NewsSeptember 30
PHC Holdings Acquires Amelieff Shares, Strengthening Healthcare Services Business
Tokyo, September 30, 2020 - PHC Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Michael Kloss, hereafter PHCHD) announces the acquisition of 50.9% of shares in the Amelieff Corporation (headquarters: Sumida-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Masao Yamaguchi) following an agreement with the company that will see Amelieff operate as a consolidated subsidiary of PHCHD.
Amelieff utilizes state-of-the-art bioinformatics technology*1 to provide advanced data analysis systems that are used for research in the life sciences field such as clinical/drug development research and cancer genome research. They also offer data analysis and consulting services in Japan.
Following this acquisition, the PHC Group will utilize Amelieff’s genome and other information analysis technologies to further enhance the clinical testing and drug development support services offered by its healthcare services business. The genetic testing field is expected to show significant business growth as these new testing methodologies are applied to research for cancer and many other diseases. The PHC Group will now be able to provide enhanced services to support genetic testing approaches that require cutting-edge analysis technology, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS)*2. By contributing to genomic medicine development, PHC Group aims to improve the quality of life of patients by supporting collaborations with key university hospitals that are working on cancer treatment and rare disease research.
Michael Kloss, President and CEO of PHCHD, says, “We are pleased to be bringing Amelieff into the PHC Group as a consolidated subsidiary. They have very exciting technology that we believe can significantly enhance our healthcare services business in Japan and differentiate us from our competitors. The company has extensive expertise in the areas of information processing technology and life sciences, and is regarded highly by laboratories and medical institutions for its strength in specialized genetic analysis technology. Our group has established the top-three position in Japan’s clinical testing business. Acquiring the majority stake in this company is an important step towards further expansion of our healthcare services business by enhancing our offering in genetic testing and other new testing services. We also believe this will enable us to grow our data analysis capabilities across the group and identify areas of potential synergy with other PHC Group businesses.”
Masao Yamaguchi, President & CEO of Amelieff says, “Since the company was established in 2009, our business has helped accelerate life sciences research with our strength in bioinformatic technology that enables cutting-edge research, and R&D infrastructure systems that support research protocols. In 2019, we released AmeliCure*3, a diagnostics support system for comprehensive genetic testing that is used in personalized medicine research in the cancer field. By joining the PHC Group, we expect to expand genome medicine support services, and develop biodata utilization solutions for solving multiple health issues in our society today.”
Michael Kloss added, “Genomic medicine is expected to continue expanding, with research developments in areas such as cancer, dementia and rare diseases. As we aim to become the leading provider of best-in-class precision and digital solutions in healthcare services in Japan, we want to contribute to providing more effective healthcare solutions that are suited to each patient’s condition, by driving innovation in genetic testing.”
The PHC Group is a global healthcare company that offers value-added products and services across diabetes management, diagnostics and life sciences, as well as providing healthcare services. In 2019, PHCHD acquired the anatomical pathology business (now operating under new company called Epredia) from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. in June, and LSI Medience Corporation from Life Science Institute, Inc. in August, strengthening the group’s diagnostics and healthcare services businesses. In July 2020, SciMed (Asia) Pte Ltd became a consolidated subsidiary to further expand the group’s life sciences business.
*1 An interdisciplinary research field of life sciences and information science for computer analysis of massive biological data
*2 Testing that determines the DNA base sequence and comprehensively checks gene mutations
*3 Data mining system for determining treatment policies, referring to the global article database to make a summary report
amelieff.jp/clinicalsequence/ (Japanese website)
About PHC Holdings Corporation
Incorporated in 2014, PHC Holdings Corporation is a global healthcare company with subsidiaries including PHC Corporation, Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG, Epredia, and LSI Medience Corporation. Committed to its corporate mission, “We contribute to the health of society through our diligent efforts to create healthcare solutions that have a positive impact and improve the lives of people,” the company develops, manufactures, sells and services solutions across diabetes management, diagnostics, life sciences and healthcare services. The PHC Group’s consolidated net sales in FY2019 were 272.6 billion yen with global distribution of products and services in more than 125 countries.
URL: www.phchd.com
About Amelieff Corporation
Established in 2009, Amelieff Corporation is a leading bioinformatic analysis company that provides bioinformatic synthetic analysis platforms in basic research and medical fields. Aiming to promote genome medicine suited to an individual’s genetic characterization, Amelieff Corporation is the only company providing information analysis technology for comprehensive genetic testing in hospitals in Japan.
URL: amelieff.jp/english/