Opening of Genome Center in 31VENTURES KOIL, an Innovation Creation Base
Operated by Mitsui Fudosan
Genome Clinic: a University-Originated Startup Seeking to Fortify Healthcare
with Personal Genome Analysis
Commencement of Genetic Risk Assessment Services for Breast and Ovarian Cancer
April 25, 2019
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Genome Clinic Co., Ltd.
Tokyo, Japan, April 25, 2019 – Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, and Genome Clinic Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiba City, Chiba Prefectures; Co-CEOs: Hiroki Sonehara and Yoichi Aso; hereinafter “Genome Clinic”) announced today that BRCA Seq, a genetic risk assessment service for breast and ovarian cancer, has commenced at 31VENTURES KOIL, an innovation creation base operated by Mitsui Fudosan.
Mitsui Fudosan and Genome Clinic entered into a partnership when Genome Clinic won the Kashiwa-no-ha Award at 2017 Asia Entrepreneurship Award, a landmark event highlighting cutting-edge startups in Asia. Mitsui Fudosan has participated in the Asia Entrepreneurship Award from the planning stages of this initiative. The Kashiwa-no-ha Award recognizes technologies that will contribute to the development of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, a concept that will provide a blueprint for the creation of neighborhoods that help to solve global issues, based on the three themes of creating “an Environmental-Symbiotic City,” “a City of Health and Longevity” and “a City of New Industry Creation.” The services of Genome Clinic are viewed as a technology that will make a tremendous contribution to preventive medicine, a field that has attracted heightened interest in Japan given the country’s aging society with a low birthrate. Following the receipt of the award by Genome Clinic, Mitsui Fudosan has been working closely with the company through such means as supporting collaboration between Genome Clinic and various organizations and helping with setting up the Genome Center in 31VENTURE KOIL.
BRCA Seq is a genetic assessment service launched by Genome Clinic to assess the risk of the incidence of breast and ovarian cancer through the analysis of genes obtained from saliva samples, based on counseling from specialized staff. In the field of genome analysis, approximately 27 diseases have been proposed as diseases that can be addressed by obtaining prior knowledge of the risk of incidence thereof. The BRCA Seq service will be initiated by offering risk assessments for two diseases, breast and ovarian cancer, for which early detection and treatment are particularly crucial. BRCA Seq will provide counseling services with doctors or genetic counselors, in addition to the results of the genetic analysis. Depending on the risk assessment results, BRCA Seq will provide test recipients with information on specialized medical institutions and offer advice on matters such as how often they should undergo cancer screenings. The price of a single genetic analysis has been set at 39,500 yen (before tax), the lowest price of any such genetic analysis service in Japan, with the aim of making the service available to as many people as possible.
Currently, genetic analysis of breast and ovarian cancer is performed mainly for people who have a strong family history of these conditions. However, large-scale medical research studies conducted in the U.S. have found that sometimes there are genetic anomalies that can make people highly susceptible to cancer, even if they do not have a strong family history thereof*. BRCA Seq will commence as a genetic test for people who do not have a strong family history of cancer. By enabling people to obtain prior knowledge of their risk of breast and ovarian cancer before they contract these conditions, Genome Clinic seeks to pave the way for people to receive treatment for cancer at an early stage through appropriate cancer screenings.
* Buchanan AH, et. al., Genet Med, 2018, Apr;20(5):554-558
How to receive the test
- Please make a reservation for the test at Genome Clinic’s reservation website.
(https://genome-clinic.co.jp/brca-seq/) (in Japanese only)
- Please attend a counseling session with Genome Clinic’s staff (doctor or genetic counselor) at its Genome Center at Kashiwa-no-ha KOIL.
- Genome Clinic’s staff will provide you with a briefing on genetics and genes, and will ask you questions about the health of you and your family.
- Please submit a small saliva sample onsite.
- DNA will be extracted from your saliva, and the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene regions will be amplified. The DNA information will be decoded using a next-generation sequencer. The decoded DNA information will be interpreted using an international database, revealing any pathological significance of the genes.
- If pathological mutations are identified, you will then be asked to return for a secondary counseling session. Genome Clinic’s staff will provide you with a detailed briefing on the early detection and intervention of cancer.
Eligible test receipients
People aged 20 or over who are capable of assuming responsibility for their own health
People who have not contracted breast and/or ovarian cancer
People who do not have a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer
Test fee
39,500 yen (before tax)
Guided by the vision of “Saving more lives through knowledge,” Genome Clinic Co., Ltd. has risen to the challenge of fortifiying healthcare with genome analysis, in anticipation of the upcoming era when large numbers of people will put genome information to good use in maintaining good health. In the genetics field, which is evolving on a daily basis, it is vitally important to solve technical issues in conjunction with discussing the legal, ethical and social dimensions of each issue. Genome Clinic will push ahead with research and development activities by considering the technical and social aspects of each individual issue. By doing so, Genome Clinic aims to create a society that “Saves more lives through knowledge.”
Mitsui Fudosan is advancing the development of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City in the area around the Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture. With Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, Mitsui Fudosan aims to provide a blueprint for the creation of neighborhoods that help to solve global issues, based on the three themes of creating a “an Environmental-Symbiotic City,” “a City of Health and Longevity” and “a City of New Industry Creation.” In the area of new industry creation, Mitsui Fudosan is leveraging its expansive network and wide-ranging business fields centered on “31VENTURES,” its venture co-creation project. In the process, Mitsui Fudosan seeks to create new industries that connect people of all ages, fields, and nationalities across entire neighborhoods.
