Macnica and eight universities in Japan collaborate! The winners of the second "Biosensor Student Competition" have been decided: Tohoku University (Technical Award) and Tokushima University (Business Award). Macnica is supporting the development of innovative talent that can compete on a global scale.

Macnica (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter referred to as Macnica) held the BioInnoSense student competition for biosensors in collaboration with research laboratories at eight national and private universities in Japan. The final presentations and awards ceremony were held on August 28th, with the Tohoku University team receiving the Technical Award, the Tokushima University team receiving the Business Award, and the Shibaura Institute of Technology team receiving the HIOKI Award as a special sponsor award.

■What is BioInnoSense?
This student competition is organized by the BioInnoSense Executive Committee, which consists of research laboratories from eight universities—Keio Gijuku Institute of Technology, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo University of Science, and Waseda University (all participating universities from last year), plus four new universities: Keio University, Tohoku University, Tokushima University, and Toyohashi University of Technology—along with Macnica. Biosensors, which sense biological information and utilize the data, are attracting attention as a field that will lead to innovations related to next-generation medicine, food, and lifestyle. However, because they require academic knowledge spanning multiple fields such as biology, electronics, chemistry, and optics, connections beyond universities and research laboratories are considered important. Therefore, the biosensor research laboratories of eight universities that share the same sense of challenge have teamed up with Macnica to hold a student competition that transcends universities, with the aim of nurturing innovative talent that can compete on a global level. This is the second year that the competition has been held.
The program began with applications in March 2026, and progressed smoothly from May through lectures, research and development by university-based teams, and interim presentations. The final presentations and awards ceremony were held on August 28th. In just three months, the students tackled the challenging task of defining the problem, fabricating a working biosensor, and developing a business plan, before presenting their findings. The final presentations were judged based on demonstrations and discussions on the first day, and presentations on the second day. In addition to leading biosensor researchers from Japan who served as judges, representatives from companies interested in biosensors and new business development also attended, leading to lively discussions.

■Presentations from each research lab
• Technical Award: Tohoku University Team "Mamoru-kun, a sensor for monitoring the health of cows"
This award is given to the team that best excels in evaluating the functionality of their developed biosensor (measurement accuracy, measurement speed, required sample volume), the novelty of their technology, and how the team approached the development process.

The Tohoku University team was highly praised for their innovative idea of using an ear tag-type device to continuously and minimally invasively monitor the health of dairy cows, and for their originality in combining an electrochemical sensor that measures pH, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺ with a soluble microneedle. Furthermore, their experimental operation has been confirmed, and the possibility of implementation, including wireless measurement and app display, is high. Their technical completeness and future development potential were recognized, leading to the award.

<Comments from the award winners>
I am truly delighted to have received the Technical Award. During development, there were times when we couldn't get it to work no matter how many times we tried, but when we succeeded, the whole team rejoiced together, and we truly felt the difficulty and joy of manufacturing. Going forward, I would like to continue to cherish the bonds within the team and aim for further practical application of the device we have developed.

• Business Award: Tokushima University Team "Every Oral Station (Self-Care Device for Oral Environment)"
This award is given to the team that best submits a business idea that has the potential to make a positive impact on society and inspires creativity.

The Tokushima University team was highly praised for focusing on a new market opportunity: visualizing the results of daily oral care. While existing oral care products and services focus on "prevention" and "care" itself, their value proposition of "visualizing the results of self-care" is highly original, and the fact that there is little direct competition in the individual consumer market was also attractive. In addition, the reasoning behind narrowing down the evaluation to three items—hemoglobin, lactic acid, and ammonia—to assess "teeth," "gums," and "oral environment" was clear, and the balance between technical feasibility and ease of understanding for users was well-received. Furthermore, their business model of providing the main unit free of charge and selling consumables on a subscription basis was considered compelling as a mechanism to encourage continued use while generating revenue, leading to their award.

<Comments from the award winners>
We are very pleased that our commitment to the connection between technology and business has been recognized. Through this competition, we learned the importance of conducting research with a clear vision of product development and delivery to customers. We will not stop here with this award, but will continue our research, further refining both our technology and business plan.

・Sponsor Special Award HIOKI Award: Shibaura Institute of Technology Team "Field-type Soil Diagnostic Sensor TSUCHI NAVI"
This award is presented to teams that have been evaluated by our sponsor, HIOKI E.E. CORPORATION, as having exceptional potential for growth.

The Shibaura Institute of Technology team focused on soil characteristics and the challenges of proper fertilization, selecting a theme that addresses a common human challenge related to food production and CO2 emissions. While their presentation focused on a 30% reduction in fertilizer costs, the production of nitrogen fertilizer uses approximately 2% of humanity's total energy expenditure in the ammonia production process, resulting in enormous CO2 emissions. Therefore, achieving proper fertilization has a significant impact, and from this perspective, continued efforts in utilizing biosensors for soil measurement are expected. They also attempted advanced techniques, such as using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for processing the sensor's electrical signals, but the utilization of the measurement data obtained from the experiment was not entirely satisfactory. The award was given with the expectation that they will use the "LCR meter IM3536" presented at the HIOKI Awards to learn more about EIS and propose products and businesses that fully utilize the information from the sensors.

<Comments from the award winners>
I was not expecting to win an award, so I am very happy to receive this special prize. Through the judging process, I realized that narrowing down the target crops and regions makes the business direction clearer and easier to realize from a technical standpoint. I will also make use of the award-winning measuring equipment in my future research and work even harder to turn the feedback I received into reality.

Keio University team
We have announced a solution to support pet health management by developing a sensor that can visualize changes in a dog's physical condition.

- University of Tokyo team
We have announced a solution that allows people with food allergies to eat out with peace of mind, thanks to the development of a biosensor that can detect allergens in food on the spot.

Tokyo University of Science team
We have announced a solution to support the condition management of athletes by developing a "biosensor that can visualize the state of muscle fatigue."

- Toyohashi University of Technology team
We announced a solution that supports appropriate treatment and antibiotic use by developing a biosensor that can rapidly identify the type of infectious disease.

Waseda University Team
We have announced a solution to reduce the risk of encountering wild animals by developing a sensor that can detect the presence of bears.

This competition is planned to continue in the years to come. Macnica will continue to dedicate itself to the advancement of technology through industry-academia collaboration and to the development of world-class talent.

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

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