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On October 1, 2018, Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) started the operations of Konica Minolta Precision Medicine Japan, Inc. (KMPMJ). KMPMJ is a 100%-owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta with responsibility for marketing high-end precision medicine tools and diagnostic services in Japan. Precision medicine is medical care that uses genetic and molecular profiling to optimise treatment for specific groups of patients.
The tools needed to diagnose, treat and develop new therapies
KMPMJ will be led by President Ken Masuo, a seasoned marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and will be based in Tokyo with 23 employees. KMPMJ will provide tools to identify and track disease-linked biomarkers [1] and related services to accelerate the development of targeted therapies. It will also offer diagnostic and prognostic testing services using genes, proteins, and other molecules that increase physicians’ ability to assess and treat their patients’ disease.
The launch of KMPMJ is the latest development in Konica Minolta’s ambitious goal of transforming personalised medicine. Building on its own world-class capabilities in medical imaging and software as well as its proprietary protein quantification technology, High Sensitivity Tissue Testing (HSTT) [2], Konica Minolta announced its intentions to revolutionise personalised patient care in 2017 with the acquisitions of Ambry Genetics, Corporation (Ambry), a top American genetic testing and analysis firm, and Invicro, LLC (Invicro), a leading provider of drug discovery support services using AI technology. Combining the synergistic technologies of these three companies, KMPMJ addresses an unmet need in modern healthcare for reliable, standardised, and integrated technologies that support every aspect of translational medicine. Currently, biopharmaceutical companies and research institutes must piece together technologies from different sources to conduct translational research, which can lead to inefficiencies, inaccuracies or quality control issues.
Adding value through precision medicine
To deliver precision medicine, it is vital to identify how diseases evolve in individuals, basing decisions on an array of information. These data extend from gene mutation types and treatment selections to protein levels that drugs target, medicinal efficiency projections, and organ disease progressions and prognoses.
By leveraging or integrating the technology platforms of Konica Minolta, Ambry, and Invicro, KMPMJ will provide molecular level detection, analytics, and informatics that can deepen knowledge about the functions and connections between genes, proteins, and organs.
The company will benefit from a global drug discovery and R&D support network involving more than 1,000 employees from the individual companies.
Specific precision medicine solutions
For pharmas and academia, KMPMJ will offer customised services that accelerate and streamline R&D by identifying, quantifying and characterising disease-linked biomarkers
For medical institutions, KMPMJ will offer genetic diagnostics services, molecular marking and analytics
For researchers analysing diverse biological information from multiple sources, KMPMJ will offer bioinformatics services based on amassed data
For clinical researchers in academia and the biopharmaceutical industry, KMPMJ will also offer clinical trial patient selection services based on molecular biomarkers
[1] Biomarkers are indicators of issues with genetic, protein, or organ states, including from blood, urine, and tissue samples and medical imaging.
[2] Konica Minolta is pioneering a new molecular imaging technology called High Sensitivity Tissue Testing (HSTT) that offers unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy in the detection, quantification and precise location of proteins within a cell associated with disease and cellular function. In addition to its initial use in proteomics, HSTT is a platform technology for studying the molecular causes and characteristics of a disease with potential future applications in cytology, blood testing and the real-time monitoring of mRNA, miRNA, and DNA in living systems.
About Konica Minolta, Inc.
Konica Minolta, Inc. is a global digital technology company with core strengths in imaging and data analysis, optics, materials, and nano-fabrication. Through innovation, we create products and digital solutions for the betterment of business and society—today and for generations to come. Across our Business Technologies, Healthcare, and Industrial-facing businesses, we aspire to be an Integral Value Provider that applies the full range of our company’s expertise to offer comprehensive solutions to our customer’s most pressing problems, work with our partners to ensure our solutions are sustainable, anticipate and address tomorrow’s issues, and tailor each solution to meet the unique and specific needs of our valued customers. Leveraging these capabilities, Konica Minolta contributes to productivity improvement and workflow change for our customers, and provides leading-edge service solutions in the IoT era. Headquartered in Tokyo and with operations in 50 countries, Konica Minolta has more than 43,000 employees serving approximately two million customers in over 150 countries. Konica Minolta is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, (TSE4902). For further information, visit: https://www.konicaminolta.com/
About Konica Minolta Precision Medicine Japan
Konica Minolta Precision Medicine Japan Inc. launched on October 1, 2018 as a 100% owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc. KMPMJ will be one of the first companies in Japan to offer an integrated solution for pharmaceutical companies, academics and medical institutions/hospitals in high-end precision medicine tools and diagnostic services in Japan. Precision medicine is medical care that uses genetic and molecular profiling to optimize treatment for specific groups of patients. KMPMJ will be led by Ken Masuo, a seasoned marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in healthcare and will be based in an office in Hamamatsu, Tokyo with 23 employees.
Boilerplate
About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. With its unique expertise in imaging, data processing and data-based decision making, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers - small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector - and solves issues faced by society.
As a digital workplace solution provider, Konica Minolta helps its clients to identify and unlock the potential digitalisation holds and reach the next level in the digital maturity of their organisation by rethinking the workplace. In support of an ‘Intelligent connected workplace’, Konica Minolta offers cloud, IT, managed print and video solution services for remote working, collaboration, workflow management and automation and security. The company’s success in driving transformation is also confirmed by IDC, since the ‘IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2023 Vendor Assessment’ has named Konica Minolta a “Leader” in print transformation. Konica Minolta has been a Microsoft Global Managed Partner since 2021.
Konica Minolta's Igniting Print Possibilities offering helps printers, converters and brand owners maximise workflow automation to increase efficiency. The company delivers consultancy in all communication matters as well as top-of-the-line production, packaging as well as label printers. Its finishing devices create print products that stand out and create added value. Konica Minolta has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe (InfoSource).
For an increasing number of organisations, success today is more than the narrow definition of financial prosperity – it also includes protecting the environment and having a positive impact on their workforce as well as the societies they are embedded in. With its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Konica Minolta has pledged to consistently pursue its sustainability and social responsibility goals.
The company has been repeatedly recognised for its rich history of social contribution as well as for working towards achieving the SDGs throughout its business and supply chain. Konica Minolta received a GOLD Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2023.
For its remote services, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious ‘Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023-2024 Pacesetter Award in Remote Service for the Western European market’ from Keypoint Intelligence.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With more than 8,700 employees (as of April 2023), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.26 billion in financial year 2022/2023.
Worldwide, the company has over 39,000 employees and is operating in over 150 countries.
For more information, please visit https://www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en/news and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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