Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Chairman and CEO: Hisashi Ietsugu) received a Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize, and Encouragement Prizes for Inventions, at the Kinki* Local Commendation for Inventions, sponsored by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation.
In accordance with our mission, “shaping the advancement of healthcare,” as set out in the corporate philosophy of the Sysmex Group, we work to develop new technologies for the higher-value-added products and services we provide to patients and customers.
At the 2019 Kinki Local Commendation for Inventions, Sysmex received a special award, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize, for one invention that also received the Invention Implementation Achievement Award, as well as the Encouragement Prize for Inventions for three inventions. Local commendations for inventions, which are awarded to inventors who create superior technologies and designs and people who endeavor to put such inventions to practical application, have a history dating back to 1921.
Going forward, Sysmex aims to reduce the burden on patients and contribute to an increase in the quality of testing. At the same time, we aim to develop superior technologies that instill customers with confidence.
Our Award-Winning Inventions
(1) Special award: Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize
Submitted Invention: Urine Sample Analyzer Useful in Early-Stage Detection of Disease (Patent Registration Number: 6232046)
Recipients: Masatsugu Ozasa, Kanako Nagaoka, Akinori Kawai, Masanori Kawano
This invention relates to a urine sample analyzer for the highly precise detection of red blood cells, white blood cells, non-squamous epithelial cells, bacteria, and other formed elements in the urine.
Focusing on the observations that particle diameters of formed elements in urine differ by type of substance, and that the quantities of nucleic acid also differ, this invention uses amplification factor fluorescent signals to match the quantity of nucleic acid of various formed elements in urine to detect these elements to a high degree of precision, even if their shapes differ.
This invention enables the classification of detected non-squamous epithelial cells in renal tubular epithelial cells originating in kidney and urinary tract epithelial cells in the bladder, allowing a patient to be directed at an early stage to the appropriate clinical department. In addition to these formed elements, this invention enables the provision of detection information suggesting atypical cells that can lead to the early detection of bladder cancer.
In addition to the special award, this invention also received the “Invention Implementation Achievement Award,” which is given to the representatives of companies recognized for their outstanding achievements in practical applications.
(2) Encouragement Prize for Invention
1) Submitted Invention: FDP Measurement Reagents for Testing Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis Functions (Patent Registration Number: 5903381)
Recipients: Naoya Okitsu, Katsushi Kobayashi, Noriaki Nakajima,Masami Murakami, Kouji Sakaguchi, Ayumi Asaeda, Mayumi Sugimoto
This invention relates to reagents for measuring FDP (fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products) useful in testing for blood coagulation and fibrinolysis.
This invention enables the accurate measurement of FDP in the blood using three types of monoclonal antibodies that do not react with fibrinogen or soluble fibrin monomer, but that do react differently to FDP.
2) Submitted Invention: Sample Processing System (Patent Registration Number: 4647042)
Recipients: Tomoyuki Asahara, Kouichi Ookubo, Noriyuki Nakanishi
This invention relates to a sample processing system using reagent adjustment units used to prepare reagents for measurement.
Based on reagent information and time information provided to the reagent measurement unit, this invention enables the simple confirmation of reagent attributes and when reagents were provided to the measurement unit, ensuring traceability and maintaining the quality of testing results.
3) Submitted Invention: Sampling Analyzer (Patent Registration Number: 5993679)
Recipients: Hiroto Toyoshima, Kouichi Masutani
This invention relates to a sampling analyzer that uses pipette tips, cuvettes, and other consumables employed in dispensing reagents and samples.
If a user mistakenly inserts a pipette tip in the cuvette insertion slot, this invention sets aside the mistakenly placed pipette tips along with the cuvettes, enabling the smooth progression to later steps.
History of Kinki Local Commendations for Innovation Awards Received by Sysmex (Past Five Years)
- 2018 Kinki Local Commendations for Inventions
“Special Award: Commissioner of Japan Patent Office Award”: Method for Accurately and Simply Classifying and Counting Leukocytes
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Urinalysis Testing System for Increasing Testing Efficiency
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Hematology Analyzer Containing a Compact Photodetector
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Cuvette for Enhancing the Specimen Agitation Function
- 2017 Kinki Local Commendations for Inventions
“The Prize of the Director-General of the Kinki Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry”: Hematology Analyzer That Enhances Testing Productivity and Quality
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Blood Coagulation Analyzer That Facilitates the Simple Changing of Reagents
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: System That Enables the Rapid Transport of Sample Racks
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Highly Sensitive Immunoassay Method Using ALP
- 2016 Kinki Local Commendations for Inventions
“Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize”: Rapid, High-Precision Platelet Measurement Method
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Analyzer for Managing Calibration Curves by Assigning IDs
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Management Method for Predicting the Malfunction of Clinical Testing Instruments
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Mutant Dockerin Polypeptide
- 2015 Kinki Local Commendations for Inventions
“The Encouragement Prize of the Commissioner of Japan Patent Office”: Sample Analyzer
“The Encouragement Prize for Inventions”: Bacteria Detection Method and Reagent
“The Encouragement Prize for Inventions”: Flow Cytometer
“The Encouragement Prize for Inventions”: Hematology Analyzer
- 2014 Kinki Local Commendations for Inventions
“Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Analyzer
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: System for Using 3D Motion Imaging to Display Operating Procedures
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Automatic Pipette Tip Supplier
“The Encouragement Prize for Invention”: Amplification Inhibitor Detection Method Used in Nucleic Acid Amplification Analysis
Terminology
* Kinki：The southern-central region of Honshu, Japan’s main island.
Information contained in the press release is current as of the date of the announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.