Crown Bioscience and MBL Enter Joint Venture to Provide Advanced Preclinical Services for Japanese Customers

Crown Bioscience and Medical & Biological Laboratories (MBL), JSR Life Sciences companies, announced the formation of a joint venture, to further expand the provision of Crown Bioscience’s preclinical services to Japanese customers.

The new entity named “Crown Bioscience & MBL”, is a long-term strategic partnership that is expected to accelerate growth for both companies. The initial focus is to provide preclinical and translational services to expand Crown Bioscience’s offerings in Japan. The agreement will enhance Crown Bioscience’s current distributor model and establish a local presence to ensure premium service delivery in Japan.

Based in Tokyo, Crown Bioscience & MBL will establish a local team led by an experienced General Manager, Hiroki Itou, Executive Officer of MBL and General Manager, Diagnostic & Research Reagents Department at JSR.

The new company will leverage each organisations’ respective areas of excellence and expertise, combining Crown Bioscience’s world-class preclinical and translational service capabilities with MBL’s deep knowledge and experience of the Japanese pharmaceutical market. The company, established in April 2022, is expected to initiate services from September 2022.

Commenting on the establishment of the new company, Armin Spura PhD, CEO of Crown Bioscience, noted that the agreement will extend and deepen the current partnership with MBL. He said: “Japan will play a significant part in Crown Bioscience and MBL’s long-term strategic vision. Our new company has been created to better serve the evolving needs of the Japanese biopharmaceutical community, and to serve our Japanese customers more effectively. I am excited to further develop our synergies with MBL – a trusted partner in the Japanese life sciences sector.”

Hiroki Itou, President of Crown Bioscience & MBL commented: “Our two companies share a deep respect and identical values in the way we conduct business. I am confident that together we will be able to provide a unique and innovative portfolio of services that will accelerate drug discovery and development in Japan.”