What Illumi Medical does

Illumi Medical Inc. (イルミメディカル株式会社) is a Nagoya University spin-off founded in February 2023 by CEO Toshihiko Tsukamoto to commercialize ET-BLIT® (Endovascular Therapy-based Light Illumination Technology), described as the world's first intravascular light irradiation system for delivering phototherapy to deep body tissues via catheter. The company's core product is a single-use phototherapy catheter with an ultra-small semiconductor laser light source (co-developed with Nichia Corporation) at its tip, designed to deliver controlled, lateral light irradiation through blood vessel walls to reach deep-seated tumors and other lesions without invasive surgery. The device is engineered to operate within existing cardiac catheterization laboratories using standard interventional radiology workflows, removing the need for hospitals to invest in dedicated phototherapy infrastructure. Target therapeutic applications span photodynamic therapy (PDT) and near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) for deep-tissue cancers (liver, kidney, brain), as well as photobiomodulation and neuromodulation for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and regenerative medicine use cases.

Business model economics are not yet realized commercially. The company is pre-revenue and operates on three planned revenue streams: (1) B2B hardware sales of disposable catheter devices and a palm-sized controller to hospitals and cancer treatment centers once regulatory approval is obtained; (2) licensing and royalty arrangements with pharmaceutical companies developing light-activatable drugs who need a delivery mechanism; and (3) joint R&D and clinical trial services revenue from co-development agreements. Pricing has not been publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is concentrated on direct enterprise sales to hospitals with cardiac catheterization capabilities in Japan, with planned global expansion following international clinical trials and PCT patent prosecution.

As of March 2026, Illumi Medical employs 11 people (excluding executives) across two research facilities in Nagoya (headquarters and R&D) and Koriyama (regulatory and device testing). The company has raised cumulative funding exceeding 550 million yen (~US$3.5M) across a seed round, an undisclosed 2024 round, and a tranched Series A led by UntroD Capital Japan with SMBC Venture Capital. Strategic partners include Nichia Corporation (laser source co-development), Kansai Medical University, and University of Tsukuba (clinical validation). The company holds a granted Japanese patent on its core light irradiation device (August 2023) with a PCT application pending, and has won multiple 2026 industry recognitions including Forbes Japan's Regional Emerging Deep Tech 30, DEEP TECH Venture of the Year, the Nagoya City Industrial Technology Grand Prix Mayor's Award, and J-Startup CENTRAL selection.

Name

Illumi Medical

Legal name

Illumi Medical Inc. (イルミメディカル株式会社)

Website

https://illumimedical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Illumi Medical is a Nagoya University spin-off developing ET-BLIT®, a catheter-based intravascular light therapy device that delivers phototherapy to deep-seated tumors and neurological tissues using existing cardiac catheterization lab infrastructure, targeting hospitals and pharmaceutical partners globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intravascular Phototherapy Medical Devices

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Intraoperative Imaging & Guidance (C-arms, O-arm, IOUS, fluorescence) (HLAHADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Intravascular phototherapy
• Catheter-based light therapy
• Photodynamic therapy devices
• Endovascular medical devices
• Photoimmunotherapy technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Nagoya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Sale of light therapy catheter devices to hospitals and medical institutions. Single-use disposable device model planned for clinical deployment. Revenue generation through device unit sales as regulatory approvals are obtained.
2. Pharmaceutical Partnership Licensing: Partnership revenue opportunities through collaborations with pharmaceutical companies developing light-activatable drugs. Licensing of device technology for use with specific drug formulations and therapeutic indications.
3. Joint Research and Development Services: Co-development arrangements with academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies for specific therapeutic applications, including drug-device combination evaluations and clinical trial support.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Illumi Medical develops and manufactures ET-BLIT® (Endovascular Therapy-based Light Illumination Technology), the world's first catheter-based intravascular phototherapy system that delivers targeted laser light from inside blood vessels through vessel walls into deep body tissues. The proprietary 1.0–1.5 mm diameter catheter integrates an ultra-small semiconductor laser light source (co-developed with Nichia Corporation) and is designed to operate within existing cardiac catheterization laboratories, enabling minimally invasive photodynamic therapy (PDT), near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT), photobiomodulation, and neuromodulation for deep-seated tumors and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Product overview

Illumi Medical is a Nagoya University spin-off developing ET-BLIT® technology, the world's first intravascular phototherapy system that delivers light deep into the body through blood vessels. The core offering consists of a catheter-based device with ultra-small laser light sources (co-developed with Nichia Corporation) for photodynamic therapy and photoimmunotherapy. The system is designed for use in existing cardiac catheterization laboratories, requiring no additional facility investment. Target applications include cancer treatment (particularly deep-tissue tumors), neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, and regenerative medicine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ET-BLIT: Endovascular therapy-based light illumination technology - core proprietary technology for delivering light from inside blood vessels for minimally invasive phototherapy treatments

