Lab Biotech

What Lab Biotech does

LAB Biotech (株式会社LABバイオテック) is a Hokkaido University-originated biotechnology startup founded in March 2020 in Sapporo, Japan, that specializes in lactic acid bacteria research, isolation, screening, and commercial productization. The company maintains a proprietary library of over 300 newly isolated lactic acid bacteria strains (approximately 100 from fermented foods and approximately 150 plant-based strains) developed through ongoing joint research with Hokkaido University, and has developed a unique extracellular vesicle (EV) purification technology capable of extracting both milk exosomes and lactic acid bacteria-derived EVs from cheese whey. Its technology platform supports a compressed development timeline of approximately 3 months to 2 years from strain discovery to commercial product, with flagship proprietary brands including Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Type-I (Pediococcus pentosaceus, allergy suppression via Th1/Th2 balance), Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Premium (Pediococcus sp. KB-1 strain, immune potentiation via IFN-γ/IL-12 induction, with 1.5 trillion+ bacteria per gram), Furusato Lactic Acid Bacteria (food and fertilizer application), the Fromage EVs double-exosome sustainable cosmetic ingredient, and a cheese whey-derived EV research reagent.

The company generates revenue through four primary streams: sales of proprietary lactic acid bacteria ingredients and consumer products (Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria granules, Hokkaido University Clark Rusk, etc.) to food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical manufacturers; contract functional evaluation services (cell-based assays, animal testing, biochemical assays); joint development and consulting engagements including co-branding and licensing arrangements; and research reagent sales, particularly the cheese whey EV reagent (5.0×10^12 particles per vial) sold to academic and biotech researchers. Pricing is entirely inquiry-based with no public list prices, and the go-to-market combines direct B2B sales, channel partnerships (Cosmo Bio for R&D services and reagent distribution, King Bake for consumer product retail and vending machines), and event-driven demand generation through exhibitions such as BioJAPAN2025 and the JSSA Hokkaido Pitch Award.

LAB Biotech serves a horizontally segmented customer base across food and beverage manufacturers, cosmetics and skincare manufacturers, life science research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and consumer retail (bakery products and vending machines). The company is privately held with approximately 47 million yen registered capital as of January 2025, has received disclosed investment from Cosmo Bio (50 million yen, October 2024) and the Hokuyo SDGs Promotion No. 2 Fund (March 2024), and maintains strategic alliances with Hokkaido University (R&D partnership), DWTI (April 2026 joint research on ophthalmic therapeutics using LAB EVs), King Bake (channel partner and shareholder), and CMIC HD (regional joint research). Lead researcher Miyazaki Tadaaki holds 25 patent applications, and the company has been certified as both a Hokkaido University-originated startup and a J-Startup HOKKAIDO company, with stated intent to pursue a future stock market listing.

Name

Lab Biotech

Legal name

株式会社LABバイオテック

Website

https://lab-biotech.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

LAB Biotech is a Hokkaido University-originated Sapporo-based biotech startup that develops and commercializes proprietary lactic acid bacteria strains and extracellular vesicle ingredients for food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and life science research customers in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probiotics and Functional Food Ingredients

NAICS

Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultures, Probiotics & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Yeast, Adjuncts) (CRADAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Probiotics & Digestive Health Supplements (CRADAGAF), Whey Fermentation & Bioprocessing (Lactose-to-Acid/Alcohol, Biomass) (AFAHAGAJ), Yogurt & Cultured Dairy (Yogurt, Kefir, Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese) (CRADACAB)

Keywords

• Lactic acid bacteria research
• Probiotic strain development
• Functional food ingredients
• Extracellular vesicle cosmetics
• Biological evaluation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sapporo-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Proprietary Lactic Acid Bacteria Product Sales: Sales of proprietary branded lactic acid bacteria strains and ingredients, including Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Type-I and Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Premium, sold to food and cosmetics manufacturers. Also includes consumer-facing products such as Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria granules (Stick 500) and reagent-grade EV products.
2. Contract Functional Evaluation Services: Functional evaluation of lactic acid bacteria performed as a contracted service for food and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Services include cell-based assays, animal testing, and biochemical assays to evaluate the functional properties of lactic acid bacteria strains.
3. Joint Development and Consulting: Collaborative development of new lactic acid bacteria strains with manufacturers, including consulting on functional labeling claims and product development strategy. LAB Biotech also offers its own strains for co-branding or licensing arrangements.
4. Research Reagent Sales: Sale of cheese whey-derived extracellular vesicle reagents to research institutions and biotech companies for use in exosome research, cell proliferation assays, and collagen quantification studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LAB Biotech develops, manufactures, and sells proprietary lactic acid bacteria strains and ingredients (Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Type-I and Premium) to food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company also offers contract R&D services covering lactic acid bacteria isolation, screening, and functional evaluation, joint development consulting, research reagent sales (cheese whey-derived EVs), and a sustainable cosmetics ingredient (Fromage EVs) containing double exosomes from cheese whey.

