BioPhenoMA

BioPhenoMA Inc., established on April 18, 2023, is a Japanese startup spun out of Waseda University, specializing in ultra-high sensitivity protein quantification to support research and development in pharmaceuticals, quasi-drugs, and reagents. The company is built upon the core technology "TN-cyclon™," an improved enzyme cycling method developed by a team led by Professor Etsuro Ito of Waseda University. This technology was born from Professor Ito's research in the early 2000s at Hokkaido University, where he sought a method to quantify minute amounts of proteins, similar to how nucleic acids were measured.

The co-founders are Etsuro Ito, who serves as the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), and Naoto Fujii, the former CEO. Professor Ito is a leading researcher in animal physiology and biophysics and an inventor of the core technology. Naoto Fujii has a background in mechanical engineering, project management, and new business development, with an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. As of July 2025, Makoto Mitamura, an expert in the life sciences field with experience in medical device development and clinical development, serves as the Representative Director and President.

BioPhenoMA's business model revolves around providing high-sensitivity quantification services and products based on its TN-cyclon™ technology. This method combines the conventional sandwich ELISA method with an enzyme cycling method, enabling the detection of extremely small amounts of protein without requiring large equipment or extensive pre-treatment. The company offers services like contract protein measurement and sells research reagent kits, such as the "PD-L1 TN-cyclon™ ELISA Kit" and the "TN-cyclon™ ELISA Development Kit". These products and services cater to clients in the biomedical field, aiming to streamline drug discovery, facilitate personalized medicine, and uncover new therapeutic targets. The company has engaged in joint research with institutions like Tokyo Medical University to develop new cancer biomarkers and has received contract research requests for Parkinson's disease diagnosis.

Financially, BioPhenoMA has secured seed funding, including a notable round of approximately 190 million JPY (~$1.23M USD) in November 2024 from investors Waseda University Ventures (WUV) and JMTC Capital.

Keywords: ultra-trace protein detection, high-sensitivity quantification, enzyme cycling method, TN-cyclon, drug discovery support, personalized medicine, biomarker research, ELISA kit, biomedical technology, Waseda University startup, pharmaceutical research, reagent development, exosome analysis, protein quantification service, life science research, clinical diagnostics, cancer biomarkers, neurodegenerative disease diagnosis, seed funding, Japan Material Technologies