Medicolab wins ¥109M AMED grant to bring MRI-based diagnostic AI to market

Nagoya-based startup Medicolab has secured a grant of up to ¥109 million ($692,393) from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development ( AMED ), the company said. The funding, awarded under AMED's medical-engineering global expansion programme for fiscal 2026, will support the commercialisation of a medical AI that analyses head MRI scans.

The software estimates evaluation data typically obtained through nuclear medicine tests, aiming to support the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. It targets diseases including dementia with Lewy bodies, progressive supranuclear palsy, and multiple system atrophy. Medicolab is pursuing domestic medical device approval and overseas expansion.

Nuclear medicine tests require specialised equipment and staff, limiting the number of hospitals that can perform them and placing burdens on patients and providers. By analysing routinely captured head MRI scans, Medicolab says it can surface information that was previously difficult to obtain, helping doctors decide on additional tests, referrals, and treatment plans.

"As a neurologist, I have treated many patients who were difficult to diagnose or who waited a long time for specialised tests," said chief executive officer Kazuhiro Ikumi. He framed the award as a step from research to a commercial medical device.

The AI is still in development and has not received manufacturing or marketing approval under Japan's pharmaceutical and medical device law. The product is designed to support, not replace, physician diagnosis.

Non-dilutive government grants remain a key funding path for early-stage medical device startups facing long regulatory timelines. For Medicolab, which holds a Class 1 medical device manufacturing and sales licence, the AMED award marks a bridge from lab research toward clinical deployment and export.