Tokyo University of Science (Technology) and Waseda University (Business) were named winners of Japan's first biosensor student competition, which saw four Japanese universities compete. Macnica supports the creation of innovative talent who can compete on a global scale.

Macnica (Head office: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter referred to as Macnica) held "BioInnoSense," Japan's first student biosensor competition, together with laboratories from four national and private universities in Japan. The final presentations and award ceremony were held on August 31st, with the Tokyo University of Science team winning the Technical Award and the Waseda University team winning the Business Award.

What is BioInnoSense?
This student competition is hosted by Macnica, the Sakata Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, the Hayami Laboratory at Tokyo University of Science, the Toma Laboratory at Shibaura Institute of Technology, and the Miyake Laboratory at Waseda University. Biosensors, which sense biological information and utilize the data, are attracting attention as a field that will lead to next-generation innovations in healthcare, food, and lifestyles. However, because they require academic knowledge across multiple fields, including biology, electronics, chemistry, and optics, connections that transcend universities and laboratories are considered important. Therefore, Macnica has teamed up with biosensor laboratories from four universities that share the same vision of the challenges, to hold an inter-university student competition in order to develop innovative human resources who can compete on a global scale.
The program began with applications in April 2025 and progressed smoothly with lectures, research and development by individual university teams, and interim presentations. The final presentation and award ceremony took place on August 31st. In just three months, the students overcame the difficult challenges of setting their theme, creating actual biosensors, and developing business plans, before presenting their work. The final presentation was judged based on a demonstration and discussion on the first day, and a presentation on the second day. In addition to the judges, who were domestic biosensor research authorities, the event was also attended by corporate customers interested in biosensors and new business development, and lively discussions were held.

■ Presentations from each laboratory
・Technical Award: Tokyo University of Science Team
This award will be given to the most outstanding team based on the functionality (measurement accuracy, speed, required sample volume) and technological novelty of the biosensor they developed, as well as how the team approached the development process.
The Tokyo University of Science team was awarded the prize for their development of the "Biosensor Aremil, which enables rapid detection of allergic reactions," which utilizes their expertise in the different fields of biology and electrical circuits. They were also recognized for their high overall accuracy, including the production of the actual device and the reliability of the data.

<Comment from the winner>
I am truly happy, and I can only say that I am very grateful. Thank you very much. When I am normally doing research in the lab, I rarely think about the business aspects of selling the finished product, but through this competition, I was able to learn the difficulty of connecting technology and business, and I think it was a valuable experience.

・Business Award: Waseda University Team
This award will be given to the most outstanding team based on whether they have an inspirational business idea that can have an impact on society.
The Waseda University team won the award for their business plan for "magnetic contact lenses with eye-tracking functionality," which not only differentiated them from their competitors but also showed potential for approaching a market that is expected to grow in the future.

<Comment from the winner>
Frankly, I'm very happy. There's no doubt that an interesting product has been created, so I hope it can be released to the market. In the future, I'd like to think about how to implement it in society and make it useful to society.

・University of Tokyo team
We announced a solution to improve air quality through the development of a biosensor that can measure the growth of mold spores in real time.

・Shibaura Institute of Technology team
We have announced a service that helps the horticultural industry determine the optimal timing for fertilizing by developing a sensor that visualizes soil fertilizer (nitrogen concentration).

■ Organizer: Comment from Associate Professor Yuhei Hayami of Tokyo University of Science
The students had so much fun, and they worked so hard to create something, and I was almost in tears at the end. I think it was a great success.
One of the features of this competition is that it started with thinking about business models. The students who participated this time were primarily technology students, but I wanted them to be able to think about what applications there might be when they join a company in the future, how they would like to contribute to society, and what kind of benefits they would like to create for the company. Until now, science students have tended to focus solely on research, but I wanted them to understand that it is important to conduct research while keeping the end goal in mind from a young age. This time, the four schools presented completely different applications, and they demonstrated through their own experiences that even something as simple as an allergy sensor can be applied to a variety of industries. I think the students' flexible thinking in finding their own themes was a success in itself.
This competition is scheduled to continue next year and beyond. Macnica will continue to work hard to advance technology through industry-academia collaboration and to cultivate world-class human resources.

■The competition day

[For more information on BioInnoSense, click here]
https://www.bioinnosense.com/

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