WetLab

What WetLab does

WetLab Incorporated (ウェトラブ株式会社) is a Japanese medical technology company founded February 8, 2012 by CEO Yoshio Okano, headquartered at Ryukoku University REC in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. The company develops and manufactures PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) hydrogel-based wet simulators for surgical training and medical device validation. Its core product portfolio spans six categories — blood vessel models, organ models, sheet models, medical imaging phantom models, bone models, and bespoke custom models — with specialized variants for catheter training, anastomosis practice, vascular imaging, and energy-device compatibility. WetLab's proprietary PVA processing technology, protected by eight registered Japanese patents and one US patent (No. 8,758,797 B2), addresses the longstanding manufacturing difficulty of PVA material and yields wet, hydrophilic, tissue-like models with adjustable hardness, elasticity, cutting sensation, and suturing response that simulate human anatomy for both surgical skill development and medical device performance evaluation.

WetLab sells exclusively through direct enterprise sales: products are custom-manufactured to customer specifications, quoted on a per-project basis, and distributed primarily to Japanese medical device manufacturers, university hospitals, and medical schools, with international shipments handled via DHL and FedEx under EXW trade terms. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and the company operates a quote-based, inquiry-driven model — its online shop was closed in December 2024 and purchases are now channeled through its website contact form. The firm reported 15 employees and ¥30 million of registered capital as of the most recent disclosures, with revenue and funding undisclosed.

Strategic positioning is anchored by academic and industry validation. Products have been referenced in a 2019 Nature/Scientific Reports publication, featured at the RAMSES 2025 international robotic vascular anastomosis surgery contest, and adopted for METI's Sapoin Strategic Foundation Technology Advancement Support Program in 2020 for neurosurgery training simulation (TOM model) development. Recent activity includes the launch of a significantly improved two-layer pseudo-vessel and the MSK-0.5mm ultra-thin single-layer vessel in October 2025, alongside an academic partnership with Fukuoka University Professor Hasegawa for IMA/SMV rectal cancer procedure models (announced June 2026) and ongoing validation with Kyoto University Neurosurgery (Dr. Jun Takahashi). The company has no disclosed external funding and remains founder-controlled under CEO Yoshio Okano.

Name

WetLab

Legal name

WetLab Incorporated (ウェトラブ株式会社)

Website

https://wetlab.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WetLab (ウェトラブ株式会社) is a Japanese medical technology company that develops and manufactures PVA hydrogel-based wet simulators for surgical training, serving medical device manufacturers, university hospitals, and medical schools with its proprietary tissue-mimicking models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surgical Training Simulators

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical & Dental Prototyping (Models, Guides, Pre-Op Planning) (IMAAAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medical & Life Sciences Injection Molding (Devices, Diagnostics, Cleanroom) (IMANAFAC)

Keywords

• Surgical training simulators
• PVA hydrogel models
• Medical imaging phantoms
• Vascular anastomosis training
• Anatomical phantom models

Headquarters

HQ city

Otsu

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Medical Simulator Sales: Sale of wet simulators for surgical training including blood vessel models, organ models, sheet models, phantom models, bone models, and custom models. Products are sold directly via inquiry/quotation process with pricing based on specifications.
2. Custom Model Manufacturing: Bespoke manufacturing of human body part models according to customer specifications for hardness, shape, and options. Includes brain models, gingiva models, eyeball models, and specialized surgical training models.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WetLab develops and manufactures PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) hydrogel-based wet simulators for surgical training, including blood vessel models, organ models, sheet models, phantom models, bone models, and custom models. The products mimic human tissue properties such as hydrophilicity, elasticity, cutting sensation, and suturing response, and are compatible with electrosurgical/ultrasonic scalpels and medical imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, MRI, contrast MRI). Products are custom-manufactured to customer specifications and sold via direct inquiry/quotation to medical device manufacturers, universities, university hospitals, and general hospitals.

