We want to reduce the number of people for whom disease has advanced too far.
We want to reduce the number of people who become ill.
We want to contribute to people's health and long life.

This is now an age in which we can prepare against illness before actually becoming ill.

When people are ill or in poor physical condition, changes occur in their genes and cells. However, in most cases, these changes are not accompanied by subjective symptoms, and many patients and their families find themselves in the sad and painful situation of regretting that they did not notice earlier or that the disease has advanced too far.
MiRTeL Co., Ltd. is a venture company founded by Hiroshima University in the hope of saving more people from such a situation.

The "MiRTeL tests," which are the axis of our business and are called after our corporate name, were developed by utilizing the results of research in cell and molecular biology, my specialized field of study.
They are the only technology in the world^*1 that, by analyzing genetic information obtained from a blood test, allows assessment of risk and genetic predisposition to diseases closely related to aging—such as cancer, lifestyle diseases and dementia—and also predicts diseases at an early stage.

*1: as of January 2020

The main difference between the MiRTeL tests and existing test methods is the ability to find out the risk of disease before that disease actually occurs. Along with information about the risk of diseases, their development can be prevented by continuing consultation with doctors at collaborating health care facilities in order to improve diet and lifestyle.
Even after onset of the disease, it is possible to perform early detection at the "Stage 0" level, which goes one step ahead of conventional early detection methods. If the disease can be detected before it becomes severe, then there is a wider range of treatment options and a much higher probability of a complete cure.

By regularly undergoing MiRTeL tests, people can keep themselves at the stage of pre-disease signs without the disease itself actually occurring, and thereby contribute to extension of healthy life expectancy—which is the period of time spent in good health—and limitation of medical bills.

We aim for unique tests that are easy and pleasant.

There are two types of MiRTeL test: the "Telomere test" to guard against the occurrence of genetic changes that could happen in the Mibyo (pre-disease) phase, and the "MiR test" for early prediction of diseases.

These two tests can be performed together from a single blood sample, thereby minimizing the physical burden, so we hope that more people will feel inclined to undergo our easy MiRTeL tests. Discovery at the earliest possible stage is very important, especially for breast cancer, which is considered curable if detected early, and pancreatic cancer, which is difficult to detect and progresses rapidly.

We are very proud of our "MiR test," which allows discovery of potential diseases that cannot be identified by diagnostic imaging. We believe it to be worth recommending to as many people as possible, independent of their age and gender.

Recently, the visibility of "MiRTeL tests" has been growing steadily, with an increasing number of collaborating health care facilities, and reports on TV and in magazines and other media. MiRTeL tests are also steadily attracting worldwide attention; they were introduced at the annual "Davos Conference" of the nonprofit organization "World Economic Forum," in which various world heads of state participate.

However, only a limited number of people currently visit hospitals to have MiRTeL tests, partly because they are not covered by health insurance. We are currently developing testing devices in order to encourage more people to have MiRTeL tests in the future. In addition, we intend to introduce the tests into company welfare systems and create future-style health-check plans in collaboration with other industries.

With the aim of further improvement of the visibility of "MiRTeL tests" and promotion of disease prevention, surprising new projects are currently in progress in collaboration with other industries.

We will continue to meet the challenge of creating testing services that have never yet been provided, and establishing new standards to enable tests that can be undergone more easily and pleasantly.

Hidetoshi Tahara
Founder, MiRTeL Co., Ltd.
Professor, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University