The smart patch merges Raphas' microneedle formulation technology with Murata's biosensor expertise to enable pain-free, at-home body-fat monitoring via smartphone — with ambitions to expand into digital healthcare and remote medicine.
Raphas, a mass-production platform company specializing in microneedle technology, has teamed up with Japanese electronics components maker Murata Manufacturing to commercialize a biosignal-analysis product based on microneedle technology.
Raphas announced Thursday that it signed a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) agreement with Murata Manufacturing to bring a microneedle-based biosignal-analysis product to market. The contract was concluded between Raphas Japan — Raphas' Japanese subsidiary — and Murata Manufacturing, and aims to establish a cooperative framework to commercialize next-generation biosensor patch technology the two companies have been jointly pursuing.
The biosensor patch under joint development is a next-generation wearable healthcare platform that fuses microneedle technology with biosensor technology. Its core function is to non-invasively collect a range of biological data through the skin, convert it into electrical signals, and analyze the results. The companies ultimately plan to develop the product into a wellness platform that lets users easily monitor their biometric status and changes in real time, with signals transmitted from an in-patch electronic circuit to a connected smart device.
The smart patch is designed to be applied at home as simply as a bandage, enabling body-fat management without pain or skin irritation. It aims to eliminate the discomfort — intense pain and bruising — associated with clinic-based fat-reduction procedures such as lipolysis injections and ultrasound treatments. Users would be able to monitor in real time, through quantified data, how much fat is being broken down without visiting a hospital. The broader concept is to bring cosmetic body care into the realm of data-driven smart home care as part of everyday life.
The project is based on a dissolvable microarray patch (MAP) technology loaded with "biometabolic active enzymes" that the two companies are jointly researching. Under the agreement, Raphas will handle microneedle formulation development, polymer analysis research and manufacturing process development. Murata Manufacturing will contribute its bio-battery and enzyme-immobilized electrode technology, while Raphas Japan will oversee commercialization between the two parties and the rollout in the Japanese market.
"Our collaboration with Murata Manufacturing, a world-class electronics components company, is again a testament to the global recognition of Raphas' microneedle research, development and mass-production capabilities," Raphas CEO Jeong Do-hyeon said. "By combining the core technologies of both companies, we will accelerate the commercialization of a new form of biosensor and healthcare platform."
Kwon Yu-ri, CEO of Raphas Japan, called the agreement "an important starting point for building a next-generation healthcare platform." She added that the company plans to expand its business scope into digital healthcare, medical aesthetics, remote medicine, digital therapeutics (DTx) and smart wearables, with an active push to broaden its partnerships centered on the Japanese market.
A Murata Manufacturing official said the company would "challenge itself to create new value by combining Murata's accumulated enzyme-immobilization and bio-battery technologies with Raphas' microneedle platform," adding that it intends to pursue technology development with an eye toward applications in smart sensors and next-generation wellness devices using a variety of biosignals.
silverpaper@heraldcorp.com
