What FlyWorks does

FlyWorks, K.K. (株式会社FlyWorks) is a Sapporo-based biotech founded in September 2023 that operates a Drosophila (fruit fly)-based drug discovery and testing platform. The company leverages the genetic similarity between Drosophila and mammals (over 75% of human disease genes) to offer an alternative to mouse-based testing, claiming cost reductions of up to 1,000x and 10,000x greater testing efficiency versus mice. Its core technology combines proprietary fly model libraries — notably the first model fly library mimicking pancreatic cancer genotypes (international patent pending) — with automated handling systems and a proprietary high-throughput screening method called Flow Zoometry.

FlyWorks monetizes through four service streams: (1) drug discovery support services, providing individual-level compound screening, genetic screening, and disease-signaling-network identification for pharma clients; (2) licensing of in-house developed lead compounds targeting cancer, heart disease, stroke, rheumatism, and diabetes; (3) food testing for safety, quality, and regulatory compliance; and (4) cosmetics safety testing, including toxicology and eye irritation testing. The company serves pharmaceutical companies as the primary customer segment, with food manufacturers and cosmetics companies as secondary verticals. Go-to-market is enterprise direct sales led by CEO Walker Peterson, supplemented by active conference participation at BIO Europe, SWITCH Singapore, InnoVision Singapore, and university showcases.

The company was founded on research from Hokkaido University (Sonoshita Lab and Komatsuzaki Lab), University of Tokyo (Goda Lab), and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Cagan Lab). Backed by Japanese government programs (JST START and CREST, AMED, JSPS core-to-core) and private foundations (Mitsubishi UFJ Technology Development Foundation, Hokuyo Bank), FlyWorks has expanded internationally via FlyWorks America, Inc. (Massachusetts, March 2024) and published peer-reviewed validation in Molecular Therapy (2025) for a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma drug seed. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

FlyWorks

Legal name

FlyWorks, K.K. (株式会社FlyWorks)

Website

https://flyworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FlyWorks uses a Drosophila (fruit fly)-based platform to provide ultra-efficient, low-cost drug discovery, food safety, and cosmetics testing services as an ethical alternative to mammalian testing for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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

Revenue model

1. Drug Discovery Support Services: Individual-level evaluations (compound screening, genetic screening, identification of disease-causing signaling networks) undertaken on behalf of clients for target diseases. Provides evaluation results promptly.
2. Lead Compound Licensing: Information and usage licenses provided for in-house developed lead compounds targeting cancer, heart disease, stroke, rheumatism, and diabetes.
3. Food Testing Services: Individual-level evaluations ensuring safety, quality, and compliance of food products with legal and health standards.
4. Cosmetics Safety Testing: Individual-level evaluations ensuring safety and efficacy of cosmetic products including toxicology testing and eye irritation testing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FlyWorks operates a Drosophila (fruit fly) based drug discovery platform that performs individual-level compound screening, genetic screening, and identification of disease-causing signaling networks on behalf of pharmaceutical clients. The company also provides food product safety/quality testing and cosmetics safety (toxicology and eye irritation) testing using the same Drosophila-based alternative testing approach, and licenses in-house developed lead compounds targeting cancer, heart disease, stroke, rheumatism, and diabetes.

