※This article is machine translated.
Envisioning the Future of Genomic Medicine and Real-World Data Utilization
On July 14, 2025, the symposium titled “Expanding the Future Created by Biobanks” was hosted by the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) at the Marunouchi Trust City Conference, in Tokyo.
A report covering the entire ToMMo event is also available. For details on the event as a whole, please refer to the following link:
https://www.megabank.tohoku.ac.jp/news/62566
This symposium served as a valuable opportunity for stakeholders from across Japan—including biobank professionals and representatives from government, industry, and academia—to come together and engage in broad discussions on the current state and future prospects of biobanks, as well as the legal, technical, and ethical issues surrounding the utilization of genomic and real-world health data.
The event was held in a hybrid format, with more than 100 attendees participating in person and over 300 joining online, making it a highly successful and well-attended gathering.
From NTT Precision Medicine Corporation, Mr. Masaaki Tabata (Head of Data Platforms Business, Vice President, Member of the Board) took the stage during the session titled “Expectations from Various Sectors,” where he gave a presentation on the company’s initiatives in genomic data utilization and the future vision of collaboration with ToMMo.
■ Presentation Title “Unlocking the Value of ToMMo Big Data through Data Utilization Platforms”
■ Summary of the Presentation
The presentation highlighted potential use cases that could be realized through the integration of the Japan Precision Medicine Platform (JPP)—developed and operated by NTT Precision Medicine—and ToMMo’s large-scale, high-quality genomic and real-world datasets.
◆ The Role of JPP in Next-Generation Genomic Medicine
• JPP is a platform built on a Trusted Research Environment (TRE), enabling safe and efficient data use through collaboration across multiple medical institutions and biobanks.
• It supports federated analysis models, allowing for cross-institutional data analysis while preserving patient privacy.
◆ Collaboration with ToMMo
• Since March 2025, we will conduct joint research to experimentally analyze ToMMo's 15,000 whole genome sequences and associated real-world data (RWD) using BC Platforms' BC|INSIGHT.
• Looking ahead, the project plans to scale up to 100,000 and eventually 200,000 genomes, with the goal of enabling broader domestic and international data applications and validation of technology and use cases.
■ Example Use Cases
1. Stratified Analysis Using Whole Genome × EMR × Prescription Data
Classification of drug efficacy and adverse events by disease and individual characteristics to advance personalized medicine.
2. Preclinical Risk Prediction Using Genomic × Health Checkup Data
Early detection of pathological changes before disease onset and formulation of preventive strategies.
3. Comparative Analysis Across Institutions and Populations
Using federated models to safely conduct collaborative research with other biobanks on a global scale.
■Toward Data Governance and Societal Implementation
The presentation also addressed the importance of establishing governance frameworks, ethical oversight, and secure analytic infrastructure (TRE) to enable international use of genomic data.
It emphasized the need for infrastructure that is compatible with global regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, and called for rule-making through public–private–academic collaboration.
■ Future Outlook
This presentation reaffirmed the tremendous societal value embedded in ToMMo’s high-precision datasets and outlined a vision for collaborative efforts in advancing next-generation medical research.
NTT Precision Medicine will continue working closely with ToMMo and other stakeholders to promote secure, ethical, and meaningful utilization of health data.
A report covering the entire ToMMo event is also available. For details on the event as a whole, please refer to the following link:
https://www.megabank.tohoku.ac.jp/news/62566