What NB Health Laboratory does

NB Health Laboratory Co. Ltd. (NBHL), founded in 2006 and headquartered in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, is a private biotechnology company developing functional monoclonal antibodies that target G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Its proprietary MoGRAA® Discovery Engine integrates target GPCR identification, novel immunization methods, optimized screening, functionality evaluation, and antibody structure optimization to produce functional antibodies against GPCR subtypes — including historically difficult lipid-ligand receptors — for which RiGRASSTM, a proprietary single-cell screening sub-platform, accelerates candidate isolation.

The company's lead disclosed candidates are NBA-1901, a CCR7-targeting antibody for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and kidney fibrosis; NBG025, an LPA1-targeting antibody with inverse agonist activity for IPF; and NBA-1603, an EP4-targeting antibody for autoimmune indications such as colitis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Composition-of-matter patents have been granted in Japan for all three targets (CXCR3, CCR7 and LPA1) between October 2024 and December 2025, with PCT counterparts filed. NBHL operates a hybrid business model: it out-licenses and co-develops pipeline assets and the MoGRAA platform with pharmaceutical partners (notably ReCentrics Biotechnology in China since August 2021, and FRONTEO for AI integration since October 2025), while maintaining select in-house programs toward clinical application. It has raised approximately $12.9M to date and holds certifications as a Hokkaido University-certified startup and J-Startup HOKKAIDO selected company.

Operationally, NBHL is run by founder and president Dr. Kiyoshi Takayama (ex-Taisho Pharmaceutical), with Jun Takasaki as CSO (ex-Astellas Pharma), Dr. Hiroki Shirai (ex-Astellas executive fellow, RIKEN) as Science Advisor, and a board that includes external directors connected to FTI, a Japanese biotech-focused investment firm. Revenue has not been disclosed and the firm is pre-commercial, with its primary monetization pathway being future out-licensing transactions and milestone-based royalties on licensed programs.

Name

NB Health Laboratory

Legal name

NB Health Laboratory Co. Ltd.

Website

https://nbhl.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NB Health Laboratory (NBHL) is a Sapporo-based private biotech developing functional monoclonal antibodies against GPCR targets for fibrosis, autoimmune and severe viral indications using its proprietary MoGRAA® Discovery Engine platform, monetizing via out-licensing and co-development deals with pharmaceutical partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical R&D / GPCR-Targeted Antibody Drug Discovery

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics (mAbs) (HLAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB), AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE)

Keywords

• GPCR antibody discovery
• Monoclonal antibody therapeutics
• Biopharmaceutical R&D
• Antibody out-licensing
• Drug discovery platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Sapporo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Out-licensing / Technology licensing: The company pursues early out-licensing of GPCR-targeted antibody pipelines to pharmaceutical companies for clinical development and commercialization. Business model is described as 'Drug Discovery Hybrid Business Model' combining MoGRAA Discovery Engine technology with attractive GPCR-targeted antibody pipelines.
2. Co-development partnerships: Joint development agreements with pharmaceutical and biotech partners where NBHL contributes its GPCR antibody technology platform and pipeline candidates while partners contribute development expertise and capital for clinical advancement.
3. In-house pipeline development: Self-development of selected pipeline candidates through preclinical stages with goal of clinical application. Internal development pursued for therapeutic areas including fibrosis, autoimmune diseases, and severe viral infections.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NBHL develops and licenses GPCR-targeted monoclonal antibody therapeutics generated through its proprietary MoGRAA Discovery Engine platform. The company combines in-house pipeline development (CCR7 antibody NBA-1901, LPA1 antibody NBG025, EP4 antibody NBA-1603 for fibrosis, autoimmune diseases, and severe viral infections) with out-licensing and co-development partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies. The MoGRAA platform — backed by RiGRASSTM single-cell screening technology and AI integration via FRONTEO DDAIF — addresses the historical difficulty of generating functional antibodies against GPCRs.

