PaMeLa

What PaMeLa does

PaMeLa株式会社 (Pain Measurement Laboratory) is a Japanese health-technology company founded as an Osaka University spinoff that develops EEG-based systems to objectively quantify and visualize subjective pain without requiring patients to self-report. Its core technology applies artificial intelligence and big-data analytics to brain-wave signals to extract pain components, which are then converted into comparable levels calibrated to each individual's sensory sensitivity.

The company's product surface comprises two complementary offerings. The primary product, the Pain Measurement System, is a combined software and hardware solution targeted at clinical trials, research institutions, and healthcare providers for medical diagnosis support, rehabilitation, pain management, and palliative care. The secondary offering, the Pain Perception Sharing Platform, was jointly developed with NTT Docomo and extends the underlying measurement into communication of pain experiences between individuals, with stated applications in medical diagnosis, XR/gaming entertainment, and assessment of psychological harm in workplace and social-media contexts. PaMeLa is also building clinical and enterprise channels via participation in Tokyo University BioDesign's MedTech ROUND acceleration program, through which it was matched with Medtronic, and via presentations at the Japanese Society of Palliative Care.

Commercially, PaMeLa operates as a private, B2B enterprise vendor with software-licensing and hardware-development revenue streams and a regional (Japan-only) footprint. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales combined with event-driven awareness through industry conferences and academic symposiums. The company executed an early financing round in April 2019 with MedVenture Partners and Osaka University Venture Capital, and as of March 2026 was preparing to relocate its Osaka head office to support business expansion. No revenue, pricing, or named paying customers are publicly disclosed.

Name

PaMeLa

Legal name

PaMeLa株式会社

Website

https://pain-ml.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PaMeLa (Pain Measurement Laboratory) is an Osaka University spinoff that develops EEG-based, AI-driven systems to objectively measure and visualize pain for healthcare providers, clinical researchers, rehabilitation, and palliative-care applications in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pain Measurement Technology

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

SaMD – Digital Biomarkers & Algorithmic Endpoints (HLACANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

SaMD – Imaging & Signal Analysis (AI/ML) (HLACANAG), Digital Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy Therapeutics (HLACANAJ)

Keywords

• Pain measurement technology
• EEG brain wave analysis
• Neurological pain assessment
• Medical diagnostic software
• Clinical research technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Toyonaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Development and Licensing: Development of software for pain measurement, potentially offered as a licensed solution to healthcare providers and clinical research institutions.
2. Hardware Development: Development of EEG hardware components for pain measurement, likely sold or provided alongside software solutions to healthcare institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PaMeLa develops and sells an EEG-based pain measurement system that uses brain wave analysis and AI to objectively quantify and visualize subjective pain without requiring patient self-reporting. The company produces both the software (AI-driven pain extraction and individual sensitivity calibration) and the EEG hardware components, supplying integrated solutions to medical institutions and clinical research organizations for clinical trials, diagnosis support, rehabilitation, and palliative care. Through a partnership with NTT Docomo, it has jointly developed a Pain Perception Sharing Platform that tailors pain communication to individual sensory perception.

Product overview

PaMeLa operates as a single unified product company offering its core EEG-based pain measurement technology. The flagship product is a software and hardware system that objectively measures pain using brain wave analysis and AI, eliminating the need for patient self-reporting. The company has also jointly developed a pain perception sharing platform with NTT Docomo that tailors pain communication based on individual sensitivity. Primary markets include clinical trials (治験・研究), medical institutions (医療機関), and patients requiring more accurate healthcare delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pain Measurement System (EEG-based Pain Measurement Technology) An integrated EEG hardware and AI software system that objectively measures and visualizes pain from brain wave data without requiring patient self-reporting. Designed for medical institutions, clinical research organizations, and pharmaceutical/clinical trial sponsors for diagnosis support, rehabilitation, palliative care, and pain management.
• Pain Perception Sharing Platform A platform jointly developed with NTT Docomo that visualizes and calibrates pain experiences between individuals based on their sensory perception sensitivity. Applications include medical diagnosis support, rehabilitation, entertainment (XR/gaming), and workplace/social media psychological harm contexts.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, major and core.

