BiGEN entered into an investment agreement with Momotaro-gene, Inc. (MTG), a Japanese biotech company developing next generation gene therapy for solid cancer.

MTG’s Ad-REIC gene therapy was discovered by a research group led by Professor Kumon in Okayama University in Japan. The forced expression of REIC-gene in cancer cells using adeno viral vector induces cancer selective apoptosis without causing damage to normal cells. MTG’s Ad-REIC is in Phase II clinical trial for patients with early-stage prostate cancer in the U.S. In 2014, MTG made a license deal with Kyorin Pharmaceuticals for which the Ad-REIC pipeline targeting mesothelioma is in Phase I clinical trial.