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⚫Nobuo Kako | Director, Aichi Health Clinic
Building Sustainable Healthcare from the Clinic Up: Insights from the Introduction of a Helium-Free MRI System
In community-based healthcare, challenges like an aging population, uneven distribution of medical staff, and financial strain on core hospitals are pressing. Enhancing imaging functions in clinics greatly contributes to faster diagnosis and stronger collaboration with regional hospitals.
This talk introduces our experience with the Philips helium-free 1.5T MRI “MR 5300,” focusing on selection reasons and operational insights.
With minimal resource needs and low environmental impact, MR 5300 ensures stable performance and supports sustainable care and disaster preparedness.
We will also share practical efforts to improve efficiency and share cases through cooperation with nearby facilities.
⚫Hirotoshi Maeda | President, Harutaka Medical Foundation
⚫Takeshi Toya | Director, Aozora Clinic Ueno
Current Status of Children with Medical Complexity and Advances in Pediatric Medicine in Japan and Globally
— Focusing on Home Mechanical Ventilation in Pediatrics
Recent advancements in pediatric medicine in Japan have significantly improved survival rates, resulting in a rapid increase in the number of children with medical complexity. As hospital capacities became insufficient, community-based care has expanded. Consequently, more children requiring interventions such as enteral nutrition, tracheostomy, and home mechanical ventilation are now living at home. This presentation outlines our medical corporation approach to supporting home mechanical ventilation through regular physician visits.
The Healthcare Digital Transformation (DX) Session will discuss the current healthcare DX landscape in Japan, opportunities to increase the utilization of healthcare data, key challenges to doing so and how the MedTech industry can collaborate with stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem to further healthcare DX in Japan to improve patient access to care. Hear perspectives from hospitals, key opinion leaders, industry leaders and government representatives as they share their thoughts on the opportunities and challenges for healthcare DX in Japan.
Realizing a Society of Remote Monitoring for Healthcare
Jun Kawaguchi
Developed and marketed by PARAMOUNT BED, “Nemuri SCAN” is a medical device that can detect the body movements of a person on a mattress simply by placing it under the mattress. Using our unique algorithm, it can determine the sleep/wake state based on these body movements. It is now being used in many hospitals and nursing care facilities. In the context of the advancing super-aging society, declining working population, and strained social security costs, our company is considering further utilization. One such consideration is its use in home care settings. In this panel discussion, we will present our company’s current initiatives to expand the use of “Nemuri SCAN” in home care.
Session Overview: “Protecting Lives with Cutting-Edge Medical Technologies”
This session will explore groundbreaking innovations shaping the future of healthcare, focusing on advanced technologies that protect and save lives. Dr. Fumiaki Ikeno, Principal Investigator at Stanford University and Director & Co-Founder of MedVenture Partners, will serve as the session chair. Together with leading experts, he will delve into the latest domestic and international developments and challenges in fields such as regenerative medicine, medical devices, and drug discovery/biotechnology.
The session will feature distinguished speakers including Dr. Yoshiki Sawa, Specially Appointed Professor at Osaka University and Director of Osaka Police Hospital, who will discuss the future of regenerative medicine and the potential of robotic surgery; Dr. Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Director of the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Hospital, who will examine the evolution of medical devices and their implementation in society; and Ms. Ranmi Suzuki, President & CEO of ARC Therapies, who will provide insights into global and Japanese initiatives at the forefront of drug discovery and biotechnology.
Following individual presentations, a cross-disciplinary panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Ikeno. This will be a valuable opportunity for participants to consider how the future of medicine can save lives and contribute to society.
Nipro is engaged in the development of a wide range of products from medical devices to pharmaceuticals, pharma packaging, and regenerative medicine products.
In this seminar, I will discuss Nipro’s product development through regenerative medicine, general medical devices, diagnostic reagents, pharmaceutical functional containers, cardiovascular-related devices, minimally invasive products, surgical products, and artificial organ products. Product development also encompasses the systems surrounding the products, including product design, safety testing, clinical trials, manufacturing facilities, and medical training, which are all important aspects of product development. Most importantly, incorporating feedback from healthcare settings into product development is essential. This is achieved by having sales representatives and development staff gather opinions from healthcare settings, as well as from healthcare professionals who visit the iMEP medical training facility, and utilizing this feedback for product development and improvement. Through all these aspects, I will discuss how Nipro’s product development brings to life everything that healthcare settings require through technology.
Joëlle Barral, Senior Director of Research & Engineering at Google DeepMind (GDM), will be speaking at Japan Health. Based in Paris, Joëlle leads teams of researchers and engineers across Europe and North America, focusing on both theoretical and empirical research on cutting-edge models, as well as early-stage initiatives in artificial intelligence and the life sciences.
In addition to Joëlle’s session, Japan Health will feature over 30 other sessions.
We warmly invite you to register and attend!
