Japanese

Hiroshima University Hospital held a press briefing on April 7 to announce the completion of “Cells at Work! VR,” the world’s first virtual reality (VR) software designed to support children with cancer during treatment and help them find the strength to keep going. The hospital spent more than three years developing the software.

Cells at Work! is a popular Japanese manga and anime series that personifies cells in the human body—such as white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and macrophages—and depicts their roles in immune responses and the fight against pathogens.

In Cells at Work! VR, children enter their own bodies and become the protagonists of the story. As they learn how the body works, they fight bacteria and cancer cells alongside white blood cells in an immersive simulated experience. Though they struggle against powerful cancer cells, they ultimately defeat them with the help of anticancer drugs. The story consists of four episodes and includes both battle scenes against cancer cells and quizzes about how cells function. Total playtime is about 30 minutes.

In addition to the immersive 360-degree VR experience, passionate performances by the seven voice actors from the anime make the software even more lifelike. The software was designed to help children feel that the invisible “allies” inside their bodies—their cells—are working hard for them, fostering a more positive attitude toward treatment, a better understanding of their bodies, and the reassurance that they are not alone.

The software was produced by Be-RISE, a Hiroshima-based VR production company selected through a public call, with the cooperation of Kodansha, the Tokyo-based publisher of Cells at Work! The project received 132 donations totaling 15,109,000 yen, and development also moved forward with the support of additional grants and other funding. The software is expected to become available at hospitals across Japan that treat children with cancer.

In Japan, more than 2,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. Because cancer cells must be completely eliminated, patients must undergo very intensive treatment. In some cases, children are forced to endure long hospital stays without fully understanding why treatment is necessary, underscoring the importance of mental health care.

Hiroshima University Hospital is the only designated pediatric cancer care center in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. At the press briefing, Dr. Isamu Saeki of the Department of Pediatric Surgery, who supervised the project and helped develop the software’s story, said, “I hope that by having fun while playing, children will come to understand that the cells inside their bodies are fighting cancer cells with the help of medicine, feel more positive, and benefit from their treatment.”