Eisai Co., Ltd. and EcoNaviSta Inc. announced that they have entered into a business alliance agreement and commenced collaboration with the aim of building an ecosystem in the area of dementia, which is a pressing matter in Japan’s super-aging society.

Eisai, a long-standing pioneer in the field of dementia having engaged in drug discovery and disease awareness activities, and EcoNaviSta, a frontrunner(1) in SaaS-based care home monitoring systems used in nursing care, will utilize the know-how, technologies and networks held by both companies to promote proof-of-concept experiment to encourage awareness of changes in cognitive function among residents in care home facilities, through the use of Eisai’s digital check tool for brain health “NouKNOW®", EcoNaviSta’s “Life Rhythm Navi®”, which visualizes the transition of health status from sleep and lifestyle data, and the “Dementia Prediction Model” developed and patented (JP Patent 7017740) by EcoNaviSta.

Among Japan’s rapidly aging population, large number of the elderly choose to move into care home facilities without nursing (non-assisted living)(2) or condominiums aimed at seniors(3) while they are still in relatively good health, which results in prolonged tenancies. In these types of residential facilities, there are limited opportunities to interact with nursing-related staff, as these accommodations generally come without care services. Consequently, these residents have few opportunities for changes in their cognitive function to be noticed, and conditions such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or dementia, are often identified only after significant progression. The aim of this proof-of-concept experiment is to address the aforementioned issues, targeting facilities that have already introduced Life Rhythm Navi (up to 200), by utilizing the products to detect and suggest changes in the cognitive function of residents at an early stage, leading to the detection of potential MCI and dementia. Moreover, by leveraging strength of both companies, Eisai and EcoNaviSta will conduct joint research aimed at the early detection of MCI and dementia even in healthy seniors, and consider the potential application of the dementia prediction model in the field of home care.

Eisai's Corporate Concept is "to give first thought to patients and people in the daily living domain, and to increase the benefits that health care provides." Under this Concept (also known as human health care (hhc) Concept), we aim to effectively achieve social good in the form of relieving anxiety over health and reducing health disparities. We strive to create and deliver innovative products that target diseases with high unmet medical needs in the fields of “Neurology”, including dementia, “Oncology”, and “Global Health”, as well as the building ecosystems through collaboration with other industries.

Under our mission of “providing health and peace of mind to the future society through sleep analysis technology”, EcoNaviSta is engaged in development of AI that predicts changes in health conditions. The AI model is designed by utilizing our proprietary analysis techniques of sequential big data on sleep/lifestyle habits that obtained through our services and accumulated in cloud systems. Additionally, we seek to solve social challenges in various areas, including the promotion of digital transformation in nursing care, by implementing these AI technologies into our services.

Based on this business alliance agreement, Eisai and EcoNaviSta will contribute to resolving social issues through building a dementia ecosystem.