Product overview

NB Health Laboratory is a biopharmaceutical company focused on GPCR-targeted antibody drug discovery. The company's core offering is the MoGRAA® Discovery Engine, a proprietary technology platform that enables efficient development of functional monoclonal antibodies against G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This platform is complemented by RiGRASSTM technology for single-cell screening. The company operates a hybrid business model combining in-house pipeline development (including NBA-1901 for fibrosis, NBG025 for IPF, and NBA-1603 for autoimmune diseases) with technology out-licensing opportunities. The company also collaborates with FRONTEO using AI-powered Drug Discovery AI Factory (DDAIF) to enhance target identification and pipeline value.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MoGRAA® Discovery Engine Proprietary drug discovery platform specialized for GPCR-targeted antibodies. NBHL combines in-house platform use with technology licensing to pharmaceutical and biotech partners for GPCR antibody discovery.
• RiGRASSTM (Rapid isolation of GPCR-specific Antibody by Single-cell Screening System) Single-cell screening technology bundled with the MoGRAA platform that enables rapid selection of cells producing GPCR-binding antibodies, offered to pharmaceutical and biotech partners via NBHL's licensing program.
• NBA-1901 (anti-human CCR7 monoclonal antibody) First-in-class therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting CCR7, a chemokine receptor in the tissue fibrosis pathway; offered to pharmaceutical partners via out-licensing/co-development for fibrosis indications.
• NBG025 (anti-human LPA1 monoclonal antibody) First-in-class therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting LPA1, a lipid mediator receptor associated with tissue fibrosis; offered to pharmaceutical partners via out-licensing/co-development for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and related fibrotic diseases.
• NBA-1603 (anti-human EP4 monoclonal antibody) First-in-class EP4 selective monoclonal antibody candidate for autoimmune diseases; offered to pharmaceutical partners via out-licensing/co-development for colitis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's first substance patent granted for functional antibody against human LPA1 target
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FRONTEO, Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2025NBHL entered a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) research agreement with FRONTEO to jointly advance antibody drug pipeline creation. The collaboration combines FRONTEO's AI-powered Drug Discovery AI Factory (DDAIF) platform with NBHL's MoGRAA platform. DDAIF's capability to discover novel disease-associated target molecules is combined with MoGRAA's strength in efficiently discovering highly selective antibodies against GPCRs. The partnership aims to accelerate development of innovative therapeutics targeting GPCRs through AI-driven hypothesis generation and causal inference analysis.
• Hokkaido University International Center for Zoonosis Control ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2023Collaborative research with Hokkaido University for development of novel viral infection therapeutics. NBHL was awarded 'Hokkaido University Certified Startup Company' status through this collaboration, pursuing new treatments for viral infections jointly with the university research center.
• Dr. Hiroki Shirai (RIKEN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Science Advisory Agreement with Dr. Hiroki Shirai, former executive fellow at Astellas Pharma Inc. (currently at RIKEN). Dr. Shirai is an expert in protein data science and antibody bioinformatics, having achieved best results in international competitions for antibody structure prediction. The agreement aims to accelerate theoretical R&D of therapeutic functional antibodies through machine learning and molecular modeling, and to apply big data and AI technology to drug discovery research.
• ReCentrics Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 August 2021Global collaboration for joint R&D and commercialization of GPCR antibody therapies. NBHL signed agreements with ReCentrics Biotechnology for co-development and global commercialization of GPCR antibody drugs. This partnership provides access to Chinese market development capabilities and expands NBHL's global partnering network for pipeline advancement.
• Hokkaido & Sapporo Bioindustry ConsortiumminorOthersNBHL exhibits as part of the Hokkaido & Sapporo Bioindustry Consortium at partnering conferences including BioJapan, providing visibility and networking through the regional biotech industry association.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sosei Heptares: Japan- and UK-based GPCR-focused biotech with proprietary SBDD platform for GPCR-targeted drug discovery. Directly comparable technology positioning targeting the same difficult-to-drug GPCR space and pursuing out-licensing to pharma, though primarily focused on small molecules and includes structural biology capabilities.
• Domain Therapeutics: French GPCR-specialized biotech with proprietary platforms (Biolab, SensID) for developing antibody and small molecule drugs against GPCRs. Most direct technology overlap with NBHL's MoGRAA in the GPCR-targeted antibody niche.
• Confo Therapeutics: Belgian biotech developing single-domain antibody (VHH) therapeutics specifically targeting GPCRs using Confobody platform. Same therapeutic class (GPCR antibodies) with comparable out-licensing model and a focus on difficult-to-drug GPCR targets.

Emerging players

• iTeos Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing immuno-oncology antibodies including GPCR-targeting candidates. Comparable antibody-based therapeutic development model targeting GPCR pathways (e.g., adenosine A2A receptor) with the goal of partnering or independent clinical development.
• BridGene Biosciences: US-based biotech applying chemoproteomics and covalent chemistry to target difficult proteins including GPCRs. Comparable therapeutic focus on hard-to-drug targets and antibody-based therapeutic development, with similar stage of maturity and out-licensing strategy.

Broad incumbents

• AbCellera Biologics: Canada-based antibody discovery platform leveraging single-cell screening technology. Comparable technology approach to antibody discovery using single-cell analysis (overlap with NBHL's RiGRASS single-cell screening system), operating at platform-as-a-service scale.
• Adimab: US-based antibody discovery platform serving pharma and biotech through technology licensing partnerships. Comparable technology-out-licensing business model with proprietary antibody engineering capabilities, though broader in target class.
• Eisai Co., Ltd. Major Japanese pharmaceutical company with established track record in biologic drug development and fibrosis indications. Comparable Japanese-based pharma ecosystem participant that could be a potential licensing partner for NBHL's GPCR antibody pipeline in IPF and other fibrosis indications.
• Takeda Pharmaceutical: Largest Japanese pharmaceutical company with established GPCR research programs and active biologic licensing activity. Comparable Japanese pharma ecosystem participant with strong interest in autoimmune and rare disease pipelines relevant to NBHL's portfolio.

Others

• FRONTEO, Inc. Japan-based AI-driven drug discovery company with proprietary Drug Discovery AI Factory (DDAIF) platform. Direct partnership counterparty (Oct 2025 PoC agreement) and complementary technology for AI-enabled target identification combined with MoGRAA's antibody discovery capability.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nb-health-laboratory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NB Health Laboratory