Business Wire

Rigaku and SPERA PHARMA Initiate Strategic Partnership to Advanced Pharmaceutical Development

17.4.2025 18:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share

Rigaku Corporation, a Group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Akishima, Tokyo; CEO: Jun Kawakami; hereinafter “Rigaku”), and SPERA PHARMA, Inc. (headquarters: Osaka; President & Representative Director: Keitaro Iwaki; hereinafter “SPERA PHARMA”) have initiated a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating and transforming pharmaceutical development by leveraging the two companies’ cutting-edge technologies and extensive expertise.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250417047994/en/

Left: Keitaro Iwaki, President & Representative Director, SPERA PHARMA; Right: Jun Kawakami, President & CEO, Rigaku

SPERA PHARMA will use XtaLAB Synergy-ED, an integrated platform for electronic diffraction provided by Rigaku, for contract analytical services, thereby offering customers robust support in pharmaceutical development.

The XtaLAB Synergy-ED incorporates 3D ED/MicroED1, which is utilized for the structure analysis of substances, including microscopic crystals and minute quantities of crystalline powder. This sophisticated technology provides sufficiently high resolution to determine atomic-level structures, enabling the detailed elucidation of molecular structures of organic compounds and similar substances.

SPERA PHARMA is currently the world’s only company in the pharmaceutical industry offering contract analytical services with the XtaLAB Synergy-ED. Rigaku will extend technical support to SPERA PHARMA for its contract analytical operations.

Furthermore, the two companies are collaborating closely to advance research utilizing the XtaLAB Synergy-ED and to actively share information on the application methods and analytical technologies.

Through this partnership, Rigaku and SPERA PHARMA aim to provide robust support at the forefront of pharmaceutical development, playing pivotal roles in pioneering the future of medicine.

1: Stands for “Three-Dimensional Electron Diffraction/Microcrystal Electron Diffraction.” A method for analysis of crystalline structures using electronic diffraction.

Example of Joint Research and Use
“Detection of Hydrogen Atoms Using Only 3D ED/MicroED and Contribution to Structure Determining Salts or Cocrystals,” Crystal Growth Design, 2025, 25, 1, 129–135
URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.4c01421
(Registration required to read.)

About the Rigaku Group

Since its establishment in 1951, the engineering professionals of the Rigaku group have been dedicated to benefiting society with leading-edge technologies, notably including its core fields of X-ray and thermal analysis. With a market presence in over 90 countries and some 2,000 employees from 9 global operations, Rigaku is a solution partner in industry and research analysis institutes. Our overseas sales ratio has reached approximately 70% while sustaining an exceptionally high market share in Japan. Together with our customers, we continue to develop and grow. As applications expand from semiconductors, electronic materials, batteries, environment, resources, energy, life science to other high-tech fields, Rigaku realizes innovations “To Improve Our World by Powering New Perspectives.”
For details, please visit rigaku-holdings.com/english

About SPERA PHARMA

SPERA PHARMA was established in July 2017 in the Juso area of Yodogawa-ku, Osaka. It is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) pharmaceutical sciences, including process chemistry, formulation development, and analytical development, as well as the manufacturing of investigational drugs. The company’s expert research team, which has extensive experience and proven results, works flexibly in all phases of pharmaceutical development from the early stage to final drug application. SPERA PHARMA is a one-stop provider of comprehensive services and solutions to meet customer needs. For further information, please visit spera-pharma.co.jp/en

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250417047994/en/

Contacts

Press Contact:
Sawa Himeno
Head of Communications Dept., Rigaku Holdings Corporation
prad@rigaku.co.jp
+81 90 6331 9843

Ayako Tsuboi
Marketing Communications, Sales Dept., SPERA PHARMA, Inc.
mkouhou@spera-pharma.co.jp
+81 6-7653-6818

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

www.businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

USD 1.63 Billion In 72 Hours: Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana Development Sets New Sales Record In Abu Dhabi17.3.2026 17:44:00 EET | Press release

