Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Chairman and CEO: Hisashi Ietsugu) is working in collaboration with the city of Kobe (Location: Kobe, Japan; Mayor: Kizo Hisamoto), the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital (Location: Kobe, Japan; Director: Yasuki Kihara), and the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe (Location: Kobe, Japan; President: Tasuku Honjo; “FBRI”) on initiatives toward the clinical implementation of a newly developedtest to address a resurgence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Sysmex supports ongoing clinical testing conducted in healthcare settings around the world. We believe it is our mission to work alongside healthcare professionals and do everything in our power to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and overcome this disease. To this end, we are doing our utmost to ensure a stable supply of products and services. Furthermore, we are engaged in initiatives to help prevent COVID-19 from spreading and to allow conditions to return to normal as quickly as possible. On this front, we have obtained the first regulatory approval in Japan for a novel coronavirus testing kit (RT-PCR method). We are leading Japan in collaboration between industry and the public sector (the city of Kobe) to enhance the PCR testing system. In addition, we are working proactively to develop new diagnostic technologies.https://www.sysmex.co.jp/en/COVID19.html
At the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (one of the largest biomedical clusters in Japan), the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe’s hospital liaison consultation desk is coordinating with hospitals, providing full R&D support to help strengthen measures for addressing COVID-19, which is raging throughout the world. As a designated medical institution for Class I infectious diseases, the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, which is located within this biomedical cluster, is playing a central role in the treatment of COVID-19.Currently, Sysmex and the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital are collaborating via the above-mentioned hospital liaison consultation desk to actively promote clinical implementation of the new testing methods Sysmex has developed (SARS-CoV-2 antigen and antibody tests), as well as in relation to the immunological pathophysiology test method.* Also in conjunction with the PCR testing systemthat has already been developed, we are working to enable early-stage patient diagnosis and monitoring for increasingly severe infections and to create an optimal testing flow that medical professionals can use with confidence.
By providing a new model to prevent the re-expansion of COVID-19 and prepare for a second wave, these four entities are instilling confidence in medical care and contributing to public health through Kobe-based initiatives.
Terminology
1 Pathophysiology test method:This refers to a method of testing the mechanisms and progress by which the breakdown of biological function leads to symptoms and diseases. This immunological pathophysiology test method refers to measuring the quantity of immune-related substances that cause COVID-19 to become more severe
