After graduating from the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Graduate School of Science and Technology (Master of Engineering) of Keio University, worked as a consultant in manufacturing and retail at Accenture Co., Ltd. Subsequently, accumulated a wealth of experience from large corporations in the management and reform of venture businesses and SMEs, including the launch of university-backed bio ventures, and business development and DX promotion, etc., of technology companies in the fields of AI, IoT and healthcare. Co-founder of Celaid in 2020, appointed Representative Director and CEO.

Yusuke Inoue joined Celaid Therapeutics in Apr 2022 as Chief Operating and Financial Officer, bringing more than 13 years of global pharmaceutical sector industry experience. Prior to Celaid, Yusuke served as Global R&D Gastrointestinal (GI) Portfolio & Finance Lead in Boston, USA at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, controlling hundreds million dollars R&D investments and seventeen global assets with over 10 alliance partners by engaging his GI finance team. Prior to his role in Boston, Yusuke served as Oncology Portfolio & Finance Lead in Japan, Japan Program Manager in Cardiovascular and Metabolism areas, Project Management Office, and Clinical Operation in Neuroscience therapeutic area.Yusuke holds a master of Bioengineering and a Bachelor of Biotechnology from Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Asako joined Celaid in June 2021 and currently serves as the Chief Development Officer and General Manager of Business Development controlling product and business development in the US. Prior to Celaid, she was the Junior Director at a preclinical GLP facility where she established new lines of analyses and services for safety assessment of cell/gene therapy products as well as managed the team that provides contract studies to pharmaceutical companies. Her professional roles have ranged from research scientist for viral vector vaccines to manager of overseas business development in the area of vaccines for nasal delivery. Asako earned her B.S. and PhD degrees from the University of Arizona. She trained as a postdoctoral fellow in virology at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Cornell University.

Joined The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners Co., Ltd. (UTEC) in October 2013. Currently, he is a director and partner of UTEC. He is in charge of seed/early-stage investments, mainly in the life science field. He is also a member of the Assignment Evaluation Committee of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) and a supporter of the Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J). He has served as an outside director of Repertoire Genesis Inc. (M&A by Eurofins Scientific SE in 2022) and Oricilo Genomics K.K. (M&A by Moderna, Inc. in 2023), in which he has invested. Prior to joining UTEC, he earned a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Tokyo. At Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., he was engaged in new business strategy planning and management planning support for manufacturers in the life sciences and other fields.

Yuki Taga joined Osaka University Venture Capital (OUVC) in October 2022. Currently, he is a Capitalist in the Investment Division. He is in charge of investment and management support for deep tech startups using university research results, including the life science technology. Prior to joining OUVC, he worked as an engineer at Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. designing and developing industrial machinery and plant. He holds a Master of Science in Physics from Osaka University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.

September 2021 Joined the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners Co., Ltd. (UTEC), where she is currently a Senior Associate. She is in charge of seed/early-stage investments, mainly in the life science field. Prior to joining UTEC, she worked as a manager in the healthcare team at Arthur D. Little. Japan, where she was involved in projects such as new business strategy and R&D strategy mainly for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. She holds a Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Tokyo, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from London Business School.

After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Tokyo, engaged in molecular immunology research with Mitsubishi Yuka (currently Mitsubishi Chemical), the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto, Canada, and Mount Sinai Hospital. After working at the Mitsubishi Kagaku Institute of Life Sciences, served as CEO of CellFree Sciences Co., Ltd., Technical Counselor of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and CTO of Megakaryon Corporation. In addition to involvement in bio-venture technology management, participated in the development of the founding technology of Celaid at the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo. In 2020, co-founded Celaid and was appointed Chairman of the Board and CSO. Doctor of Medicine.

• Specially Appointed Professor, Division of Stem Cell Therapy, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo
• Professor, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University

• Full-time lecturer, Division of Hematology Department of Internal Medicine Keio University School of Medicine

• Founder and CSO, EVP of R&D, Deverra Therapeutics
• Affiliate Investigator, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
• Clinical Professor & Attending Physician, Stem Cell Transplantation University of WA/ Seattle Children’s Hospital

• Founder and Managing Diector of Cell Therapy Group
• Executive Director of International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy