Overview
CarbGeM Inc. is a newly established Japanese startup. Its AI-based smartphone application BiTTE was originally inspired by the clinical needs in the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan.
By encouraging an early stage diagnosis and evidence-based antibiotics recommendation in a fast and accurate manner, BiTTE promotes a proper prescription of antibiotics. Hopefully, it will contribute to the prevention of antibiotic resistance problems.
CarbGeM Inc. aims to overcome the problem of antimicrobial resistance through biology and digital technology and industry-government-academia collaboration. The R&D activities are supported by several Japanese government grants including Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Currently CarbGeM is collaborating with the National Center for Global Health and Medicine and Kobe University in development.
- Technology
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Bacterial infection Teller and Treatment Estimator (BiTTE), prototype ready
CarbGeM Inc.’s AI-based image recognition smartphone application, BiTTE, reads microscopic images of gram-stained samples from patients who might have infection. BiTTE then sends the images to CarbGeM Inc.’s cloud server and obtains the name of the bacteria. Finally, BiTTE presents physicians appropriate antimicrobials for the treatment based on available antibiograms, for example regional antibiograms or WHO’s AWaRe Classification.
BiTTE assists physicians and laboratory technicians especially in primary care and outpatient settings in identifying the species of bacterial infections and suggesting appropriate antimicrobial agents.
Point of Care Gram Staining (PoCGS), prototype comes in 2022
This is a small and low-priced medical device that can be installed in emergency outpatient departments, intensive care units, and community clinics. Stain the patient sample on a slide glass and set it in PoCGS to complete the stained sample in a short time (10 minutes). The sample type(urine, sputum, etc.), reagent titration amount, staining time, etc. can be changed on the operation panel.
- Establishment
- 2021
- Location
- #601 2-24-13 kami-oosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0021
- Branch Office
- 6-3-5 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 650-0047
- Industry
- Biotech, Medical Device
- Indication
- Medical Device, Software as a Medical Device
- Funding Round
- Seeds
- Raising
- $1Mil (Seed and non-diluted government grant)
Team
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Masakazu Nakajima Chief Executive Officer
20+ years experience in business development, venture capital/private equity investments and cross-border M&As at multinational corporations as well as startups, including ITOCHU, Cyber Agent, Schroder Ventures, Macquarie Capital. Also has entrepreneurial experience in healthcare /medical startups, including Welby Inc. (TSE: 4438) (co-founder, ex-CFO) and NextGeM (co-founder, CEO). B. Eng. in Mechanical Engineering.
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Isao Miyatsuka Chief Information Strategy Officer
20+ years of experience in solution development in particular machine learning /Deep learning for NTT Data, Cyber Agent, MUFG Bank and NextGem. MS in Electrical Engineering.
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Mac Taketani, Ph.D. Chief Business Officer
Mac has over 35 years management experience in research and product development at Panasonic and Nihon Kohden. During his over 20 years tenure in the US, Mac has conducted many collaborative research projects with top universities and hospitals including MIT, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of California. Mac was also a co-founder of a drug discovery start-up, Tensor Biosciences, in California. He returned to Japan in 2016 as General Manager of RIKEN (Japanese national research center) and then moved to Osaka University in 2020 as General Manager & Project Researcher, Initiative for Life Design Innovation Strategic Office. BS and MS, Osaka University, Ph.D. Nagoya City University Medical School. He has been a Director of NextGeM since April 2020.