Product overview

LAB Biotech is a Hokkaido University-affiliated certified startup company that develops and manufactures lactic acid bacteria products. The core product line consists of Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria (クラーク乳酸菌) brand, including Type I for allergy suppression and Premium for immune enhancement. The company also developed Fromage EVs as a sustainable cosmetics ingredient utilizing cheese whey-derived extracellular vesicles. In addition to proprietary products, LAB Biotech offers R&D services including lactic acid bacteria exploration, functional evaluation contracting, and joint development consulting. The company maintains a proprietary library of over 300 newly discovered lactic acid bacteria strains and has developed patented KB-1 strain applications for PMS improvement and allergy suppression.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• クラーク乳酸菌 (Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria): Proprietary lactic acid bacteria brand developed in collaboration with Hokkaido University, including Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Type-I and Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Premium products with immune enhancement and allergy suppression properties.
• クラーク乳酸菌プレミアム (Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Premium)
• クラーク乳酸菌type-Ⅰ (Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Type-I)
• Fromage EVs
• チーズホエイ細胞外小胞 (Cheese Whey Extracellular Vesicles)
• ふるさと乳酸菌 (Furusato Lactic Acid Bacteria)

Products and services

• Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Type-I (クラーク乳酸菌 Type-I) Proprietary lactic acid bacteria product (Pediococcus pentosaceus) for allergy suppression, adjusting Th1/Th2 balance by increasing IFN-γ and decreasing IL-4 in a dose-dependent manner. Sold to food and cosmetics manufacturers as a functional ingredient and through consumer product channels.
• Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Premium (クラーク乳酸菌プレミアム) Premium proprietary lactic acid bacteria product containing Pediococcus sp. KB-1 strain for immune potentiation via strong IFN-γ and IL-12 induction, with additional allergy suppression via reduced IgE receptor subunit gene expression. Sold to food and cosmetics manufacturers.
• Fromage EVs World's first sustainable cosmetics ingredient containing double exosomes (both lactic acid bacteria-derived EVs and milk exosomes) derived from cheese whey. Designed for cosmetics and skincare manufacturers seeking novel, sustainable, science-backed anti-aging ingredients.
• Cheese Whey Extracellular Vesicles (チーズホエイ細胞外小胞) Reagent-grade extracellular vesicles from cheese whey containing both milk-derived exosomes and lactic acid bacteria-derived EVs at 5.0×10^12 particles per vial. Used as a research standard for exosome studies and as a positive control for epidermal cell proliferation and collagen quantification assays. Sold to academic and biotech research institutions.
• Lactic Acid Bacteria R&D Service (乳酸菌の研究開発) Full-service contract research and development for novel lactic acid bacteria strains, from exploration and screening to productization. Serves food and pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking custom probiotic strain development.
• Functional Evaluation Services (機能性評価の受託) Contracted functional evaluation services for lactic acid bacteria including cell-based assays, animal testing, and biochemical analyses. Provides functional data to food and pharmaceutical manufacturers to support product claims and health labeling.
• Joint Development Service (共同開発) Joint development and consulting service covering new lactic acid bacteria strain development, functional labeling claim support, product development strategy, and commercialization consulting. Includes options for co-branding or licensing arrangements using LAB Biotech's proprietary strains.
• Furusato Lactic Acid Bacteria (ふるさと乳酸菌) Furusato Lactic Acid Bacteria offering that allows incorporation of 100 billion to 1 trillion unit counts of lactic acid bacteria into various food ingredients or use as fertilizer, enabling regional product differentiation for food manufacturers and agricultural applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• KB-1 strain reduced PMS-related depressive mood, lack of interest, lethargy, and feeling overwhelmed scores in 12 female subjects aged 20-49 after 1 month of intake
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• De-Westernen Therapeutics Institute (株式会社デ・ウエスタン・セラピテクス研究所, DWTI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026LAB Biotech entered a comprehensive joint research agreement with DWTI starting April 1, 2026 to develop ophthalmic therapeutic drugs using extracellular vesicles from lactic acid bacteria. LAB Biotech contributes component analysis, quality standards, and in vitro screening, while DWTI leads clinical trials, safety evaluation, and commercialization. This is a pioneering application in eye disease treatment with fewer than five global studies as of March 2026.
