AIKOMI

AIKOMI is a digital health technology company established in February 2018 as a spin-off from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. It was co-founded by Dr. Nick Hird and Junichi Kato, both former pharmaceutical researchers who identified the need for non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care. The firm focuses on developing non-drug digital therapies to improve the quality of life for individuals with dementia, their families, and caregivers.

The company's core offering is the "AikomiDS" platform, a digital therapeutic tool that supports person-centered care. Delivered via a tablet, the software streams personalized, multi-sensory content—including images, videos, and sounds from a person's life—to stimulate long-term memory and emotion. This approach aims to facilitate meaningful communication and engagement between people with dementia and their caregivers, helping to alleviate behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) such as agitation and apathy. Artificial intelligence is utilized to tailor these cognitive stimulation programs to the individual's life story, preferences, and responses, thus overcoming the inconsistent efficacy often associated with traditional non-drug therapies that depend heavily on caregiver skills.

AIKOMI's business model targets both care facilities and families. For professional settings like nursing homes and day services, the platform is designed to contribute to revenue by qualifying for the 'Individual Functional Training Addition' under Japan's long-term care insurance system. The company has established partnerships with major players in the Japanese market, including care home provider SOMPO Holdings and Sumitomo Pharma's subsidiary, FrontAct, to advance its research, development, and commercialization efforts. Having launched a consumer application in Japan in early 2021, AIKOMI is also pursuing a clinical path to gain regulatory approval for its technology as a digital therapy for BPSD, while exploring expansion into international markets, including the UK and the US.

Keywords: dementia care, digital therapeutics, cognitive stimulation, person-centered care, BPSD, non-drug therapy, health technology, gerontechnology, caregiver support, digital health, long-term care insurance, psychosocial intervention, reminiscence therapy, AI in healthcare, neurodegenerative disease support, quality of life improvement, family communication tools, elder care technology, cognitive decline