A wealth of data is our strength. The database of intestinal Flora tests is expected to exceed 100,000 by the end of 2023.
First of all, please tell us about your business.
Mr. Saikinsaw Murakami: Through the intestinal Flora test "Mykinso", we are conducting a business that visualizes intestinal bacteria living in the large intestine and provides advice on lifestyle habits.
Take the stool at home using the test kit obtained by online shopping or medical checkup options, put it in the included reply envelope, and mail it to the Shinkiba lab. About three weeks from there, we analyzed the intestinal bacteria contained in the stool and said, "Your intestinal bacteria contain this much of such bacteria, so let's improve this lifestyle there It's like issuing a test result report with the contents.
What was the reason you decided to work on this business?
Mr. Saikinsaw Murakami: Our company was founded in 2014, but the representative Sawai (Yu-sama) was enrolled in a genome venture before that.
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: A device that automatically reads genes is called "sequencer", but a long time ago, it had only the ability to read genetic information of about 1 to 100 kinds of bacteria over a night. However, around 2005, a device called the "next generation sequencer" was developed, and its ability jumped up to 100,000 to millions at once, so to speak, "Information on millions of bacteria can be read overnight." It became.
Mr. Saikinsaw Murakami: In addition, after the intestinal flora became attracting attention in academic fields, I heard that we founded Saikinso because we wanted to connect it to healthcare services tailored to individuals and disease prevention by analyzing the intestinal flora, which has different middle and balances for each person.
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: Currently, thousands of specimens have been delivered to Saikinso Shinkiba Lab per month, and the database of bacterial flora is more than 80,000 people in total. We expect to exceed 100,000 people by the end of 2023.
I was able to accumulate that much data because I was quick to work on the intestinal Flora analysis business.
Mr. Saikinsaw Murakami: Yes. The abundance of this data is also the strength of Saikinso. The large population of data increases the accuracy of evaluation and verification.
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: Shanai engineers are also responsible for building databases, so the point is that you can consistently do everything from inspection to data analysis and management within the company. You can also flexibly respond to changes in service content.
By the way, in January 2023, we launched a so-called data sale service, providing anonymously processed information for intestinal microbiota data for 9,147 people. This provided data can be used as data for people who do nothing, for example, in clinical tests of medicine, healthcare, food, etc., compared with those who have a specific illness or those who have taken a specific food. In other words, it can also help smartly advance "human clinical tests" that tend to be large.
There are not many rental labs in Tokyo that are within walking distance from the station and have no limited occupancy period.
You heard that you joined the company after you decided to move into Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1.
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: Yes. However, since I joined the company as the person in charge of the lab from the beginning, I am participating in concrete preparations such as joining LINK-J.
At the time of the selection of the lab, our director, Mr. Aya Takeda, told us that we chose Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba1 after considerable examination and trial and error. Among them, the good access was the decisive factor. Certainly, due to the scale and enhancement of such rental labs, there are not many facilities in Tokyo that are within walking distance from the station. Thanks to this, it is easy to get back and forth with the head office in Yoyogi.
He seems to have considered rental labs of public institutions, but there are many places where there is an upper limit on the occupancy period, so he wanted to avoid being tied under such conditions. On the other hand, I heard that Mitsui Link Lab has plenty of space in case a company already occupies want to increase the floor space. I think it was also a great advantage that we were able to sit down and work on our business and have a prospect for expanding our business.
Because both the lab and the facility were available, we were able to disseminate information with a story.
How do you feel about Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1?
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: In launching the lab, Mitsui Link Lab introduced a waste disposal and white coat cleaning company, which was very helpful. From such details, for example, we have been trying and error in everything from supporting young companies such as our company to connect with other companies at exchange meetings, etc. I feel that they are always thinking about "what kind of service should there be?"
How about buildings and facilities?
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: Cafe lunch is popular for both lab staff and employees coming from the head office. There are not many restaurants around the land, so I was prepared to have a convenience store lunch before moving in, but now I take care of the cafe almost every day. It's popular not only with residents but also with people around the world, so it's a bit troublesome to have a day when it's sold out immediately (laughs).
Mr. Saikinsaw Murakami: From a public relations perspective, I feel that having a lab and a facility has a high synergistic effect in terms of information dissemination. At the time of the opening of the lab, we made a press release here, but the fact that it was not a so-called rental space but a site of the lab made it possible to feel the story, and the environment was perfect as a presentation venue, and the reaction of the press and investors was excellent.
Since there is this place and space, it would be nice if there were opportunities to interact not only with companies but also with local people. For example, during summer vacation, you can participate as a family and organize a tour package for the "Intestinal Flora Study Group" that can also be used as a free study of your child. It is a very difficult project depending on the location of the lab, but I think Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1 will surely be realized in a good way.
While pursuing the quality of intestinal Flora tests, we would like to work on "new tests" and "health promotion" beyond that.
How do you intend to develop your business at Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba1 in the future?
Mr. Saikinsaw Murakami: Since we have set up such a laboratory in our own company, we would like to invest firmly in R&D and create something that can be used in clinical practice with clear evidence for specific diseases.
On top of that, we would like to expand not only the bacteria in the intestine but also the bacteria to be analyzed. For example, from the analysis of bacteria in the mouth that can be understood from saliva, I would like to work on approaches that can not be understood by bacteria in the intestine alone.
From these developments, do you say that we will acquire our own position, or we want to increase the number of things we can do only because we have a lot of data?
Mr. Saikinso Daiko: Fortunately, there is also a Science Concierge at Mitsui Link Lab to support the creation of new partnerships with universities and other institutions for new research and projects. And personally, I would like to focus on the solution part after the inspection. We will be able to provide support for improvement, not the end of looking at the results of the test. I mentioned earlier that "one-stop everything from inspection to data management," but in the future, I would like to be involved in "one-stop everything from inspection to improvement efforts," including beyond.