Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004) has entered into a contract with Astellas Pharma Inc. (Astellas) to take charge of a portion of the role Astellas is expected to fulfill under the provisions of the collaborative research agreement aiming at the practical application of the rice-based oral vaccine "MucoRice-CTB" (MucoRice) signed by Astellas, the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Chiba University, and ASAHI KOGYOSHA CO., LTD. Under this contract, SDK will start to conduct its business in this April and provide Astellas with LED lighting equipment and other devices for plant growth.

SDK will contribute its share to the development of MucoRice by utilizing know-how nourished through years of experience in plant factories.

About Showa Denko

Showa Denko's LED lighting equipment for plant growth contains the Company's proprietary LED chips that emit deep-red light with the wavelengths of 660 nm (optimum light for plant's photosynthesis) at the world's highest level of efficiency* and LED chips that emit blue light. On the basis of S-method (SHIGYOTM Method) which irradiates deep-red and blue lights alternately in optimized cycles, and makes a lettuce grow to 150 grams in weight in 30 days after seeding, SDK's original system for plant factories controls lighting environment as desired, and supports various plant growth technologies. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.

Note: *As of April 24, 2018

For further information, contact:
Public Relations Office
Phone: 81-3-5470-3235

Source: Showa Denko K.K.

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