What iLAC does

iLAC Co., Ltd. (株式会社iLAC) is a privately held Japanese precision medicine company founded in August 2012 as a certified spin-off of the University of Tsukuba, headquartered in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. The company operates a whole-genome and multi-omics analysis platform that supports disease diagnosis grounded in scientific evidence, and runs three business divisions — Discovery (drug target and biomarker discovery, clinical research support for pharmaceutical companies), Well-being (FemTech R&D and genome dock / preventive genomic testing with medical institutions), and Deep Tech (molecular cohort studies and AI-augmented multi-omics analysis). iLAC is registered as Clinical Laboratory No. 67 (since October 2019), enabling it to provide insurance-based clinical sample analysis.

The company's technology stack centers on next-generation sequencing (whole genome, whole exome, targeted gene panels, long-read sequencing since June 2022) combined with methylation profiling, liquid biopsy (ctDNA), spatial tissue analysis, RNA-seq, microbiome analysis, and mass-spectrometry-based proteome and metabolome analysis. AI/ML is applied across automated genomic interpretation and predictive disease-risk and drug-sensitivity modeling, supported by collaborations with academic partners including University of Tsukuba, Kyoto University (Ogawa Lab), and Tokyo University (Miyano Lab). The company holds Patent No. 6980240 (January 2021) for a Genome Information Value Exchange Service.

Revenue is generated through commissioned professional-services contracts — sequencing and multi-omics analysis for pharma, universities, hospitals, and government (e.g., Coronavirus Control Task Force) — delivered via a direct enterprise sales motion with no public pricing or self-serve channel. Strategic capital alliances with ITOCHU Corporation (January 2020) and Shimadzu Corporation (March 2020) provide distribution reach and instrument co-marketing. Reported headcount is 1–10 and paid-in capital stands at JPY 355.5 million as of August 2025, following Series A (March 2023) and Series B (March 2025, extended July 2025) funding rounds.

Name

iLAC

Legal name

株式会社iLAC (iLAC Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://i-lac.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iLAC is a Japanese precision medicine company providing whole-genome and multi-omics analysis with AI-driven interpretation, serving pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, hospitals, and government through commissioned laboratory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genomic Analysis Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Bioinformatics, Multi-Omics Data Analysis & Interpretation Services (HLAGANAI)

Keywords

• Genomic analysis services
• Precision medicine
• Multi-omics research
• Clinical genomic testing
• Biomarker discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Tsukuba

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Genomic Analysis Services: Contract sequencing services including whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, targeted gene panel sequencing, RNA sequencing, and microbiome analysis for pharmaceutical companies and research institutions.
2. Clinical Genomic Testing Services: Precision-Exome testing and genomic screening services offered in collaboration with universities and hospitals, including genome dock services with medical interpretation.
3. FemTech Research Collaboration: Joint research and development services with corporate partners like Unicharm for women's health technology products and services.
4. Metabolite and Proteome Analysis: Mass spectrometry-based comprehensive analysis of metabolites and proteins launched in September 2020.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

iLAC is a precision medicine company that delivers advanced genomic and multi-omics analysis services, including whole genome sequencing, whole exome testing (PleSSision-exome), long-read sequencing, methylation profiling, liquid biopsy, RNA-seq, microbiome, and metabolomics analysis. It operates three business divisions — Discovery (drug target and biomarker discovery, clinical research support for pharmaceutical companies), Well-being (Femtech R&D and Genome Dock preventive testing with hospitals and clinics), and Deep Tech (molecular cohort studies and AI-driven omics analytics). Services are delivered through its certified clinical laboratory (Registration No. 67) and collaborations with the University of Tsukuba, Keio University Hospital, and other medical institutions.

Product overview

iLAC operates as a precision medicine company with three core business divisions: Discovery (drug target and biomarker discovery, clinical research support), Well-being (Femtech R&D and genome testing services), and Deep Tech (molecular cohort studies and multi-omics analysis with AI). The company provides a comprehensive suite of genomic analysis services including whole genome sequencing, whole exome testing (PleSSision-exome), long-read sequencing, liquid biopsy, methylation profiling, RNA-seq, spatial analysis, microbiome analysis, and metabolomics. These services are delivered through partnerships with medical institutions including University of Tsukuba Hospital and are supported by advanced AI-powered data analysis capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discovery (Drug Target & Biomarker Discovery, Clinical Research Support) Business division providing drug target discovery for cancers, congenital metabolic disorders, and rare diseases; biomarker discovery for dementia and cardiovascular diseases; and clinical research support (patient stratification, drug efficacy and adverse-event prediction) for domestic and international pharmaceutical companies through genetic and omics analysis.
• Well-being (Femtech R&D and Genome Dock Testing)

