Innovation Kyoto 2021 Investment Limited Partnership" ("KYOTO-iCAP FundⅡ"), managed by Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co.,Ltd. ("Kyoto iCAP") (Headquarters: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Ko Kusumi) as its general partner, has made a new investment in Physiologas Technologies Inc. (Headquarters: Sagamihara City, Kanagawa; Representative Director: Kazuyoshi Miyawaki), a company developing home-use dialysis devices.

Overview of the investment
Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease, with approximately three million patients worldwide currently receiving dialysis. As societies continue to age globally, the number of dialysis patients is increasing. Patients are generally required to visit dialysis centers three times per week, undergoing treatment sessions that last four to five hours each, which imposes a significant burden on their daily lives.

While home dialysis is technically possible, its adoption remains limited due to high barriers to device installation and use. Conventional home dialysis systems require more than 300 liters of purified water per treatment, necessitating the installation of additional water purification equipment and resulting in increased water utility costs. These factors have been major obstacles to the widespread adoption of home dialysis. Physiologas has successfully developed a specialized column and established a technology that enables the removal of waste products from the patient’s body without the use of purified water.

Once Physiologas’ dialysis device obtains regulatory approval as a medical device and becomes available for general use, home dialysis is expected to become significantly more accessible. Patients will be able to receive dialysis treatment at home at times convenient for them, and the ease of increasing treatment frequency is anticipated to lead to improved health outcomes compared with in-center dialysis.

Physiologas has recently entered into an agreement with the Institute for Advancement of Clinical and Translational Science (iACT) at Kyoto University Hospital, under which the company will receive support in areas such as clinical development and data analysis. Kyoto iCAP has decided to invest approximately 100 million yen, in anticipation that Physiologas’ home-use dialysis device under development will deliver substantial benefits, including significant improvements in the quality of life (QOL) of dialysis patients.

Overview of Physiologas Technologies, Inc.
Establishment : March 2020
Business Description: Development of home-use dialysis devices
Head Office: 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa, Japan
Representative Director: Kazuyoshi Miyawaki
HP : https://physiologas.co.jp/

Kyoto University Innovation Capital, Co. Ltd.(Kyoto iCAP):
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyoto University, KYOTO-iCAP provides investment and other business support to companies that utilize research results generated by Kyoto University and other national universities. KYOTO-iCAP currently operates the Innovation Kyoto 2016 Investment Limited Partnership ("KYOTO-iCAP FundⅠ") (established in January 2016) with a total value of 16 billion yen and the KYOTO-iCAP FundⅡ (established in January 2021) with a total value of 18.1 billion yen. The KYOTO-iCAP FundⅠ has a maturity of up to 20 years, and the KYOTO-iCAP FundⅡ has a maturity of up to 17 years, making it possible to provide long-term support for the practical application of research results from Kyoto University, which has strengths in basic research. In addition, KYOTO-iCAP FundⅡ will invest a portion of the funds in ventures originating from national universities other than Kyoto University.

Contact information for inquiries
Kyoto University Innovation Capital, Co. Ltd.
36-1, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8317, Japan
Osami Kono, Senior Officer, Business Development Department
E-mail：info@kyoto-icap.co.jp
TEL: 075-753-7588