Keita Awano
The Reality Behind the Development of a Surgical Assist Robot by Doctors and Engineers
Asahi Surgical Robotics Co., Ltd. is a medical-engineering collaboration venture originating from the National Cancer Center. In this initiative, doctors and engineers have worked closely together to develop Japan’s domestically produced surgical assist robot, ANSUR.
In this talk, we will share firsthand experiences of the medical device development process that began with the real needs of clinical settings, the unique struggles and challenges faced by startups, and the essence of innovation born from doctor-engineer collaboration.
We will discuss how we overcame a wide range of hurdles such as regulatory standards, pharmaceutical affairs, fundraising, and securing talent in the field of medical device development. Furthermore, we will explore how voices from medical professionals are translated into product innovation.
The presentation will also highlight our development structure that leverages the strengths of a “doctor × engineer” collaboration, the agility unique to startups, and the future outlook for the social implementation of Japan’s domestically developed surgical assist robot.
Nao Kobayashi
-Visualization of Surgical Intelligence-
As a surgeon, I have been developing surgical support AI since 2018 to address challenges in the operating room. In 2020, I founded Anout Inc.—derived from “A nautical mission”—to advance and implement surgical software in real-world settings. Surgery is one of the most complex medical acts, requiring years of training and constantly evolving with technology. Collaborating with over 30 medical institutions in Japan, we developed Precision Mapping—a technology that visualizes patient-specific anatomy in real time, making the surgical intelligence of experts shareable. In April 2024, our system EUREKA α received regulatory approval. It enhances the recognition of dissection planes by highlighting connective tissue fibers at the pixel level. Moving forward, we aim to expand the range of visualized structures and analytical capabilities, systematize Japan’s surgical expertise, and deliver greater safety and confidence to patients worldwide.
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Under the philosophy of Future Health, we explore the challenges of future medicine that views aging as a new medical target. The session will be chaired by Hidekazu Yamada (Kindai University), who advocates the concept of health assets from epigenetics. Panelists include Takehiko Kobayashi (University of Tokyo), who leads genome aging research, and Yo-ichi Nabeshima (Kyoto University), who pioneered the possibility of aging control through the discovery of the Klotho gene. The discussion of “preventing, delaying, and treating” aging is now becoming a scientifically-based, realistic topic. We invite you to join this innovative dialogue aimed at future medicine and industry.
Frontline research on mitochondria and its relationship with ubiquinol
Koji Okamoto (Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, The University of Osaka, Associate Professor)
Mitochondria, so called as “the power plants of the cell”, are organelles acting in energy metabolism essential for life. On the other hand, oxidative stress generated from their energy production is a cause of cellular damage. Consequently, mitochondria are equipped with a variety of antioxidant strategies that are indispensable for cellular homeostasis. In particular, reduced coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an acting factor for energy metabolism and a sole lipophilic antioxidant in the body produced from various organelles including mitochondria. The benefits of CoQ10 are extremely broad, being paid attention as not only therapeutic means for diverse diseases but also supplements for better health. These points imply how important mitochondria and reduced CoQ10 are for any kinds of functions within the body, and how threatening their dysfunctions are for the quality of life. Surprisingly, analyses using cutting-edge technologies reveal that mitochondria are not just ordinary organelles but rather the platforms of signal transmitter/receiver across the inter- and intra-cellular environments, the fate-decision apparatuses of cellular life and death, and the supporting elements of sophisticated mental activities. Moreover, it has been proposed that mitochondria may exhibit previously unappreciated autonomous behavior, freely leave their host cell, travel within the body, and immigrate into the other cell. In this seminar, recent breaking news on reduced CoQ10 will be presented, and the 21st century’s view of life based on the new concept of mitochondria will be discussed.
By 2040, Japan is projected to face a shortage of 1 million medical workers, posing a significant threat to healthcare delivery. Convening experts from the government, hospitals, academia and industry, the panel aims to spark discussion around how technology can be best harnessed to address the impending workforce challenges in Japan’s healthcare system, as well as the drivers for adoption and global best practices to maximize impact.
Where should MedTech startups focus their limited fundraising efforts? This session cuts through the noise by bringing together venture capital and corporate investors to share their investment theses and key requirements directly. Startups will gain firsthand insights into investor priorities, expectations, and the due diligence process, empowering them to sharpen their strategies and approach fundraising with greater clarity and precision.
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AI is rapidly transforming healthcare, with large language models (LLMs) and generative AI (GenAI) opening new possibilities for patient care, medical research, and system efficiency. At Microsoft, we are pioneering solutions like Azure OpenAI Service, BioGPT, and AI-powered clinical copilots to empower healthcare providers, researchers, and public health organizations worldwide. Real-world applications—from accelerating drug discovery to enhancing clinical documentation and personalized patient engagement—demonstrate the tangible impact of AI innovation. This session will explore how Microsoft’s responsible AI practices ensure trust, security, and equity in healthcare technologies. We will highlight key industry collaborations, cutting-edge advancements, and share a forward-looking vision for AI’s role in building a more connected, resilient, and healthier global society.