Products and services

• ET-BLIT® Intravascular Phototherapy Catheter System World's first endovascular phototherapy device using a 1.0–1.5 mm diameter catheter with an ultra-small semiconductor laser light source (co-developed with Nichia Corporation) and integrated cooling and safety mechanisms. Delivers targeted laser light from inside blood vessels through vessel walls to deep body tissues for photodynamic therapy (PDT), near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT), photobiomodulation, and neuromodulation. Designed to operate within existing cardiac catheterization laboratories. Targeted at hospitals and cancer treatment centers for treatment of deep-seated tumors in liver, kidney, brain and other organs, and at pharmaceutical companies for drug-device combination phototherapy products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful pig model experiments demonstrating deep tissue light delivery through blood vessels
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fukushima Medical Device Development Support Center (ふくしま医療機器開発支援センター)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Host organization for company's second research facility (Koriyama Laboratory). Provides testing infrastructure including EMC testing, electrical safety testing, and biological testing facilities for medical device development.
• Nichia Corporation (日亜化学工業株式会社)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2025Joint development partnership for ultra-small semiconductor laser light sources for catheter-based light therapy systems. Nichia provides world-class LED/laser miniaturization technology enabling device tip-mounted light sources. Joint product development with shared IP for laser source technology. First public demonstration at LASER WEEK in Tokyo 2025.
• Kansai Medical University (関西医科大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint research partnership with Kansai Medical University Photoimmunology Research Institute and University of Tsukuba for photodynamic therapy applications. Collaboration uses ET-BLIT® device with university's photoimmunotherapy drugs for deep tissue cancer treatment validation in pig models.
• University of Tsukuba (筑波大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborative research partner providing IVR (Interventional Radiology) clinical and preclinical expertise. Joint experiments using pig cancer models to validate intravascular light irradiation effectiveness. Partner in three-way collaboration with Kansai Medical University.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Clinical Laserthermia Systems: Develops laser-based systems for interstitial thermal therapy and immunostimulating treatment, including catheter-delivered approaches. Direct peer in catheter-based laser therapeutic delivery for cancer and neurological applications.
• biolitec AG: Global leader in photodynamic therapy (PDT) lasers and optical fibers for oncology. Comparable as a medical device company commercializing light-based oncologic therapy infrastructure, though focused on interstitial and surface delivery rather than intravascular.
• Rakuten Medical: Japan-originated developer of NIR-PIT (near-infrared photoimmunotherapy) Alluminox platform for cancer treatment. Closest direct peer because both companies pursue light-activatable drug therapies for oncology, with Illumi positioning its catheter device as a light-delivery partner to drug platforms like Rakuten's.
• Theralase Technologies: Canadian developer of photodynamic therapy (TLD-1433) for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Comparable as a small-cap public medical device company commercializing light-activated drug therapy, sharing the PDT mechanism with Illumi's planned applications.
• Steba Biotech: Developer of Tookad, a vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy for prostate cancer. Direct peer in light-activatable drug-device combinations for solid tumors and demonstrates the regulatory and clinical path for vascular-targeted PDT.

Emerging players

• Lightpoint Medical: UK-based developer of miniaturized optical sensing and light-based molecular imaging for intraoperative cancer detection. Comparable as an emerging player applying novel photonics-based catheter/probe technology in interventional oncology.
• Modulim (Modulated Imaging): Developer of light-based subsurface imaging (SFDI) for tissue health assessment. Emerging peer in non-invasive light-based medical diagnostics, with overlap in optical/photonic medical device development.

Others

• Nichia Corporation: World-class Japanese optoelectronics manufacturer and Illumi's core technology partner for ultra-small semiconductor laser light sources. Listed as an ecosystem participant given its shared-IP arrangement and role as a critical supplier/enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• AngioDynamics: Established medical device company focused on catheter-based interventional therapies, including oncology (NanoKnife/IRE) and vascular access. Relevant incumbent due to overlap in catheter-delivered energy-based tissue ablation and broad hospital sales channels.
• Philips (Image-Guided Therapy): Major medical device incumbent with image-guided therapy systems used in interventional suites and catheterization labs. Relevant because hospitals adopting Illumi's device already run Philips interventional platforms, and the company could pursue competing light-based therapeutic modalities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors14 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 Illumi Medical