• Japanese Society of Palliative CaresupportingOthers · 31 March 2026PaMeLa's representative Goto will present at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Palliative Care (May 2026) with a symposium titled 'From Feeling Pain to Understanding Pain — The Essence of Pain and Next-Generation Pain Assessment Led by AI and Neuroscience.' The company aims to introduce its objective pain evaluation technology and discuss paths to adoption in clinical settings.
• MedtronicmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026PaMeLa was matched with Medtronic through the MedTech ROUND acceleration program, which is operated by Tokyo University BioDesign in partnership with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The approximately 2-month program aims to develop business strategies and explore future collaboration possibilities between the startup and the medical device manufacturer.
• Tokyo University BioDesign (MedTech ROUND)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 23 March 2026MedTech ROUND is an acceleration program operated by Tokyo University BioDesign in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It supports 'startup x major corporation' collaboration and matching in the medical device and healthcare field, with the goal of building environments that co-create market-competitive products and businesses.
• NTT DocomocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025NTT DOCOMO and PaMeLa jointly developed the world's first technology enabling pain perception sharing tailored to individual sensitivity, integrating DOCOMO's human-augmentation platform with PaMeLa's EEG-based pain-measurement technology. The system uses brain wave analysis to quantify pain and convert it into comparable levels based on recipients' sensory perception. Applications include medical diagnosis support, rehabilitation, entertainment (XR/gaming), and workplace/social media psychological harm contexts.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Pear Therapeutics: Pear Therapeutics was a pioneering prescription digital therapeutics company, with reSET and reSET-O for substance use disorder and opioid use disorder — the latter directly intersecting PaMeLa's pain-management use cases. While now wound down, it remains an archetype SaMD peer.
• PainQx: PainQx is developing objective pain measurement technology, including tools to quantify pain from neurological signals. It is the most direct conceptual peer to PaMeLa's EEG-based pain biomarker system, targeting similar clinical and research use cases.
• Big Health: Big Health builds digital therapeutics for mental health conditions including insomnia and anxiety, marketed as SaMD. It is comparable to PaMeLa as a software-as-a-medical-device digital therapeutics company pursuing regulated clinical deployment paths.
• Click Therapeutics: Click Therapeutics develops prescription digital therapeutics across indications including pain and mental health. The pain indication overlap and SaMD regulatory model make Click Therapeutics one of the most relevant peers for PaMeLa's clinical commercialization trajectory.
• Akili Interactive: Akili Interactive develops prescription digital therapeutics (SaMD) for cognitive and attention-related conditions. It is a closely comparable SaMD business model — software as a regulated medical device — relevant to how PaMeLa could monetize its pain measurement platform clinically.

Emerging players

• Quanterix: Quanterix provides ultra-sensitive biomarker measurement platforms used in neuroscience and clinical research. While focused on fluid-based biomarkers rather than EEG, the company competes in the broader objective-biomarker-for-pain-and-neurology research market that PaMeLa targets.
• EMOTIV: EMOTIV makes consumer and research EEG headsets and brain-data analytics platforms. It is comparable to PaMeLa on the EEG hardware and brain-signal AI stack, though PaMeLa specializes the analytics layer toward pain quantification.
• Neurable: Neurable builds EEG-based neurotechnology for consumer and enterprise brain-computer interface applications, including focus, wellness, and emotion-state detection. It overlaps with PaMeLa's EEG signal analysis approach and its expansion into XR/consumer use cases.

Broad incumbents

• NeuroPace: NeuroPace is a commercial-stage neurology MedTech company with an FDA-approved implanted brain-stimulation device for epilepsy, using EEG-based neural signal analytics. It is a broader incumbent in the EEG + neurology market and is a comparable Medtronic-style commercialization pathway for PaMeLa's eventual device-based aspirations.

Regional players

• Cyberdyne: Cyberdyne is a Japanese neurotech/cyborg company developing HAL robotic suits that interface with the nervous system for rehabilitation and physical function recovery. It is a comparable Japanese neurotech peer relevant to PaMeLa's domestic rehabilitation and brain-computer interface positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pamela-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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 PaMeLa