• Imunos (株式会社イムノス)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2024LAB Biotech transferred a lactic acid bacteria R&D project to Imunos, with a formal contract signed on August 29, 2024. Imunos President Kanemiyo visited LAB Biotech for the signing ceremony.
• King Bake (株式会社キングベーク)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 April 2024King Bake, a Hakodate bakery, is a major channel partner and shareholder of LAB Biotech. The company uses Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria Premium in products including Hokkaido University Clark Rusk (100 billion bacteria per serving), Hakodate Rusk Butter, Hakodate Yongkan Bitter Chocolate, sandwiches, and rice balls. Products are sold at King Bake stores, Hakodate Station vending machines, and Hokkaido University Original Shop. King Bake's products have been featured on national TV broadcast and in national gift guides.
• Cosmo Bio (コスモ・バイオ株式会社)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 March 2024Cosmo Bio entered a business partnership with LAB Biotech in March 2024 to handle the sales promotion of LAB Biotech's lactic acid bacteria development services, including lactic acid bacteria isolation, identification, and functional testing, as well as providing access to LAB Biotech's lactic acid bacteria strain library.
• CMIC HD (シミックHD) and Rankai Town (蘭越町)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2023LAB Biotech, CMIC HD, and Rankai Town signed a joint research contract on January 16, 2023 to research and develop new lactic acid bacteria strains derived from Rankai Town specialty products such as Rankai rice, and to promote business development based on these strains.
• Hokkaido University (北海道大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2020LAB Biotech was established based on Hokkaido University research and is certified as a Hokkaido University-originated startup. Ongoing joint research with Hokkaido University covers the development and functional analysis of proprietary lactic acid bacteria strains including the Clark Lactic Acid Bacteria strains and the KB-1 strain. LAB Biotech's headquarters and research institute are located within the Hokkaido University Business Spring facility.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Morinaga Milk Industry: Major Japanese dairy and functional food company with proprietary probiotic strains (notably Bifidobacterium longum BB536) and an established B2B lactic acid bacteria ingredients business. Closely comparable to LAB Biotech's core activity of selling branded, science-backed probiotic strains to manufacturers.
• BioGaia: Swedish probiotic strain company that licenses proprietary Lactobacillus reuteri strains to consumer health and food companies worldwide. Directly comparable business model of proprietary strain IP, B2B licensing, and consumer supplement partnerships.
• Lallemand: Canadian-based global developer and producer of yeast and bacteria, including probiotic strains for human nutrition. Comparable in proprietary microbial strain R&D, B2B ingredient sales to food/supplement manufacturers, and contract fermentation services.
• Probi: Swedish probiotic ingredient company that develops and licenses proprietary Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains to food and supplement companies. Closely comparable B2B probiotic licensing business model with strain-level IP focus.

Broad incumbents

• Chr. Hansen (now Novonesis): Global leader in microbial cultures and probiotics for food, supplements, and animal health, formed via the Novozymes-Chr. Hansen merger. Comparable in selling proprietary cultures/probiotic strains to manufacturers but operates at far broader scale and scope than LAB Biotech.
• Yakult Honsha: Iconic Japanese probiotic company built on the proprietary Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota. Comparable in the science-led probiotic branding and B2B/B2C functional food model, though at vastly larger scale and with a focus on fermented dairy beverages.
• Lesaffre: French global yeast and fermentation products company with a growing probiotics and functional ingredient portfolio (via Gnosis by Lesaffre). Comparable in fermented microbial strain R&D and B2B ingredient supply to food and supplement manufacturers.
• Meiji Holdings: Large Japanese food and pharmaceutical company with proprietary probiotic strains (e.g., LG21, R-1) used in yogurt and functional dairy products. Comparable science-led probiotic branding and ingredient IP, though embedded in a much broader CPG portfolio.

Regional players

• Snow Brand Megmilk: Major Japanese dairy company with functional probiotic products (notably LB81 lactic acid bacteria). Comparable as a Japan-based dairy/probiotic player selling science-branded fermented products, though operating at much larger scale than LAB Biotech.

Emerging players

• ExoCoBio: Korean company commercializing exosome-based cosmetic ingredients (e.g., the ExoSCRT line). Comparable as a science-driven exosome cosmetic ingredient supplier, though focused on plant-derived rather than cheese-whey/LAB-derived EVs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Lab Biotech