Ohana Development, a leading UAE real estate developer renowned for its luxury projects, has recorded USD 1.63 billion in sales within 72 hours for Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana, a gated waterfront community located along Yas Canal in Abu Dhabi, setting a new sales record in the emirate’s real estate market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317595867/en/ Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana (Photo: AETOSWire) Investors queued at the sales launch, reflecting the strong demand for the project. Of the investors, 35% are Emiratis, while 65% are expatriates and international buyers. In response to this significant interest, Ohana Development is expected to release additional inventory from the project soon. In his comments, Husein Salem, CEO of Ohana Development, said: "We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the UAE government and its visionary leadership for fostering a stable and forw

Speech Processing Solutions Launches Philips SpeechLive Health, an AI Assistant Built for Modern Clinical Documentation17.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release

Speech Processing Solutions, the global leader in professional dictation and speech solutions sold under the Philips brand, today announced the upcoming April 2026 launch of Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant, an AI-powered clinical documentation assistant designed for healthcare professionals across multiple care settings. This solution reduces administrative burden, streamlines documentation, and improves provider and patient experiences. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317743584/en/ Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant turns clinical conversations into structured documentation, helping reduce administrative workload and create more time for patient care. Purpose-built for clinical documentation workflows Clinical workload remains a major challenge across healthcare. In the U.S., AMIA’s 2024 TrendBurden survey found that 77% of healthcare professionals said documentation makes them work late or at h

Coherent Solutions Releases Research on AI-driven Fraud Prevention in Banking and Finance and the Best AI Models for Banks17.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release

Coherent Solutions has released a Future of Finance research illustrating how AI is advancing fraud detection in financial services. The research offers financial institutions a strategic framework to address rising and more sophisticated fraud techniques with adaptive, human-in-the-loop AI systems, based on the firm’s extensive experience in AI engineering. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317526196/en/ Coherent Solutions releases research on AI-driven fraud prevention. This white paper addresses the modern threat of transaction fraud, which is becoming faster and smarter while conventional rule-based systems lag, leaving financial institutions exposed. Banks, credit lenders, and financial institutions that adopt AI and machine learning can reduce fraud losses by up to 50% and detect anomalies in real time. When implemented with proper governance and human oversight, AI systems also make audits smoother and

The Swoosh Meets the ‘b’: Beats and Nike Unveil Historic First-Ever Collaboration for Powerbeats Pro 217.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release

Today, Beats and Nike announced the first hardware collaboration in their shared history: Powerbeats Pro 2 – Nike Special Edition. In a landmark design shift, Beats has—for the first time—shared its iconic earbud real estate with a partner, featuring the Nike Swoosh on the right bud and the signature Beats “b” on the left. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317159868/en/ Powerbeats Pro 2 - Nike Special Edition The limited-edition release marries Nike’s high-energy “Volt” color palette with the industry-leading audio tech of the Powerbeats Pro 2. The result is a performance tool built to bridge the gap between elite sport and street style. The Nike Special Edition arrives in a striking matte black, Volt-speckled charging case. Upon opening, users are greeted by Nike’s “JUST DO IT” mantra printed inside the lid. While the aesthetic is new, the internals are pure power: Pro-Level Sound: Adaptive Active Noise Canc

Moody’s Ratings Becomes First Credit Rating Agency to Bring Independent Credit Analysis to Blockchain Financial Infrastructure17.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) today announced that Moody’s Ratings has launched its network-agnostic Token Integration Engine™ (TIE), becoming the first credit rating agency to ingest analytical data and share credit insights on-chain. As an inaugural step, it is the first rating agency to operate a node on the Canton Network. The milestone marks a significant step in Moody’s commitment to digital innovation, intending to enable secure, compliant, and efficient ingestion of data and dissemination of ratings enabled by technology built for integration across platforms. “As financial markets digitize, the need for independent, trusted risk analysis and credit insights does not change,” said Fabian Astic, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Economy at Moody’s Ratings. “Moody’s Ratings is extending that rigor to digital market infrastructure consistent with global regulatory expectations and our governance, transparency, and compliance practices.” Moody’s Ratings’ TIE serves as

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye