Single-Cell Secretion Analysis Technology "Live FluoroSpot" Receives Excellence Award at "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award"
Live Cell Diagnosis Co., Ltd.'s single-cell secretion analysis technology "Live FluoroSpot" received an Excellence Award at the "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award." This technology enables highly sensitive analysis of substances secreted by cells at a single-cell level and is expected to contribute to personalized medicine.
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Live Cell Diagnosis Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture, Representative: Mai Yamagishi) is pleased to announce that its single-cell secretion analysis technology "Live FluoroSpot" has received an Excellence Award at the "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award." Concurrently, Associate Professor Yoshitaka Shirasaki of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, who developed this technology and provided technical guidance for this product, received a Special Award for Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration for his contributions. This achievement was recognized as an initiative developed from basic research to technology development and social implementation through industry-academia-government collaboration.
About the "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award"
The "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award" is co-hosted annually by the Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, with the aim of promoting technology for small and medium-sized enterprises and contributing to the development of Japan's industry. It recognizes outstanding "new technologies and new products" developed by SMEs.
[New Technology/New Product Award Project (Resona Foundation for SME Promotion HP)]
https://www.resona-fdn.or.jp/shingijutu.html#gsc.tab=0
[38th SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award Winners List (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun HP)]
https://biz.nikkan.co.jp/sanken/shingizyutu/38shingizyutu.html
About the Award-Winning Product
In the medical field, there is a demand for selecting the optimal treatment for each patient. The key to this lies in the differences in cell functions related to pathological conditions.
"Live FluoroSpot" is a microscope-mounted module that visualizes and analyzes substances secreted by cells, such as cytokines and antibodies, at a single-cell level over time. It consists of a dedicated chip made of optical glass and resin, and a dedicated illuminator.
By utilizing evanescent light generated on the glass surface, the influence of background light in the culture medium is significantly suppressed. As a result, trace secreted substances can be detected with high sensitivity even without washing. Furthermore, the optical design inside the chip removes unwanted light components, achieving uniform illumination over a wide field of view. The use of evanescent light also contributes to reducing phototoxicity, allowing long-term observation while maintaining good cell conditions.
It can directly capture the process and timing of secretion, which was difficult with conventional methods. This allows for the elucidation of disturbances in secretion patterns, such as excess, deficiency, or bias, that underlie pathological conditions. Ultimately, it is expected to be a technology that supports more appropriate treatment selection by grasping patient-specific differences from the characteristics of their secretion state.
[Live FluoroSpot Product Page]
https://lcd.co.jp/live-fluorospot/
[Technology Overview]
https://lcd.co.jp/lci-s/
Significance of Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration
This technology was developed and commercialized by Live Cell Diagnosis based on fundamental research at RIKEN and The University of Tokyo. This award recognizes the industry-academia collaboration initiative that transitioned from basic research based on understanding cell functions to technology development and social implementation.
While innovative knowledge and technologies generated by universities and research institutions are a source of new value, they often face difficulties in achieving social implementation on their own. In contrast, companies play a role in transforming that value into concrete forms and connecting it to actual use cases.
Furthermore, in realizing this bridge, national support from AMED, JST, and JSPS, as well as support from Saitama Prefecture for practical application and commercialization, played a significant role. A consistent support system for companies to take over the results of basic research and develop them into social implementation greatly boosted the practical application of this technology.
This award is an achievement realized only through the integrated efforts of knowledge creation by academia, value creation by industry, and bridging support by government, embodying the significance of industry-academia-government collaboration.
Future Developments
Live FluoroSpot is expected to be utilized in a wide range of life science fields, including cancer immunology research, infectious disease research, and cell medicine development. Live Cell Diagnosis will continue to contribute to the realization of personalized medicine through the development of technologies that directly evaluate cell functions.
[Company Profile]
Company Name: Live Cell Diagnosis Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: 3-15-3 Higashibenzai, Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture
Representative Director: Mai Yamagishi
Business Description: Development of cell function analysis technology and provision of related products
Established: June 2019
HP: https://lcd.co.jp/
About the "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award"
The "SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award" is co-hosted annually by the Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, with the aim of promoting technology for small and medium-sized enterprises and contributing to the development of Japan's industry. It recognizes outstanding "new technologies and new products" developed by SMEs.
[New Technology/New Product Award Project (Resona Foundation for SME Promotion HP)]
https://www.resona-fdn.or.jp/shingijutu.html#gsc.tab=0
[38th SME Excellent New Technology/New Product Award Winners List (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun HP)]
https://biz.nikkan.co.jp/sanken/shingizyutu/38shingizyutu.html
About the Award-Winning Product
In the medical field, there is a demand for selecting the optimal treatment for each patient. The key to this lies in the differences in cell functions related to pathological conditions.
"Live FluoroSpot" is a microscope-mounted module that visualizes and analyzes substances secreted by cells, such as cytokines and antibodies, at a single-cell level over time. It consists of a dedicated chip made of optical glass and resin, and a dedicated illuminator.
By utilizing evanescent light generated on the glass surface, the influence of background light in the culture medium is significantly suppressed. As a result, trace secreted substances can be detected with high sensitivity even without washing. Furthermore, the optical design inside the chip removes unwanted light components, achieving uniform illumination over a wide field of view. The use of evanescent light also contributes to reducing phototoxicity, allowing long-term observation while maintaining good cell conditions.
It can directly capture the process and timing of secretion, which was difficult with conventional methods. This allows for the elucidation of disturbances in secretion patterns, such as excess, deficiency, or bias, that underlie pathological conditions. Ultimately, it is expected to be a technology that supports more appropriate treatment selection by grasping patient-specific differences from the characteristics of their secretion state.
[Live FluoroSpot Product Page]
https://lcd.co.jp/live-fluorospot/
[Technology Overview]
https://lcd.co.jp/lci-s/
Significance of Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration
This technology was developed and commercialized by Live Cell Diagnosis based on fundamental research at RIKEN and The University of Tokyo. This award recognizes the industry-academia collaboration initiative that transitioned from basic research based on understanding cell functions to technology development and social implementation.
While innovative knowledge and technologies generated by universities and research institutions are a source of new value, they often face difficulties in achieving social implementation on their own. In contrast, companies play a role in transforming that value into concrete forms and connecting it to actual use cases.
Furthermore, in realizing this bridge, national support from AMED, JST, and JSPS, as well as support from Saitama Prefecture for practical application and commercialization, played a significant role. A consistent support system for companies to take over the results of basic research and develop them into social implementation greatly boosted the practical application of this technology.
This award is an achievement realized only through the integrated efforts of knowledge creation by academia, value creation by industry, and bridging support by government, embodying the significance of industry-academia-government collaboration.
Future Developments
Live FluoroSpot is expected to be utilized in a wide range of life science fields, including cancer immunology research, infectious disease research, and cell medicine development. Live Cell Diagnosis will continue to contribute to the realization of personalized medicine through the development of technologies that directly evaluate cell functions.
[Company Profile]
Company Name: Live Cell Diagnosis Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: 3-15-3 Higashibenzai, Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture
Representative Director: Mai Yamagishi
Business Description: Development of cell function analysis technology and provision of related products
Established: June 2019
HP: https://lcd.co.jp/