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NEUROSCIENCE CHALLENGE | Takeda Pharmaceuticals

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NEUROSCIENCE CHALLENGE

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OVERVIEW

Digital Health Corporate Partnership Program in Neuroscience

Takeda is calling for organizations with advanced digital health solutions aimed at improving the quality of life (QoL) of patients living with sleep-wake disorders and their families, as well as supporting physicians in providing care for these patients.

  • The program focuses on the following three themes:
    1. Raising Awareness of Hypersomnia
    2. Facilitating Specialist Referrals for Patients with Suspected Hypersomnia
    3. Enabling Follow-up Monitoring and Medical Care Support for Patients with Hypersomnia

Program Timeline

  • Application Period: August 8, 2025 – September 30, 2025
  • Selection Period: October 2025
  • Acceleration Program: November 2025 – February 2026
  • Demo Day (Final Presentation to Takeda): February/March 2026

Program Benefits

  • Opportunity to jointly conduct a Proof of Value (PoV) with Takeda
  • Mentoring and guidance from Takeda experts
  • Opportunity to pitch solution ideas to Takeda's senior leaders
  • Potential for further collaboration with Takeda
  • Networking and engagement opportunity with Takeda and Plug and Play Japan*
    *Takeda’s partner for the Neuroscience Challenge program
    (https://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/Go to https://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/)

PROGRAM

Background

  • Neurological disorders affect people of all ages and often result in significant personal hardship and social isolation1,2,3,4. Takeda is committed to addressing unmet needs in specific areas of neuroscience, including sleep-wake disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and rare neurological disorders.

  • Our goal is to transform the lives of patients living with neurological conditions through breakthrough research and innovation, while addressing the broader societal and personal burden these disorders place on individuals and communities.

  • Through this program, we are seeking partners that can deliver novel digital health solutions addressing the challenges faced by people living with sleep-wake disorders, their families, and healthcare professionals. Selected participants will receive tailored mentoring and support throughout a three-month acceleration phase to refine their solution ideas and conduct Proof of Value (PoV).

  • At the final “Demo Day”, participants will present their collaboration proposals to Takeda’s senior decision-makers. We aim to explore opportunities for long-term collaboration with participants. Join us in co-creating value in healthcare—helping to bring hope and solutions to patients and their loved ones worldwide.

Theme details

1. Raising Awareness of Hypersomnia

Woman staring at her smartphone
Background: Hypersomnia is a chronic neurological condition primarily characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness. However, public awareness remains low, and many individuals do not recognize their symptoms as medical concerns. In Japan, strong societal stigma around "sleepiness" often leads to misinterpretation—particularly among adolescents and young adults, where symptoms may be dismissed as lifestyle-related. This results in delays in diagnosis and access to care5.

2. Facilitating Specialist Referrals for Patients with Suspected Hypersomnia

A female doctor consulting with a man about an MRI at a hospital
Background: Many patients initially consult non-specialists who may not be familiar with sleep disorders. As a result, patients often experience delayed or missed diagnoses, sometimes visiting multiple healthcare providers before receiving an appropriate referral to a sleep specialist. Streamlining the pathway from non-specialists to specialists is essential to improving outcomes 6,7,8,9,10,11.

3. Enabling Follow-up Monitoring and Medical Care Support for Patients with Hypersomnia

health checkup for seniors

Background: Even after diagnosis and treatment initiation, patients with Hypersomnia continue to face significant challenges in daily life 12, 13. Key issues include:

  • Limited patient awareness of symptom fluctuations and treatment status, leading to challenges in maintaining appropriate treatment adherence
  • Lack of real-time symptom tracking by physicians
  • Difficulty in objectively measuring treatment efficacy, making it hard for physicians and patients to engage in effective shared decision-making
  • Regional disparities in access to specialized care

There is a strong need for tools that allow patients to monitor symptoms in daily life and share insights with their physicians to enable informed decision-making on treatment plans. Physicians also require digital solutions to assess therapeutic outcomes and track patient status remotely 14, 15.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be organizations (not individuals) with concepts, prototypes, or products related to the program themes and must be able to conduct Proof of Concept (PoC) activities in Japan.
  • Applicants must be able to communicate in either English or Japanese.

BENEFITS

Participants of this acceleration program will receive the following benefits through this program:

  • Opportunity to conduct a joint Proof of Value (PoV) with Takeda: Takeda will support participants in co-conducting a PoV tailored to specific challenges related to the program themes.
  • Pitch opportunity to Takeda leadership: Participants will be invited to present their validated concepts and collaboration proposals directly to Takeda’s senior management team.
  • Access to mentoring from Takeda experts: Participants will receive guidance and feedback from Takeda’s subject matter experts across relevant functional areas.
  • Opportunity to explore future collaboration with Takeda: Based on the outcomes of the PoV, Takeda may consider potential long-term partnerships such as joint development, licensing, or manufacturing agreements. However, future collaboration is not guaranteed.
  • Networking and engagement with Takeda and Plug and Play: The program includes networking events and workshops with healthcare experts from Takeda and Plug and Play to foster meaningful connections.

ENTRY

Applications are now closed. Thank you for your interest.

  • Application Deadline: September 30, 2025, at 17:00 JST

The orientation session has ended. We appreciate your participation.

  • Date & Time: August 26, 2025, 16:00-17:00 JST
  • Location: Takeda Tokyo Global Headquarters & Online
  • Registration Deadline: August 22, 2025, at 15:00 JST (Online attendance registrations close on August 25, 2025, at 23:59 JST)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

  • Please do NOT submit any confidential information at the time of application
  • Once selected, participants will sign a confidentiality agreement (NDA) with Takeda before engaging in deeper discussions to protect intellectual property and proprietary information.
  • This program is NOT intended to promote or advertise any pharmaceutical product under development or on the market, and is NOT an investment solicitation

CONTACT

For inquiries regarding this program, please contact us at the following email address. Takeda Pharmaceuticals Neuroscience Challenge Office:
[email protected]