On 22 November, Professor Emeritus Makoto Mark Taketo of the Graduate School of Medicine and colleagues founded Kyo Diagnostics KK (CEO, Kensei Sumita), a Kyoto University-based startup firm whose first project will be the development of a colorectal cancer biomarker.
The firm's founding represents a major milestone in efforts to commercialize Professor Takedo's discoveries. The firm was initiated under the Program for Creating Start-ups from Advanced Research and Technology (START) of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and has been supported by Japan Strategic Capital Co Ltd (CEO, Yoshiki Sasaki), acting as project promoter.
In addition to conducting research and development, Kyo Diagnostics will work on building an organizational structure for commercialization of pharmaceutical products (preparation and submission of pharmaceutical applications), and on procuring funds. Once its inaugural project is completed, the firm will continue work on bringing the benefits of scientific discoveries to society. Its next goal is to expand the biomarker's utility to other conditions, including stomach cancer.
The product has been tested on stage-two colorectal-cancer patients, with 100 percent of those with a negative diagnosis and 80 percent of those positive surviving at least five years (20% succumbing to recurrence). With the use of this biomarker, negatively diagnosed patients will benefit from lower medical costs resulting from receiving fewer postoperative tests, while positively diagnosed patients will be able to start preventive chemotherapy.
Kyo Diagnostics' first product is anticipated to offer these benefits to even more patients as applications expand.
