Tama Art University Launches Collaborative Course "Skin Reproduction and Appearance Care Research" to Support Patients Suffering from Appearance Changes Due to Cancer Treatment

Kanoa Crew Co., Ltd. (Mitaka City, Tokyo; Representative Director: Makiko Suzuki), which sells "Luana Breast®," a wearable artificial breast for those who have undergone mastectomy due to breast cancer, has officially decided to participate as a collaborating company in Tama Art University's Integrated Design Department (Professor Tomoo Takuma) PBL (Project Based Learning) course "Skin Reproduction and Appearance Care Research." This collaboration was realized through the matching support of the "Tama Innovation Ecosystem Promotion Project," which operates a community to promote innovation creation in the Tama area.

"Appearance care" is a type of care that alleviates the physical and mental distress caused by appearance changes, such as hair loss, mastectomy, and skin changes, associated with cancer treatment, helping patients live authentically. It was first explicitly mentioned in the 4th "Cancer Control Promotion Basic Plan" in 2023, and subsidy programs to assist with the purchase costs of wigs and wearable artificial breasts are spreading in municipalities nationwide. However, the recognition rate of appearance care itself remains at only about 10%, and the current situation is that these valuable subsidy systems are not being fully utilized. Expanding awareness and enlightenment throughout society is an urgent task.

Based on its experience of supporting customers through the sale of wearable artificial breasts, Kanoa Crew will now explore new possibilities for appearance care and aim to expand awareness and popularize it throughout society, together with students from Tama Art University who possess young sensibilities and specialized knowledge in art and design.

**Course Overview**
Course Name: PBL Skin Reproduction and Appearance Care Research
University: Tama Art University (Department: Integrated Design Department)
Instructor: Professor Tomoo Takuma
Collaborating Companies: Kanoa Crew Co., Ltd. (with Kenichi Takeda, Deloitte Touche LLC)
Target Students: All departments, all grades
Course Period: April-July 2026, every Monday 5th period (16:30-18:00)
Location: Tama Art University Kaminoge Campus Main Building
*This course will be held in a classroom within the new building (Main Building/Auditorium) of Tama Art University Kaminoge Campus, which opened in April 2026. This new building is designed as a space to foster student creativity, promoting active exchange beyond the boundaries of art and design, and facilitating interaction between the university and the local community.

**Course Objectives (PBL: Project Based Learning)**
This course will be conducted in the form of a PBL (Project Based Learning) class, where students explore solutions to real-world problems. It aims to advance appearance care, which alleviates physical and mental distress caused by appearance changes due to injury or illness, by reinterpreting it as "body augmentation" that enables more diverse people to live authentically. Through collaboration with companies, the course seeks clues to promote social awareness and popularization by exploring new possibilities from an art and design perspective. In the class, students will experientially learn skin reproduction techniques for epitheses (artificial prostheses that precisely reproduce lost body parts) and formulate hypotheses for solving social issues. The ultimate goal is to compile these into art and design works as aesthetic proposals.

**Course Schedule (Excerpt)**
April 13 (1st session): Introduction Lecture: Current Status and New Trends in Appearance Care (Suzuki, Akizawa of Kanoa Crew)
April 20 (2nd session): Experiential Workshop Day 1: Skin Reproduction Experience ①: Observation, Color Adjustment, Coloring (Rie Honma, Shinwa Shiken Medical Department Co., Ltd.)
April 27 (3rd session): Experiential Workshop Day 2: Coating, Drying, Completion (Rie Honma, Shinwa Shiken Medical Department Co., Ltd.)
May-June: Research, Brainstorming, Problem-Solving Ideation
June 8 (9th session): Mid-term Presentation and Feedback
July 27 (15th session): Final Presentation and Review Session

**About Kanoa Crew Co., Ltd.**
Kanoa Crew Co., Ltd. is a company that sells "Luana Breast®," a wearable artificial breast that can be easily attached without adhesive, for those who have undergone mastectomy due to breast cancer. It continues to sell products that cater to patients' daily lives, such as being able to wear them in hot springs and pools, using existing bras as they are, and individual skin tone coloring.

Furthermore, beyond selling wearable artificial breasts, the company is also actively involved in promoting the appearance care subsidy system, which is spreading in municipalities nationwide. In Shizuoka Prefecture, a uniform subsidy of 100,000 yen is available in all municipalities, and in metropolitan areas such as Mitaka City, Musashino City, Shinjuku Ward, and Setagaya Ward, subsidies of 50,000 to 200,000 yen are available. However, the current situation is that many patients are unaware of these systems. The company is actively engaged in appearance care awareness activities through exhibitions, media coverage, and visits to local governments. This collaboration with Tama Art University combines the company's specialized knowledge with art and design.