Product overview

FlyWorks operates as a Drosophila-based (fruit fly) drug discovery platform offering four distinct services. The core platform leverages Drosophila as a cost-effective and ethically preferable alternative to mammal testing for drug discovery. The product portfolio includes Drug Discovery Support (contracted individual-level evaluations for compound and genetic screening), Licenses for Lead Compounds (proprietary therapeutic candidates targeting cancer, heart disease, stroke, rheumatism, and diabetes), Food Testing (safety and quality evaluations for food products), and Cosmetics Safety Testing (toxicology and irritation testing for cosmetic products).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drug Discovery Support Contracted individual-level evaluations on behalf of pharmaceutical clients, including compound screening, genetic screening, and identification of disease-causing signaling networks for diseases targeted for drug creation (e.g., cancer, heart disease, stroke, rheumatism, diabetes). Evaluation results are delivered promptly to clients.
• Licenses for Lead Compounds Information and usage licenses for in-house developed lead compounds targeting cancer, heart disease, stroke, rheumatism, and diabetes, including candidates derived from FlyWorks' proprietary Drosophila-based screening (e.g., pancreatic cancer and medullary thyroid cancer candidates).
• Food Testing Individual-level Drosophila-based evaluations ensuring the safety, quality, and compliance of food products with legal and health standards, conducted on behalf of food manufacturers and related clients.
• Cosmetics Safety Testing Individual-level Drosophila-based evaluations ensuring the safety and efficacy of cosmetic products, including toxicology testing and eye irritation testing, conducted on behalf of cosmetics companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Drug development cost reduced by 1000x compared to traditional mouse models
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hokkaido University (Sonoshita Lab and Komatsuzaki Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundational research partnership providing Drosophila expertise and pancreatic cancer model development. Sonoshita Lab developed the first model fly library mimicking pancreatic cancer genotypes. Board member Masahiro Sonoshita leads scientific direction.
• University of Tokyo (Goda Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundational research partnership contributing CTO Keisuke Goda and advanced technology expertise for the platform.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Cagan Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partnership with Prof. Ross Cagan who pioneered Drosophila model for medullary thyroid cancer leading to vandetanib drug development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crown Bioscience: Preclinical CRO specializing in oncology and immuno-oncology research using patient-derived xenografts and in vivo models. Direct service-line analogue to FlyWorks' drug discovery support offering; comparable client base (pharma R&D), differentiated mainly by model organism (mouse vs. fly).
• Frontage Laboratories: Mid-sized CRO providing preclinical and bioanalytical services to pharma and consumer-products companies, including safety/toxicology testing. Comparable service mix and customer segment to FlyWorks, particularly on the cosmetics and food testing side.

Broad incumbents

• Inotiv: Preclinical CRO providing toxicology, safety, and discovery research services primarily using animal models. Comparable in segment (contract testing for safety/efficacy) but operates at mid-cap scale versus FlyWorks' pre-revenue start-up stage.
• Taconic Biosciences: Supplier of genetically engineered research animal models, primarily mice and rats, to drug discovery and academic customers. Adjacent to FlyWorks' Drosophila model platform and shares the strategy of monetizing proprietary animal-model IP, but operates at scale and across a different model organism.
• WuXi AppTec: Global R&D CRO spanning drug discovery, preclinical, and clinical services for pharma and biotech. Similar diversified revenue model (services plus IP/lead licensing) and shared customer base with FlyWorks, but orders of magnitude larger and broader in capability.
• Eurofins Discovery: Discovery services arm of Eurofins, offering assay development, screening, and in vitro safety testing for pharma and consumer-products clients. Closely matches FlyWorks' food and cosmetics testing use cases and target segments, with established international sales coverage that FlyWorks lacks.
• Evotec SE: End-to-end drug discovery CRO and operating partner for pharma and biotech, running target identification through IND-enabling studies. Shares FlyWorks' philosophy of replacing legacy discovery workflows with smarter platforms, but at vastly greater scale and scope, and without a Drosophila focus.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global preclinical CRO offering mammalian (largely rodent) in vivo drug discovery and safety testing across pharma, biotech, and medical device clients. Analogous broad testing-services portfolio to FlyWorks' food/cosmetics/pharma service lines but anchored in mammal models rather than Drosophila, with a vastly larger installed base.

Others

• Cytovia Therapeutics: Cell-based biotech developing NK cell and iPSC-derived platforms for therapeutic discovery. Not a direct competitor but an example of an alternative-model-platform therapeutics company pursuing pharmaceutical out-licensing, conceptually similar to FlyWorks' lead-compound licensing model.

Emerging players

• PhenoVista Biosciences: High-content phenotypic screening CRO using cell-based models and imaging to support drug discovery and toxicology. Comparable in offering high-throughput, individual-level safety/efficacy testing on biological models; adjacent technology rather than Drosophila but competes for similar pharma testing budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 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 FlyWorks