WALNUT CREEK, Calif. and TOKYO, April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dark Horse Consulting Group (“DHCG” or “the Group”) today announced the acquisition of CJ PARTNERS (“CJP”), a distinguished consulting and advisory firm specializing in bridging the gap between Western and Eastern therapeutic developers and stakeholders — including regulators (PMDA), investors, and commercial partners — to reduce entry risk, accelerate development programs, and maximize global development opportunities around the world. CJP, as a Dark Horse Consulting Group company, further expands DHCG’s Asian Pacific foothold.

CJP specializes in cross-border strategy with a focus on Japan’s regenerative medicine ecosystem to enable global biotech and life science companies to enter, operate, and succeed in the Japanese market. CJP provides services across four pillars: market analysis, strategic partnering, regulatory advisory, and clinical operations. As a part of clinical operations, CJP brings to the table a unique capability in the Group to be a trial secretariat and in-country clinical caretaker to execute clinical studies in Japan on behalf of local and foreign sponsors. The integration of CJP’s native bi-cultural and bilingual expertise aligns with DHCG’s vision of continually broadening its consulting ecosystem to deliver support not only across the full product lifecycle, but around the world.

“Welcoming CJ PARTNERS into Dark Horse Consulting Group marks another critical step in enabling DHCG to provide truly differentiated white-glove service to clients around the globe,” said Anthony Davies, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of DHGC. “CJP’s uniquely bi-cultural roots will expand DHCG’s ability to support Western clients in entering the Japanese market, and Japanese clients in expanding to Western markets.”

CJP’s CEO and Managing Director also expressed enthusiasm about joining DHCG. “We were founded on the concept of uji yori sodachi (nurture over nature) to fulfill an unmet need for true cross-cultural and bilingual strategic and regulatory support between Japan, the West, and the rest of Asia,” said Andrew Fleury. “From the beginning, our operations have been tailored to local sensitivities based on a deep understanding of both our clients’ and local partners’ needs; partnering with DHCG allows us to scale our unique perspective and support around the world.”

The transaction furthers DHCG’s strategy of building a cohesive global consultancy with a diverse portfolio of specialized practice areas and reinforces its commitment to enabling clients to solve their most pressing scientific, regulatory, and commercial challenges.

DHCG was represented by Fenwick & West LLP. The Sellers were represented by Kagayaki Law Office.

About Dark Horse Consulting Group

Dark Horse Consulting Group, a worldwide consulting organization with offices in North America, Europe, and APAC, was founded in 2014 with the purpose of accelerating development and delivery of cell and gene therapies through unmatched expertise. Since then, The Group’s focus has expanded dramatically, with consulting team subject matter expertise now encompassing strategy, operations, Quality, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, modeling, supply chain, commercial launch, and business optimization across the biopharma landscape. DHCG’s white-glove client service is grounded in rigorous scientific and technical expertise to support clients from early discovery through commercial launch. The Group comprises three business units: DHC, BioTechLogic, and Converge Consulting, with Bruder Consulting & Venture Group forming a specialized Regenerative Medicine department of DHC as of early 2026 and CJP joining the group as a Dark Horse Consulting company, also in early 2026.

About CJ PARTNERS
With the advent of new Japanese regenerative medicine laws in 2014, CJ PARTNERS positioned itself with its unique and deep understanding of Japanese and Western culture, language, and business practices to cater to the particular requirements of non-Japanese biotechs looking to complete clinical development and commercialization in Japan. CJP has become a known entity in Japan and abroad with deep relationships with large and small Japanese pharma, the PMDA, and venture capital. CJP has conducted a significant portion of regenerative medicine-related official consultations with the PMDA and has become the go-to professional service not only for biotechs looking to enter the Japanese market, but also for Japanese pharma looking to find the most advanced therapies in development around the globe.

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