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• エイツーヘルスケア株式会社 (ACTS Healthcare)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness alliance established June 2020 to launch Japan's first combined CRO service adding whole genome analysis to existing CRO services. This integrated model combines clinical trial support with comprehensive genomic analysis.
• 筑波大学 (University of Tsukuba)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Tsukuba established Research and Development Center for Precision Medicine in January 2017 with iLAC CEO Taka-Aki Sato serving as Director. Long-standing research partnership including genomic screening collaboration with University of Tsukuba Hospital since March 2021. iLAC is a certified spin-off venture of the university.
• 株式会社理研ジェネシス (RIKEN GENESIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration started October 2020 for whole genome sequencing services using iLAC's automated platform to accelerate domestic whole genome analysis and meet diverse needs in Japan.
• ユニ・チャーム株式会社 (Unicharm)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFemTech joint R&D contract signed October 2025 for women's health technology development. The partnership includes the FemScan project for cervical cancer risk assessment using menstrual blood collection kits, with media coverage in Nikkei, Sankei, Yomiuri, and Business Journal.
• 金沢大学 (Kanazawa University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with Kanazawa University Professor Kaneko Shuichi including co-authored papers on peripheral blood long-read RNA (2026) and 8-year longitudinal study on whole blood gene expression profiles published in Nature Scientific Reports (2021).
• 越前市 (Echizen City)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research collaboration starting December 2022 for aspiration pneumonia risk analysis using oral bacteria genetic analysis, covered in Fukui Shimbun.
• 銀座クリニック (Ginza Clinic)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenetic expression testing collaboration launched May 2024 for providing genomic health services to Ginza Clinic patients.
• 獨立行政法人 みなとみらい医療センター (Minatomirai Medical Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination agreement signed February 2023 for collaboration on genomic medicine and preventive healthcare services.
• ノボジーン株式会社 (Novogene)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration began November 2025 in clinical sequencing domain, combining Novogene's sequencing capabilities with iLAC's analytical expertise.
• ウェルネス・コミュニケーションズ株式会社 (Wellness Communications)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness partnership established June 2022 for wellness and health-related services.
• 京都大学小川誠司研究室 (Kyoto University Ogawa Lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research participation with Professor Seiji Ogawa and Professor Satoru Miyano (Tokyo University) resulting in publications in Nature (2020) and Cancer Discovery (2020) on ulcerative colitis and myelodysplastic syndromes.
• 東京大学宮野悟研究室 (Tokyo University Miyano Lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research with Professor Satoru Miyano on cancer genomics and chromatin biology resulting in high-impact publications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Macrogen: Korean genomic services company with strong NGS and precision medicine capabilities primarily serving Asian markets. Competes with iLAC for Japanese and pan-Asian pharma discovery and clinical genomics contracts.

Direct peers

• Takara Bio: Japan's leading genomic services and CDMO company offering NGS, gene therapy, and molecular biology products. Directly competes with iLAC in commissioned sequencing, bioinformatics, and clinical genomic services for pharma and academic customers in Japan.
• Novogene: Global genomic services provider with extensive NGS, single-cell, and multi-omics capabilities. iLAC announced a clinical sequencing collaboration with Novogene in November 2025, and the two firms compete in the same commissioned sequencing market.
• RIKEN GENESIS: Japanese clinical genetic testing and genomic services provider spun out of RIKEN. iLAC is already a partner of RIKEN Genesis, but the companies compete head-to-head in whole-genome clinical sequencing and cancer genomic testing for Japanese hospitals.
• DNA Chip Laboratory: Japanese microarray and omics services provider founded by Kenichi Matsubara, iLAC's auditor. Offers commissioned omics research analysis that directly overlaps with iLAC's Discovery and Deep Tech divisions.

Emerging players

• Twist Bioscience: US synthetic biology and NGS target enrichment provider that has certified iLAC as a Certified Service Provider. Both companies serve the same research and pharma customers with sequencing-related workflows, though Twist sells upstream reagents and tools rather than full-service analysis.
• Helix: US-based population genomics and clinical DNA testing platform. Comparable to iLAC's Genome Dock well-being offering as both pursue population-scale preventive genomic testing, though Helix operates primarily in the US market.

Broad incumbents

• BML: Major Japanese clinical laboratory and diagnostics company with a broad test menu including genetic testing. Overlaps with iLAC in clinical genomic testing and preventive medicine services.
• Shimadzu Corporation: Global analytical instruments manufacturer that is both an iLAC capital/business alliance partner and a provider of mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and proteomics services that overlap with iLAC's Deep Tech division.
• Eurofins GeneTech: Japanese arm of Eurofins Genomics offering a broad menu of DNA sequencing, genotyping, and molecular biology services. Competes with iLAC on commissioned sequencing for pharma and academic customers across Asia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 iLAC