Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global market for mental wellness products is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing awareness of mental health issues, a shift towards preventative care, and consumer demand for natural, side-effect-friendly solutions. Regulatory bodies are also becoming more receptive to evidence-based natural compounds. This technology positions companies to capitalize on these trends, offering a differentiated product that addresses both cognitive and physical health, thereby gaining a competitive edge in the ~$6.5B (AI est.) global market for mental health functional foods and adjunctive therapies.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Offers Natural Safety and Reliability: Derived from tomatoes, this composition presents a lower risk of side effects compared to synthetic pharmaceuticals, enhancing consumer acceptance.

02

Provides Dual Effect: Reduces Depression/Anxiety and Increases Physical Activity: Contributes to comprehensive mind-body health improvement by alleviating mental burden and promoting physical activity.

03

Establishes Strong, Long-Term IP Protection: Secure patent rights, protected until 2041, having cleared rigorous prior art examination, provide a stable foundation for long-term business operations.

Market Opportunity
💊 Functional Foods and Supplements
$1.5B globally (AI est.)
With increasing health consciousness, demand for functional foods and supplements targeting mental healthcare is rapidly expanding, addressing daily health maintenance needs.
Major food and beverage corporations Dietary supplement manufacturers Health-focused consumer goods companies
⚕️ Pharmaceuticals (Adjunctive Therapy)
$3.5B globally (AI est.)
There is a need for adjunctive therapies to reduce side effects or enhance the efficacy of existing antidepressants. As a natural compound, this technology could improve patient adherence.
Pharmaceutical companies specializing in CNS disorders Biotech firms developing natural therapeutics Drug developers seeking to expand product lines
🏋️ Sports Nutrition
$1B globally (AI est.)
Beyond enhancing physical performance, mental support and motivation are increasingly valued in sports. This technology, with its physical activity-increasing effect, offers new value to this market.
Sports supplement brands Performance nutrition companies Wellness and fitness product developers
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects compositions containing tomatidine or tomatine for preventing, treating, and/or alleviating depressive symptoms and increasing physical activity. With 6 claims, it has withstood rigorous examination, including overcoming a rejection notice through precise amendments, establishing a clear and robust scope of protection with low invalidation risk.

Competitive White Space

This patent primarily covers compositions for human use. White space exists in developing novel delivery systems or exploring synergistic combinations with other compounds for enhanced therapeutic effects in specific patient populations.

Economic Impact
~$34.5M/year estimated new market creation and productivity improvement (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

The domestic mental health functional food and supplement market is expanding. If new products incorporating this technology capture a 5% share of a ~$650M (AI est.) annual market, it could generate ~$32.5M (AI est.) in annual sales. Additionally, considering productivity improvements from enhanced employee well-being (~$350/person/year (AI est.) for 5,000 employees), an estimated total economic impact of ~$34.5M (AI est.) per year is projected.

Speed to Market
4× faster than in-house development
The active ingredients are already identified, and their mechanism of action is partly understood. As a natural compound, it can leverage existing data and knowledge for toxicity and safety assessments, significantly reducing development time compared to discovering new compounds. For functional foods or supplements, integration into existing production lines is relatively straightforward, enabling rapid market entry.
Competitive Positioning

X: Safety and Natural Origin
Y: Multifunctionality and Efficacy Range

Business Models & Applications
🍎 Functional Food Ingredient Supply
Supply the active ingredients of this technology as raw materials to health food and beverage manufacturers, enabling broad product development and securing a stable revenue stream.
📄 Licensing Agreement
Grant implementation rights for this patent to pharmaceutical companies or major food manufacturers, allowing for royalty income while mitigating development risks.
🤝 Joint Product Development
Collaborate with specific companies to jointly develop and market new products utilizing this technology, accelerating market entry and diversifying risks.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
👵 Elder Care & Monitoring
QOL Enhancement Supplements for Seniors
Depressive symptoms and reduced activity in the elderly are significant societal challenges. Supplements leveraging this technology could support mood improvement and physical activity maintenance, potentially enhancing the quality of life for seniors by 20-30%.
🏢 Corporate Well-being
Employee Stress Management Solutions
Addressing employee mental health is a critical corporate priority. Utilizing this technology in stress-care functional foods as an employee benefit could boost productivity by 10-15% and support corporate health management initiatives.
🏃 Fitness & Healthcare
Exercise Adherence Support Beverages
For individuals struggling to maintain exercise routines, developing beverages or jellies focused on increasing physical activity could help establish consistent habits, potentially increasing exercise adherence by 25%.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 24-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Basic Evaluation and Formulation Design
Duration: 6 months
Establish optimal extraction and purification methods for the active ingredients (tomatidine/tomatin). Conduct formulation design and stability evaluations tailored to product forms (e.g., capsules, beverages, food additives).
Phase 2: Product Development and Validation
Duration: 12 months
Manufacture prototypes and conduct safety tests (e.g., toxicity studies) and functional tests (e.g., human intervention trials) in compliance with regulatory requirements to build verifiable evidence for claims.
Phase 3: Market Launch and Sales Strategy
Duration: 6 months
Strengthen collaboration with manufacturing partners to establish mass production. Develop and execute marketing strategies tailored to target markets, facilitating product launch and distribution network establishment.
Technical Feasibility
The active ingredients are natural compounds derived from tomatoes, making integration into existing food manufacturing lines and supplement formulation facilities straightforward. The patent claims flexibly describe the composition's form and administration routes, suggesting broad applicability across various product types. This approach leverages existing infrastructure rather than requiring new equipment, indicating low technical barriers to adoption.
Success Scenario
Companies adopting this technology could introduce innovative mental health-related products using natural ingredients to the market. This is expected to strengthen existing healthcare product portfolios and attract new customer segments. Furthermore, by contributing to improved employee well-being, it could enhance overall corporate productivity and reduce turnover rates, potentially realizing an economic impact of several tens of millions of dollars annually (AI est.).
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2020-218866
REGISTRATION NO.
7648129
FILING DATE
2020/12/28
GRANT DATE
2025/03/10
EXPIRATION DATE
2040/12/28
PATENT HOLDER
国立大学法人金沢大学
Examination History
2021年01月29日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2023年12月15日
出願審査請求書
2024年11月28日
拒絶理由通知書
2025年01月21日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2025年01月21日
意見書
2025年02月10日
特許査定