Zeon to expand its healthcare and life science business by acquiring the microfluidics business of Ushio Inc.

December 25, 2025

Zeon Corporation (Zeon; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tetsuya Toyoshima) has resolved to acquire the microfluidics business of Ushio Inc. (Ushio; head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takabumi Asahi ) and entered into a business transfer agreement on December 22, 2025. The transfer is scheduled to take effect on February 1, 2026.. 

Through this business transfer, Zeon will accelerate the creation of new business in the healthcare and life sciences field, which is positioned as one of the four growth areas*1 outlined in its STAGE30 medium-term management plan.

Ushio is a manufacturer with advanced optical technologies and a proven track record, providing a wide range of solutions. In particular, Ushio applies its proprietary Photobonding® technology, which uses 172 nm vacuum ultraviolet light, to manufacture clean microfluidic chips with no chemical leachables, using an adhesive-free bonding process. These microfluidic chips contribute to the development of Organs on chip (OoC) *2 products, which are attracting growing attention in the fields of drug discovery and diagnostics.

Zeon’s Cyclo Olefin Polymers (COPs), ZEONEX® and ZEONOR®, well known for their unique properties such as low autofluorescence, high light transmittance, low biomolecules adsorption, and low impurities, are already widely used in lab equipment associated with biochemical analysis, including containers for biologics, analytical devices, and microfluidic chips. Furthermore, Zeon possesses precision molding technologies for COPs, which will be combined with the know-how acquired through this business transfer to strengthen collaboration with partners in the development of new tools, devices, and treatments, and to create new business opportunities in the fields of drug discovery and diagnostics. 

In Phase 3 of the STAGE30 medium-term management plan, Zeon aims to raise the sales ratio of the four growth areas to 48% of total sales by fiscal 2028 and, in particular, to restructure its business portfolio by concentrating management resources in these four growth areas. 

Zeon remains committed to advancing a sustainable Earth and a safe, comfortable life for people by contributing to a sustainable society and delivering technologies, products, and services that are indispensable. 

*1 Four growth areas: Mobility, Healthcare and Life Science, Telecommunications, and GX. 

*2 Biomimetic devices that closely replicate the functions of human organs using microfluidic technology.