Product overview

WetLab is a manufacturer of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) hydrogel-based WET SIMULATORS for medical surgical training. The product portfolio comprises six core product categories: Blood vessel models (血管モデル) for vascular resection, suture, and stent practice; Organ models (臓器モデル) for intestinal and visceral surgical training; Sheet models (シートモデル) for skin and tissue simulation; Phantom models (ファントムモデル) for medical imaging (MRI/CT/X-ray) calibration; Bone models (骨モデル) for orthopedic and neurosurgical training; and Custom models (特注モデル) for bespoke anatomical models. These products are supported by specialized accessories including the Blood vessel anastomosis training kit, Brain surface model, Horizontal microscope bone base, and Intestinal anastomosis kit. All products utilize WetLab's proprietary PVA processing technology to achieve realistic tissue-like properties including hydrophilicity, elasticity, and cutting sensation. The company also produces specialized variants such as pressure-resistant, transparent, and plaque-type pseudo-vessels, as well as organ-specific models like IMA and SMV models for rectal cancer training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blood Vessel Models (血管モデル) PVA-based hydrogel medical simulation models for practicing blood vessel resection, incision, suture, anastomosis, and stent graft insertion procedures. Provides realistic tactile feedback similar to living tissue for vascular surgeons and interventional training.
• Organ Models (臓器モデル) Hydrophilic organ simulation models with human-like cutting sensation and incision opening behavior, suitable for surgical skill training including intestinal anastomosis, suture practice, and leak testing.
• Sheet Models (シートモデル) Elastic tissue simulation sheets matching human skin and organ properties for incision, suture, endoscopic, and puncture training, as well as sharpness testing for surgical instruments. Includes bio-sheet and skin model variants.
• Phantom Models (ファントムモデル) Medical imaging phantom models for MRI contrast, CT measurement, and X-ray analysis. Custom-made for various body parts with varying hardness. Compatible with contrast MRI and can embed cancer models for diagnostic imaging training.
• Bone Models (骨モデル) Bone simulation models including cranial, femoral, and wrist models with hardness similar to real human bone. Made from PVA material, visible in X-ray imaging, with customizable hardness and shape.
• Custom Models (特注モデル) Custom-made anatomical models including brain, gingiva, eyeball, heart, and other body parts, produced to customer specifications for hardness, shape, and options using PVA material.
• Pseudo-vessel MSK-0.5mm (疑似血管 MSK-0.5mm) Newly developed single-layer pseudo-vessel with 0.5mm outer diameter for ultra-fine vascular anastomosis training, adopted at RAMSES 2025 international robotic vascular anastomosis surgery contest.
• Two-layer Type Pseudo-vessel (2層タイプ疑似血管) Significantly improved two-layer type pseudo-vessel for advanced vascular training applications, with sales commencing October 1, 2025.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered significant and core.

• 福岡大学 長谷川教授significantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Professor Hasegawa from Fukuoka University supervised the development of organ model surgical training programs (IMA model for inferior mesenteric artery and SMV model for superior mesenteric vein), creating educational content for rectal cancer surgery training.
• 経済産業省 (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020WetLab's neurosurgery specialist training simulation (TOM model) development was accepted into METI's Strategic Fundamental Technology Advancement Support Project (Sapoin Project) for fiscal year 2020. This government-supported initiative validates the company's technological capabilities and innovation in medical training simulation.
• 京都大学脳神経外科significantStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jun Takahashi from Kyoto University Department of Neurosurgery provides training images using WetLab blood vessel models, validating product quality for neurosurgical anastomosis training applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• VirtaMed: Swiss developer of high-fidelity virtual reality surgical simulators for arthroscopy, laparoscopy and other procedures. Competes for the same hospital and medical school training budgets as WetLab via an entirely digital, scalable delivery model.
• Mentice: Swedish endovascular simulation company specializing in catheter-based and interventional procedure training. Partial overlap with WetLab's vascular and catheter training models, but delivered via virtual simulation rather than physical PVA vessels.

Direct peers

• SynDaver Labs: US-based manufacturer of synthetic human tissues, organs and body parts for medical training and surgical simulation. Direct competitor to WetLab in wet-tissue surgical training simulators, with comparable value proposition around realistic wet-tissue feel for medical education.
• Erler-Zimmer: German manufacturer of anatomical models, medical simulators and training phantoms for healthcare education. Direct comparable to WetLab in producing physical anatomical and procedural training models for medical professionals and educational institutions.
• Simulab Corporation: US maker of soft-tissue surgical simulation models for skills training across multiple specialties. Closely comparable to WetLab in offering tissue-like trainers for incision, suture and procedural practice used by medical schools and device companies.
• Limbs & Things: UK-based producer of medical task trainers and clinical skills models for healthcare education. Comparable to WetLab in supplying hospitals, universities and medical schools with procedural training models, though with broader portfolio and more global distribution.
• Nasco Healthcare: US-based maker of medical training simulators, task trainers and procedural models for nursing, emergency and surgical education. Comparable to WetLab in supplying realistic physical training devices to medical schools and hospitals across multiple specialties.

Broad incumbents

• Surgical Science Sweden: Swedish provider of virtual reality surgical simulation and training software, with growing presence in robotic surgery training. Adjacent competitor to WetLab addressing the same surgical training budget but via digital rather than wet-tissue physical simulators.
• CAE Healthcare: Global medical simulation company offering patient simulators, surgical training solutions and educational software. Broader incumbent serving the same hospital/university buyer base as WetLab, but with much wider portfolio including manikins and digital platforms.

Regional players

• Kyoto Kagaku: Japanese manufacturer of medical phantoms, anatomical models and training simulators serving radiology, ultrasound and clinical education. Direct functional peer to WetLab in Japan's medical training market, competing for the same hospital and university customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 WetLab