Dr. Atsuhiro Nakagawa of Tohoku University Hospital gave an online lecture on 23 June to the participants of the “German Accelerator Next Step to Asia” program organized by the German government.

The purpose of this program is to provide support to healthcare-related startups which are aiming at entering Asian markets, including that of Japan. The startups are based in various regions of Germany, and their interests are innovative technologies in regenerative medicine, medical devices, robotics, and data analysis, and some of the participants have already begun collaborating with Japanese companies. JETRO is cooperating with this program as it wishes to encourage collaborations which can contribute to Japanese innovation.

 

Dr. Nakagawa introduced the facilities that Tohoku University Hospital can offer companies, such as its ASU (Academic Science Unit) and OBL (Open Bed Lab), and he advised the participants on how to go about collaborating with Japanese university hospitals based on previous experiences with overseas companies. He also spoke to them about the social challenges Japan currently faces, including its aging society.

A representative from Miyagi prefecture also gave a presentation to introduce the features, environment, and competitiveness of Miyagi, as the prefecture aims to attract direct investment from overseas.

 

There followed a lively discussion between Dr. Nakagawa and representatives of participating startups with respect to the possibility of conducting collaborative research, business collaborations, and introductions to potential partners, which may lead to new cooperative efforts resulting from this event.

 

German Accelerator Next Step to Asia: https://nextstepasia.de/

 

Participating startups

CeiROx Life Sciences (Healthcare, Medical Devices)

Lipotype GmbH (Healthcare, Platform Tech – BioTech)

Medical Magnesium (Healthcare, Medical Devices)

Micro-biolytics (Healthcare, Data Analytics)

Peragraft (Healthcare, Medical Devices)

Reactive Robotics (Healthcare, Medical Devices)

 

ASU (Academic Science Unit): A program that Tohoku University Hospital’s CRIETO (Clinical Research Innovation and Education Center) provides that gives companies opportunities to observe actual medical practice and to learn about users’ needs. It supports the development of new medical devices, medicines, and healthcare services using the Design Thinking approach.

 

OBL (Open Bed Lab): Tohoku University Hospital lends part of its hospital wards to companies to use as test fields for collaborative research projects. The use of real medical settings makes it possible to achieve effective R&D that takes into account the viewpoints of patients, medical professionals, and hospital management. The goal is to solve medical problems including those of Japan’s aging population, medical disparities, and reform of medical professionals’ working conditions.