The era of sick care is ending. For too long, our systems have been reactive, focused on treating illness rather than fostering well-being. In “Sick-Care to Smart Care: The Role of AI in the Future of Healthcare,” we will delve into the transformative power of artificial intelligence and other converging technologies of the 5th industrial revolution that are shifting the paradigm from passive sick-care to proactive, personalized smart care. Drawing on my journey as a bench scientist, healthcare analyst, big-data health entrepreneur, and now venture capitalist in the techbio, healthtech and the longevity space, I’ll reveal how tech will empower patients, enabling precision medicine, and unlocking new frontiers in prevention and wellness. This session will envision a future where healthcare is not just about curing disease, but about optimizing human healthspan.
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Kengo Miyo
-Weaving Future Healthcare through Digital Transformation.-
The increasing digitization of medical institutions offers many opportunities for the future of healthcare. The speaker has conducted research on the construction of RWD databases, including an integrated electronic medical record database at six national centers (6NC-EHRs) and a nationwide diabetes database project directly linked to medical records (J-DREAMS). The use of RWD is expected to contribute to drug discovery, medical device development, the improvement of patient safety, the reduction of the burden on the medical field, and so on. To do this effectively, research in data collection becomes important. We have developed JASPEHR (JApanese Standard Platform for EHRs), a platform for structuring and collecting medical records using templates. We have also developed a platform for collecting information on objects such as medical devices using RFIDs. This symposium will focus on the data collection side and discuss the future shape of healthcare as it is woven with sophisticated data.
After the deaths of young cancer patients, I was interested in hereditary cancer. Then I moved to University of Utah to isolate a gene responsible for familial adenomatous polyposis. Fortunately. I had a team isolating polymorphic DNA markers capable of distinguishing between maternal and paternal chromosomes. This led to the discovery of VNTR markers and contributed to the establishment of “reverse genetics.” This research eventually connected to the launch of the International Human Genome Project in 1990. However, at that time, the significance of genomic research for future medicine was largely underestimated in Japan. With the Millennium Genome Project by the Japanese government, Japan rapidly caught up with global advancements in SNP analysis, biobanking, and genome-wide association studies, ultimately positioning itself as a global leader in genomics. Furthermore, subsequent technological innovations have made genomic information indispensable in medicine and healthcare, with genomic medicine playing a crucial role in precision medicine.
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Yu Moriguchi
-AI Medical Device Development Using Clinical Insights-
Walking is a fundamental human motor function, and its quality profoundly influences quality of life and personal fulfillment. In clinical medicine, gait serves as a critical indicator of physical changes, offering valuable insights for diagnosis and evaluation. Experienced specialists identify disease-specific patterns through gait observation, using these insights to guide diagnosis and treatment planning. Advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) enable the formalization of this experience-based tacit knowledge into innovative diagnostic technologies and biomarkers, facilitating their sharing and application among healthcare professionals.
In this presentation, as a musculoskeletal specialist leading the development of gait analysis computer vision, I will explore the realities and challenges of clinical practice, the role and potential of tacit knowledge, its expansion into scientific research and technological development, the contributions of academia and startups to societal implementation, and the future prospects for AI-driven medical device development.
Kensuke Ishii
-Regulatory approval of AI-based SaMD(Software as medical devices-
Recently, regulatory approval of AI-based SaMD(AI-SaMD) has been increasing in Japan. The companies developing them are not limited to conventional medical device companies, but are also characterized by the participation of venture companies originating from academia and companies in other industries.The ability of AI to find the location of lesions and signs of disease through its image recognition capability is comparable to that of a medical specialist, and some products have already begun to surpass a specialist’s eye. From the perspective of early detection of diseases and reduction of the burden of diagnostic imaging, the development of AI-SaMD is expected to flourish in the future. The development of AI-SaMD requires the preparation of a large amount of training data as well as validation data for regulatory application, but there are various issues in collecting such data, and the environment must be improved for smooth practical application.
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Venture capital is an important engine powering the next wave of healthcare innovation. In this session, we will go deep into the evolving landscape of early-stage investing in healthtech startups. We’ll explore how the structure of venture capital is adapting to the unique demands of healthcare, with a focus on specialized funds and on AI-driven solutions, digital health, and precision medicine. Drawing from my experience as a founder and investor, I’ll dive deeper on how today’s VCs are not just financiers but strategic partners—helping startups navigate regulatory hurdles, clinical validation, and commercialization. This session will discuss how the convergence of technology and medicine is creating new opportunities—and new risks—for founders and investors alike. Join for a candid look at the opportunities—and challenges—facing startups and investors at the forefront of this rapidly changing industry.