuba.

External Director

Mika Suzuki

After obtaining her PhD, she worked as a pharmaceutical reviewer at the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). Since September 2020, she has been involved with QB Capital, focusing on investments in the bio and healthcare sectors. She completed her doctoral program in medicine at Kyushu University’s Graduate School of Medical Sciences (PhD in Medicine) and graduated from Kyushu University’s Graduate School of Economics with a major in Industrial Management (MBA).

Auditor

Kiyoshi Inoguchi

Since 1992, he has been engaged in synthesis research at Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and since 2001, he has been assigned to the United States, where he is in charge of business development and partnership promotion. Since 2017, he has served as the Director of Business Development (Executive Director), and has led the signing of license agreements with overseas partners, promoting partnerships, and obtaining approval and launching multiple products. In 2021, he became the CEO of T Cell Nouveau Inc., a startup venture from Mie University, and promoted entrepreneurship, led fundraising while promoting industry-academia collaboration, and since 2024, he has been engaged in business development as the Director of Partnership Promotion.
In 1992, he obtained a Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Shizuoka.

Manufacturing Development Group Leader

Michinori Kitagawa

He holds a PhD in Science from the Graduate School of Natural Science at Kobe University. After earning his degree, he worked in multiple academic institutions, including research institutes and universities, focusing on basic research related to embryogenesis and cell differentiation. He gained experience in a project to establish a human iPS cell bank from patients with intractable diseases, which sparked his interest in the future of iPS cells and the potential for their application in regenerative medicine. Seeking to explore the practical implementation of regenerative medicine research, he transitioned to a biotech venture, where he has been involved in the research, development, and manufacturing of specified cell products and regenerative medicine products. In January 2024, he joined Arktus Therapeutics Co., Ltd.

Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs Group Leader

Yoshiyuki Takahashi

After starting his career in clinical development at a global pharmaceutical company, he gained extensive experience through numerous projects at three different pharmaceutical companies. He then joined a biotech startup, leading development as the Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs Manager. With a growing interest in regenerative medicine, he transitioned to the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe where he was involved in translational research and project management for numerous autologous regenerative medicine products and regenerative induction pharmaceuticals. In addition, he served as a development consultant for academia and venture companies, providing broad support in development strategies, regulatory affairs (including agency consultations), clinical trial design, and system establishment. Later, as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at a regenerative medicine venture, he contributed to the early development of iPS cell-derived regenerative medicine products. In April 2024, he joined Arktus Therapeutics Co., Ltd. He holds a degree in Pharmacy from Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University.

CFO / Corporate Group Leader

Masayuki Ushida

After working at the Industrial Bank of Japan, Ltd., including experience at its U.S. branch and a venture capital subsidiary, he left the bank in 2000. He joined Reqmed Co., Ltd., where he learned the basics of bio-ventures while participating in the management of several drug discovery/regenerative medicine ventures in Japan and the U.S. as a board member and GP of a jointly operated investment fund. Since 2011, he has served as an incubation manager and advisor for the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, while establishing his own company, Milestone LLC, to provide business plan/capital policy advice and fundraising support to university-launched startups. In March 2024, he joined Arktus Therapeutics Co., Ltd., as a management consultant, and became CFO in January 2025. He is also a part-time lecturer at the Chiba University Academic Research & Innovation Management Organization. Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kyushu University.