Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) and Immunosens Co., Ltd. (Immunosens) have begun the joint development of a unique “Self-Testing Service^*1” designed to visualize a person’s immune status.

Through the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND, a corporate venture capital fund jointly established in February 2023 with Global Brain Corporation, one of Japan’s leading independent venture capital firms, Kirin Holdings invested in Immunosens^*2 and has been exploring the potential application of Immunosens’s proprietary POCT^*3 device as a health management tool to help customers maintain their health in the pre-disease stage.

Kirin Holdings has now entered into a commissioned research agreement with Immunosens. By combining Immunosens’s proprietary technologies with Kirin’s world‑first discovery^*4 of urinary markers linked to plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) activity, the two companies aim to develop a simple yet highly accurate service that visualizes immune function.

The testing service announced in May 2025 is intended as a mail‑in test that enables individuals to monitor their immune status on a regular basis^*5. In contrast, the service being jointly developed with Immunosens is a POCT solution that allows individuals to easily check their immune status at home or in other settings whenever needed. By advancing the development of these two services in parallel, Kirin Holdings aims to provide immune‑status insights tailored to individual needs and help foster the habit of “immune care”^*6 among consumers.

Development Background and Purpose

In recent years, various infectious diseases, not limited to influenza and COVID-19, have been circulating throughout the year, further highlighting the importance of health management. Against this backdrop, attention is increasingly focused not only on infection control but also on “immune care,” which is essential for maintaining a strong foundation for health.

Kirin has advanced immune research based on its long-cultivated fermentation technology and has taken steps to help customers establish “immune care” habits. Through these efforts, we have confirmed that clearly visualizing an individual's immune status raises awareness of “immune care” and encourages action.

Furthermore, we discovered that the level of pDC activity, an indicator of immune status, can be determined by measuring urinary IgA concentration. Building on this research, we have been developing a unique mail-in testing service to visualize immune status since 2025.

As the second phase of this initiative, we are now launching the development of a POCT service that enables real-time visualization of immune status.