Rakuten Inc., a Japan-based online retailer, has acquired more than 20% of the cancer treatment startup Aspyrian Therapeutics Inc., Nikkei Asian Review reported Nov. 27.
Rakuten CEO, founder, President and Chairman Hiroshi Mikitani is already Aspyrian's biggest shareholder, according to the Japanese publication.
The cancer treatment startup plans to test a treatment method called photoimmunotherapy, which uses infrared light to kill cancer cells, in Japan and the United States. Rakuten eventually plans to combine the health-related data collected on its online platform with Aspyrian's treatment business to form a medical service, Nikkei Asian Review reported.
