Kyokuto’s History

〜1980

1933	Established by Terukichi Kikuchi to manufacture ingredients for bacterial culture media
1952	Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industrial Co., Ltd. is reorganized as a Japanese Corporation
1962	Fuchu plant in Fuchu City, Tokyo, is completed
1965	RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) test is begun to sell for the first time in Japan
1972	Culture media for mycobacterium susceptibility test (based on the micro-titer method) is begun to sell
1974	Hiroshi Kikuchi take up President’s post with the company
1979	“Vitalmedia,” a prepared plated media series is begun to sell

1980

1982	SEKISUI CHEMICAL Co., Ltd. invested capital in
1983	Sialic acid test based on the enzymatic method—the first of its kind worldwide—is begun to sell
1987	“ASF media,” a serum-free culture media, is begun to deal in collaboration with Ajinomoto
1988	Takahagi plant is completed; all production and research capabilities are concentrated in Takahagi
1989	“Premedia,” based on dry-granule technology, is begun to sell

1990

1991	“MTX-LDH,” a microtoxicity test, is begun to deal in collaboration with RIKEN “SIB prepared plated media” is begun to sell for O157 detection US subsidiary company KPI is established
1992	“DDH Mycobacterium” and “DDH Legionella,” both based on a gene-based test method, are begun to sell as the first products of their kind in the world
1993	“Medi Ace TPLA”, for the detection of TP (Treponema pallidum) antibody, was released to the market for automated analysis.
1997	ASTY (Antifungal Susceptibility Testing for Yeast) is begun to sell
1999	Head office building in Nihonbashi Kobuna-cho, Tokyo, is completed

2000

2000	Takahagi plant achieves ISO9001 certification “Myco-acid,” for mycobacterium testing, is begun to sell
2001	Marketing begins for eBioscience research reagents .“Broth MIC NTM” for detecting NT mycobacterium commercialized as first product in the world)
2002	“Broth MIC NTM,” for drug-sensitivity test of NT mycobacterium, is begun to sell as the first product of its kind in the world
2003	“Kyokuto Opto-panel” is begun to sell as a drug-sensitivity test for general microorganisms
2005	Takahagi plant achieves ISO13485 certification as QMS for medical devices Operations for PRONES, an EPR system, are initiated
2007	“Q-Line Kyokuto Legionella”, the first immunochromatographic test kit product, produced at Kyokuto Takahagi plant expanded; can now produce over 22 million plates of prepared culture media annually Takahagi plant achieves ISO14001 certification
2008	“CT-RMAC prepared plate media” is begun to sell for O26 detection
2009	“Color Cardina prepared plate media” is begun to sell “DD Checker series”, contact plates, are begun to sell for food testing

2010

2010	In Takahagi plant, a new building was extended specially for manufacturing cell culture media.
2011	“EXedia® Cellulose Plate”, a culturing tool for microorganisms using cellulose as its base material, the first product in the world, was launched.
2013	Full-scale operation for contracted manufacturing of immunochromatographic products was started.
2015	In Takahagi plant, a new building was extended specially for manufacturing immunochromatographic products.
2016	“Stem-Partner® Human iPS/ES cells medium”, a serum-free medium for human iPS/ES cells, was launched.
2018	Hiroshi Kikuchi became the Chairman & CEO and Keiji Tomii took over the President & COO of the company.
2019	As the sole agent in Japan of AbwizBio Inc., a US bio-venture superior in antibody development, contracted service for antibodies was started.
2020	Tatsuya Kobayashi took over the President of the company.