Facilities and Equipment

In addition to human creativity and effort, the utilization of extensive research facilities and equipment is essential for conducting excellent medical research.

The Graduate School of Medicine at Keio University has the Center for Integrated Medical Research, built in 2001, and the Clinical Research Building, newly established in 2008. Within these research facilities, there is the Division of Collaborative Research Platforms (Research Core Facilities, Translational Disease Model Center, Electron Microscope Center, and RI Center) for world-leading research.

The Translational Disease Model Center provides breeding and experimental environments for animals ranging from small animals such as mice to medium and large animals. The Research Core Facilities and Electron Microscope Center are equipped with more than 200 types of research equipment necessary for various life science research including omics, imaging, and disease models, such as next-generation sequencers, cell sorters, laser confocal microscopes, super-resolution microscopes, X-ray micro-CT, histological analysis equipment, and transmission/scanning electron microscopes.

Furthermore, researchers can utilize the Kitasato Memorial Medical Library, which is famous for its extensive collection of books in addition to over 11,000 medical electronic journals, one of the largest collections in Japan.

There is a research environment where all of these can be used by researchers, including students in the Master's and Doctoral Programs of the Graduate School of Medicine, through certain procedures and while receiving technical guidance.

In these vibrant research facilities, the Shinanomachi Research Park is operated as a multi-disciplinary complex research base where not only our university's basic and clinical medical research groups but also external research institutions and companies work together. This serves as a catalyst for new ideas to emerge through interaction not only between internal research staff and graduate students but also with external and corporate researchers. Furthermore, through collaboration with the Faculty of Pharmacy and pharmaceutical companies, students can learn firsthand about the process of commercializing research results such as new compounds, as well as procedures related to obtaining patents for new drugs and intellectual property. If you are motivated, you can take the initiative to utilize these resources yourself, enabling various research approaches.

We are enhancing shared research facilities to support cutting-edge research, centered on the Division of Collaborative Research Platforms. We provide everything from general-purpose equipment to advanced experimental facilities and specialized analysis equipment, covering a wide range of research areas such as imaging, multi-omics analysis, and animal experiments. Experienced technical staff support the realization of high-quality and efficient research.

The Research Core Facilities aim to further revitalize research by providing a wide range of research equipment and facilities to researchers both inside and outside the Keio University School of Medicine. More than 100 types of advanced research equipment necessary for biomedical research are available. Specifically, in addition to general-purpose equipment essential for life science research, cutting-edge imaging devices such as X-ray nano-CT, multi-photon excitation microscopes, and laser confocal microscopes including near-infrared are in operation. Furthermore, the shared support web system Keio.SimpRent.jp provides a highly convenient environment for users, from equipment information and reservations to payment of usage fees. SimpRent can be viewed without an account, so please make use of it from the initial stages of research planning to the presentation of results.

The Translational Disease Model Center manages and operates the joint animal experimental facilities under the School of Medicine Animal Experiment Committee. The joint animal experimental facilities are equipped with facilities that consider animal welfare and manage the breeding of small rodents and medium to large animals. We support life science and medical research by establishing animal operating rooms corresponding to various procedures for medium and large animals and providing support for developmental engineering and genetic modification technology centered on small rodents.

The Electron Microscope Center provides transmission and scanning electron microscopes and peripheral equipment as shared-use equipment for the analysis of ultra-fine structures. Furthermore, a multi-beam scanning electron microscope is also in operation, enabling high-speed imaging of a wide range of continuous tissue sections at the nanoscale. In addition to equipment use where users operate the devices themselves, contract services from sample preparation to observation are also available.