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Human Metabolome Technologies chose Leiden for its European office

Contact /Tanja Baars Datum /
Japanese firm Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT) has chosen Leiden for its European office and started operations July 1st 2017 at the Leiden Bio Science Park. This biotechnology company develops capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry (CE-MS) based metabolomics technologies and solutions to drive drug discovery, diagnosis, and food production. At the opening ceremony HMT’s CEO Mr. Ryuji Kanno and Managing Director Mr. Tsutomu Hoshiba were presented a special plaque from Mayor Henri Lenferink to mark the occasion. The Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Hiroshi Inomata also gave a brief speech during the official opening ceremony.
Human Metabolome Technologies vestigt Europees kantoor in Leiden

Sandra de Wild (NFIA), Henri Lenferink (Mayor of Leiden), Mr. Ryuji Kanno (HMT), Mr. Tsutomu Hoshiba (HMT), Mr. Hiroshi Inomata (Ambassador of Japan), Lissa Culbertson Boxy (InnovationQuarter).

Hotspot for life sciences

Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT) has selected Leiden for three distinct reasons. First of all, the Netherlands has a strategic location in the centre of Europe which gives HMT a logistical advantage when receiving samples from clients in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Additionally, the Leiden Bio Science Park which includes the Leiden University, the Leiden University Medical Centre and the dynamic cluster of pharmaceutical and biotech companies make up a great transitional research environment in which HMT can thrive.

Lastly but also important for the company and their Japanese culture, Leiden is the location where Philipp Franz von Siebold settled after leaving Japan. He was the first European physician to introduce Western medicine to Japan during the Sakoku era. This was an era of national isolation so the Japanese have a great admiration for Dr. Siebold and his work.

Tsutomu Hoshiba: “InnovationQuarter and NFIA have provided excellent support for the setup of our European office in beautiful and friendly Leiden. Their timely and pinpoint guidance made for an easy entry and now we are ready for business. Because of the InnovationQuarter staff diligence, our success is almost guaranteed.”

Human Metabolome Technologies vestigt Europees kantoor in Leiden

Henri Lenferink (Mayor of Leiden), Mr. Ryuji Kanno (HMT), Mr. Tsutomu Hoshiba (HMT), Mr. Hiroshi Inomata (Ambassador of Japan).

Metabolomic analysis

Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT) was founded in 2003 using a unique technology for metabolomic analysis. In 2013, HMT established their first overseas office in Boston, MA where they have expanded their business to around 100 projects in North America. HMT’s primary business aims to provide complete solutions for metabolome analysis in drug design, diagnostic technology, and food production, using a wide range of targets including human and animal samples. HMT is now ready to build on this success by opening this new office in the Netherlands so they can expand their reach and provide services to the European research community.

Established in Leiden

InnovationQuarter, the Leiden Bio Science Park foundation and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) offices in Boston, Japan and The Hague have provided information and assistance in setting up the office in Leiden and introductions in to the Life Science & Health business network in the region.

Mayor of Leiden Henri Lenferink: “We are pleased that HMT has chosen the Leiden Bio Science Park as the location for their European office. With their advanced metabolomic analysis technology, HMT will be a valuable addition to the Leiden life science cluster. And we are proud to have another strong tie to our long and warm relationship with Japan”.

“We are delighted with the establishment of HMT’s European office in our region,” says Chris van Voorden, Director Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter.

Our team will continue to support HMT as they grow their European business and are excited to assist them in exploring possibilities for collaboration with regional partners and businesses.