Concept
Endoluminal Solutions Inc., a startup founded in 2025 originating from The University of Osaka, is developing the world’s first disposable flexible endoscope (gastroscope) dedicated to cancer screening. This endoscope is designed to address structural challenges in gastric cancer screening.
The company is led by founder representative and director Kiyokazu Nakajima, MD, PhD, FACS (Professor, The University of Osaka), who brings 30 years of experience as a surgeon and 20 years in medical device development. Backed by a proven track record of collaborations with over 50 companies, commercialization of more than 30 products, and over 160 patents, the company is advancing this innovative initiative.
By delivering practical solutions that directly respond to real clinical unmet needs, we aim to fundamentally transform Japan’s cancer screening system for the first time in half a century.
Challenge
Transforming Conventional Screening with Disposable Gastroscopes
Gastric cancer screening, undergone by tens of millions of people annually, has relied primarily on barium X-ray examinations for over half a century.
However, this barium screening has significant limitations: it offers low cancer detection accuracy while exposing subjects to radiation, and it carries risks such as bowel obstruction and fall from the examination table.
On the other hand, endoscopic examination provides higher detection accuracy, but there is currently no endoscope specifically designed for screening purpose. Instead, expensive and complex endoscopes originally developed for precise diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are used. These devices are too high performance, often large, not easy to use, and require time-consuming processes for cleaning, disinfection, and drying, making them unsuitable for large-scale screening.
To address these challenges, we are developing the world’s first screening-specific disposable endoscope (gastroscope), optimized exclusively for screening purposes.
With an ultra-thin diameter of just 4 mm and a fully single-use design, our device minimizes discomfort, eliminates infection risk, and removes downtime associated with reprocessing—enabling efficient mass screening.
Combined with an AI-powered diagnostic support system tailored for cancer screening, our solution aims to improve early detection rates of gastric cancer while contributing to the reduction of overall healthcare costs.
Message Message
Message Message
message from Founder representativeBringing Innovation to Gastric Cancer Screening
—Unchanged for 50 Years
Endoluminal Solutions Inc. is a company born from real, unmet needs in clinical practice.
The challenges experienced in the operating room as a surgeon, the opportunities identified as a medical device researcher, and the fundamental value learned through work in emerging markets—these experiences have come together to create a groundbreaking solution: a screening-specific disposable endoscope (gastroscope).
We are not simply developing a product. We aim to transform Japan’s mass-screening system, create new possibilities for surgeons, and contribute to improving healthcare worldwide. Our name embodies this mission—to generate “solutions” from “inside the organ lumen (endoluminal)”.
As we move steadily toward market launch around 2029 to early 2030, we invite you to follow and support our journey.
Career
- 1992
- Graduated from Osaka University School of Medicine and trained at the First Department of Surgery.
- 1999
- Completed the doctoral course at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University (Doctor of Medicine).
- 2001 – 2003
- Engaged in clinical research in minimally invasive surgery at the Department of Surgery, Cornell University (New York).
- 2004
- Served as Chief Surgeon at Osaka Rosai Hospital, then joined the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery at Osaka University in 2006.
- 2008
- Successfully performed the world’s first resection of a gastric tumor using Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES).
Since then, he has continued to work at the forefront of clinical practice as a surgeon, while also leading the research and development of medical devices to enable next-generation endoscopic treatment. - 2012
-
Appointed as Professor in the Department of Next-Generation Endoscopic Therapy at Osaka University.
Supported by grants from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), he has successfully launched 28 products to date (including several major hits), filed over 160 patent applications, and published numerous academic papers in English. - 2023
- Appointed as an “Innovation Producer” by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, actively supporting innovation creation for small and medium-sized enterprises.
MemberList of Founders
OfficeCompany Profile
- Company Name
- endoluminal solutions, Inc.
(Osaka University Startup) - Business Description
- ・Design, development, manufacturing, sales, marketing authorization, export, and import of medical devices
・Management, marketing, human resource development, and consulting related to the above - Address
- Takeda Midosuji Building 2F,
4-1-1 Doshomachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 541-0045, Japan - 【Suita Office (Lab)】
Room 802, Frontier Biosciences Building, Osaka University,
1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan