~Investment in ORPHE Co., Ltd., a motion sensor technology company for feet~
ASICS x ORPHE x Shimokitazawa Hospital x Rohto Pharmaceutical
launch initiative to extend healthy lifespan and walking lifespan
March 31, 2023
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, President and Representative Director: Masafumi Sugimoto, hereinafter "Rohto Pharmaceutical") announced on March 23, 2023, that it has invested in ORPHE Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yuya Kikukawa, hereinafter "ORPHE"), a developer and seller of foot motion sensors, by subscribing to a third-party allocation of shares. In addition, with the cooperation of Shimokitazawa Hospital, a medical corporation of Seisenkai (Location: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Katsuya Hisamichi, hereinafter "Shimokitazawa Hospital"), ASICS Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Kobe City, President and Representative Director CEO and COO: Yasuhito Hirota, hereinafter "ASICS"), ORPHE, and Rohto Pharmaceutical have agreed to carry out an initiative (hereinafter "this initiative") aimed at extending healthy life expectancy and walking life expectancy based on gait data.
The goal of this initiative is to use ORPHE's sensors to collect gait (walking pattern) data such as step count, walking speed, stride length, ground contact angle, and stance time. Based on analysis combining ASICS Institute of Sport Science's unique knowledge of feet and walking patterns, cultivated over many years, with clinical and medical data from Shimokitazawa Hospital, we will construct a "walking health score" algorithm that scores health status based on walking patterns from healthy to pre-disease states. We aim to modularize this algorithm so that it can be used by a wider range of individuals, businesses, local governments, and medical institutions.
Furthermore, in the medical field during the disease and recovery phases, we aim to develop a package that scores whether improvements are being made in disease-specific symptoms and gait patterns during rehabilitation for foot diseases such as osteoarthritis of the knee (knee OA). Based on this, doctors and physical therapists can perform quantitative analysis and utilize it for guidance during outpatient visits. This development will leverage the clinical data and extensive knowledge gained from working with patients at Shimokitazawa Hospital. We aim to explore future applications in the medical field, such as disease prevention, remote diagnosis and guidance, and combinations with our Regenerative medicine, with the goal of expanding its use to a wider range of medical institutions.
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has adopted the "ROHTO Group Comprehensive Management Vision 2030: Connect for Well-being" and will continue to take on challenges with the spirit of "NEVER SAY NEVER," aiming to contribute to the well-being of people around the world through its business activities and to realize a sustainable society where people can live healthy and happy lives. We will continue to promote our activities together with partners inside and outside the company in order to support society and create the world of tomorrow.
About ORPHE Co., Ltd.
With the mission of "changing the world from our feet," we have been researching and developing smart shoes since our founding. Our smart shoe platform, "ORPHE," uses sensors inside the shoe to analyze gait, enabling the recording of various indicators such as walking speed, landing angle, and landing impact simply by wearing them. In the future, we will apply this technology to the medical and healthcare fields, and by making shoes, which everyone uses every day, an interface, we aim to extend the healthy lifespan of everyone and realize a society where people can continue to walk happily.
About ASICS Corporation
Our founding philosophy is "A sound mind in a sound body," and we provide products and services that contribute to the physical and mental health of all people around the world. By focusing on and analyzing human movement, and using our uniquely developed materials, structures, and technologies, we strive to create technologies, products, and services that maximize the potential of not only athletes, but people all over the world. We aim to create a world where everyone can be involved in exercise and sports throughout their lives and maintain good physical and mental health.
About Shimokitazawa Hospital, operated by the medical corporation Seisenkai
In the United States, there is a field of study called "podiatry," which specializes in the foot as an organ, and approximately 15,000 podiatrists are engaged in the treatment of foot-related issues. In the U.S., it is common to consult a podiatrist first when a foot problem occurs. Unfortunately, however, such a specialized department does not exist in Japan, and currently, people consult various departments based on their own judgment, and coordination is not well-established. Shimokitazawa Hospital, a medical corporation of Seisenkai, has established a Comprehensive Foot Disease Center and a Diabetes Center, and has started the first medical treatment in Japan to focus on "podiatry." Rather than simply removing the affected area, our concept is to "support health from the feet," and we will take a more fundamental and comprehensive approach to preventing illness.