# Astellas and Yaskawa to form joint venture for cell therapy manufacturing

Astellas Pharma and Yaskawa Electric have signed a definitive agreement to establish a joint venture to develop a cell therapy product manufacturing platform using Yaskawa's dual-arm robot 'Maholo'. The joint venture will also offer platform access to startups and academic institutions. Capital is 4.5 billion yen, with Astellas holding 60% and Yaskawa 40%. Establishment is tentatively set for September 2025.

- Type: Partnership
- Announced: 2025-03-06
- Where: Tokyo, Japan, Japan
- Value: $30.0M (4.50B JPY)
- Status: announced
- Products: cell therapy manufacturing platform, dual-arm robot Maholo
- Sectors: [Automation and Robotics](https://endata.com/sectors/automation-robotics.md), [Medical Devices](https://endata.com/sectors/medical-devices.md)

## Companies

- [Yaskawa Electric Corp.](https://endata.com/companies/16371.md) (partner)
- [Astellas Pharma Inc.](https://endata.com/companies/35227.md) (partner)

## Sources

- [newsroom.astellas.com](https://newsroom.astellas.com/2025-03-06-Astellas-and-YASKAWA-Agree-to-Establish-a-Joint-Venture-Focused-on-Cell-Therapy-Manufacturing), 2025-03-06: "Astellas Pharma Inc. and YASKAWA Electric Corporation signed a definitive agreement to establish a joint venture for the development of a cell therapy product manufacturing platform utilizing the dual-arm robot 'Maholo'."

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Data from Endata (https://endata.com/). Announcements are summarized from public sources and may be incomplete; check the linked originals.