InnoJin Inc. Wins the "Science Category - HORIBA Award" at the 11th Japan Entrepreneur Award

Development of a Virtual Reality (VR) Program Medical Device for Pediatric Amblyopia Training (unapproved in Japan) highly rated as an innovative science and technology-based business plan

InnoJin Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "InnoJin") is pleased to announce that it has won the "Science Category - HORIBA Award" at the "11th Japan Entrepreneur Award" sponsored by the Kenja no Sentaku Leaders Club.

The award was presented for InnoJin’s initiative, "Development of a pediatric amblyopia training program medical device (unapproved in Japan) using virtual reality (VR) (Fig. 1)."

Fig. 1 State of using the VR-based pediatric amblyopia training program medical device (unapproved)

The Japan Entrepreneur Award is a business plan competition aimed at discovering next-generation entrepreneurs and supporting innovative business plans. The Science Category targets initiatives aimed at creating new innovations and businesses based on science and technology.

InnoJin was established in December 2020 as a university-launched venture company. With the philosophy of "realizing people-friendly digital medicine," we have been working on research, development, and social implementation in the fields of mobile health apps, software as a medical device (SaMD), and AI/digital health. The company name is a combination of "Innovation" and "Jin" (meaning compassion/benevolence in Japanese), reflecting our commitment to creating new value in healthcare through creative challenges.

To date, InnoJin has promoted digital health research primarily in the ophthalmology field, including "Dry Eye Rhythm®," a smartphone application for dry eye research, and "AllerSearch®," a smartphone application for hay fever research. In addition, in 2022, we obtained the License for Type II Marketing Business of Medical Devices, and are proceeding with the development, regulatory affairs, and quality control systems for program medical devices.

The VR-based pediatric amblyopia training program medical device, which was recognized this time, combines digital technology with conventional training methods to provide a new therapeutic support system that is easier for children to continue and simpler for healthcare professionals and parents to manage. InnoJin is proceeding with the development of practical solutions rooted in clinical needs, through collaboration among digital health specialists including ophthalmologists, researchers, regulatory/quality management experts, and software developers.

Takenori Inomata, the founder, commented on receiving the award as follows:

We are extremely honored to receive the "Science Category - HORIBA Award" at the 11th Japan Entrepreneur Award.

With the goal of realizing "people-friendly digital medicine," InnoJin has been engaged in research and development in mobile health, AI, VR, and program medical devices, with a focus on the field of ophthalmology.

The VR-based pediatric amblyopia training program medical device recognized today aims to create an environment where children can engage in treatment positively, and to establish a new treatment support model in clinical settings.

Encouraged by this award, we will further promote R&D, clinical evaluation, and regulatory compliance. By connecting scientific technology to social implementation, we aim to provide digital medicine of true value to patients, their families, and medical professionals.

InnoJin will continue to leverage its R&D capabilities as a university spin-off, along with the quality and regulatory systems required for medical device development, to accelerate the social implementation of digital medicine in ophthalmology.

Press Release Article

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