AI Medical Service Inc. CEO Tomohiro Tada

Continuing to challenge the frontiers of medical innovation

CEO, AI Medical Services Inc.　Tomohiro Tada (Tada Tomohiro)

Tomohiro Tada is bringing a breath of fresh air to the medical industry with his innovations in endoscopic examinations that utilize AI technology. He has been carving out his path as a doctor and entrepreneur since his student days, and is currently active as CEO of an AI medical service. We spoke to Tada, who continues to take on innovative challenges, about the future of medicine and technology, and his message to university students.

■ Accumulating hard work during medical school

During my student days, I spent most of my time studying and working part-time. As a student in the Faculty of Medicine, I was packed with classes and practical training from morning until night, and I was surprised to hear my friends from other departments say that they only needed to attend one class a week. The curriculum in the Faculty of Medicine was extremely packed, with classes from 9 a.m. until the evening every day, and practical training often lasted long, meaning I would often get home late at night. At the same time, I had to cover all of my tuition and living expenses myself. It was tough balancing my studies and work while working part-time as a cram school teacher, but the experience of forging my own path through hard work was a great asset.
The reason I decided to go to medical school was simply because I felt that the profession of a doctor was interesting. I was surrounded by many friends and seniors who were aiming to become doctors, so I thought that I could maximize my potential in the medical field, which involves people's lives. Rather than being a big decision, it was more my interest and curiosity that pushed me to do so. Becoming a doctor was a definite hurdle for me at the time, but I felt it was worth the challenge.

■Freedom and responsibility as a practicing physician

After graduating from medical school, I worked as a resident at several hospitals, including the University of Tokyo Hospital, and obtained a surgical specialist license. I then went on to graduate school at the University of Tokyo, and after graduating, opened a clinic in Saitama. Working as a private practitioner gave me a strong sense of the freedom and responsibility required in the medical field. Private practitioners have full decision-making power. For example, hiring staff and introducing medical equipment can be done at my own discretion. I can make quick decisions for patients without the time-consuming budget applications and approval processes that are common at university hospitals. This was a major attraction for me.
When I first opened my practice, there were still very few specialized clinics. While many clinics offered a wide range of medical specialties, I chose to specialize in endoscopic examinations. Endoscopic examinations are extremely important for early detection of gastrointestinal cancers such as stomach cancer and colon cancer. In particular, if cancer is detected at stage 1, there is a high chance of a cure, so I wanted to expand the possibility of saving patients' lives by honing my expertise in this field.
Furthermore, in order to popularize endoscopic examinations, it was necessary to reduce the burden on patients. At the time, gastroscopy and colonoscopy were strongly perceived as painful tests, and many patients were reluctant to undergo the examinations themselves. For this reason, I improved the technology and pursued examination methods that minimized pain. I believe that through this effort, we have been able to create an environment where patients can undergo examinations with peace of mind.

■ A new challenge combining AI and medical care

While running the clinic, I also became concerned about the accuracy of endoscopic examinations. This is because endoscopic examinations are performed by the human eye, and no matter how much technology advances, ultimately it depends on the doctor's image diagnostic ability. At that time, I heard from Professor Yutaka Matsuo of the University of Tokyo that "AI's image recognition ability has surpassed that of humans." I thought that by utilizing AI, we could further improve the accuracy of endoscopic examinations and ultimately eliminate oversights, so I decided to take on the challenge of research and development of endoscopic AI. I then succeeded in research and development of the world's first gastric cancer detection AI. In order to not just leave this technology as research but to put it into practical use in society, I founded AI Medical Services, Inc. in 2017.
Endoscopic AI is gradually being adopted in medical settings, and is expected to detect difficult lesions that even endoscopists miss. Another major feature of our software is that it is vendor-neutral. Since it is compatible with any testing equipment, it lowers the barrier to adoption and helps improve diagnostic accuracy, expanding the possibility of saving many patients' lives.
Our mission is to reduce cancer mortality rates by popularizing endoscopic examinations and improving diagnostic accuracy. Through this initiative, we hope to spread medical technology originating in Japan to the world. In particular, early detection of gastrointestinal cancers such as stomach and colon cancer should dramatically improve patient survival rates. Endoscopic AI, which makes this possible, is attracting attention not only in Japan but around the world, and we hope that our technology will help change the future for patients.

■Message to university students

I would like to tell all university students to "believe in your potential and take on challenges." For example, starting a startup is a very effective path to expand your future career. In fields such as AI and data science, startups are at the center of innovation.
I have also tried opening a clinic and developing AI technology, and in both cases, a strong drive was a "not afraid of failure" mentality. While a career at a large company is attractive, a startup offers the opportunity to achieve great results in a short period of time. I encourage you to pursue your own potential through repeated successes and failures. I also encourage you to consider starting your own business. While entrepreneurship is still rare in Japan, the experience of paving your own path offers valuable lessons that cannot be gained anywhere else. Taking action based on your interests and passions and taking the first step will surely open up a new world for you. I sincerely hope that your willingness to take on challenges without fear of failure will pave the way for Japan's future.

Student Newspaper Online, June 20, 2024, Interview by Tsuda University 2rd year student, Karin Ishimatsu

Musashino University, 4th year student Nishiyama Ryusei / Josai International University, 1st year student Watanabe Yurie / Tsuda University, 2nd year student Ishimatsu Karin / Aoyama Gakuin University, 4th year student Kitajima Rinako / Hosei University, 4th year student Suzuki Yusuke