PHC Corporation’s Biomedical Division Wins 2025 R&D 100 Award for LiCellMo Live Cell Metabolic Pathway Analyzer

The Biomedical Division of PHC Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President: Nobuaki Nakamura), has been honored with a 2025 “R&D 100 Award” from R&D World (1) for its innovative live cell metabolic pathway analyzer, LiCellMo.

LiCellMo was launched for research use in Japan in September 2024, followed by availability for research use in the United States, UK, EU, China and other Asian select geographies in October 2024 (2). The device provides continuous real time data on key cellular metabolic pathways (3), offering researchers unprecedented visibility into dynamic changes in cell states. This enables more informed decision-making and supports potential breakthroughs and therapeutic development.

Designed to enhance understanding of cellular metabolic mechanisms, LiCellMo also improves reproducibility and quality of cell cultures—critical for developing manufacturing processes for cell and gene therapy products.

The R&D 100 Awards, established in 1963, recognize the 100 most revolutionary technologies of the past year. It is the only science and technology competition that honors new commercially available products, technologies and materials for their technological significance.

In cell and gene therapy (CGT) research, accurately assessing cell states and optimizing culture environments is essential. LiCellMo addresses this need by enabling real-time visualization of metabolic changes in cell cultures. Unlike conventional methods that rely on periodic sampling—risking contamination and missing key transitions—LiCellMo continuously monitors glucose and lactate levels minute by minute. It integrates seamlessly into existing compatible CO2 incubators without altering culture environment, offering a flexible and low-disruption solution to common cell culture challenges.

LiCellMo incorporates proprietary in-line monitoring technology (4) originally developed by PHC Corporation’s In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Division for blood glucose sensors. PHC Corporation is a subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (TSE: 6523), a member of PHC Group.

Chikara Takauo, Director of PHC Corporation and Head of the Biomedical Division, said, "We are deeply honored that LiCellMo has been recognized with an R&D 100 Award. This innovation empowers researchers with new insights into cell metabolism, particularly in cancer immunology and stem cell research, and supports the advancement of manufacturing processes for next generation therapies."