Center Director: Kazuo Kishi (Professor, School of Medicine)
Main Campus: Shinanomachi
Center Overview
The challenges facing science and technology in recent years have become more diverse and complex, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to address these issues within the confines of specialized, individual academic fields. In particular, collaboration between medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences to solve problems is essential for the future of medical technology to support rapidly advancing healthcare. Keio University is a comprehensive university with a School of Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Faculty of Pharmacy. Although collaborative projects have been promoted within the university, they have been limited to individual joint research on specific research projects. There has not been a system in place to spontaneously generate collaboration between medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences, and there is a desire to build a foundation for integrated research as a unified effort by Keio University. Furthermore, promoting interdisciplinary education, research, and awareness activities in regulatory science is essential for the practical application of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This start-up center aims to create and promote interdisciplinary research and education through the establishment of Keio's unique collaborative framework between medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences, led by faculty members from the School of Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Faculty of Pharmacy.
Keywords and Main Research Themes
Collaboration between medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, neuroscience and rehabilitation, biomechanics and computational engineering, bio-drug devices, biomedical imaging, regulatory science
Fiscal Year 2013 Activity Report
■ Implementation of the Business Plan for the Fiscal Year, Research Results, and Achievements
Promotion of collaborative research between medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences: We have conducted joint research in these fields under the common goal of human care medicine. We are also promoting the Regenerative Medicine Hub Network Project, involving researchers from medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences within the university, and are applying for a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
Holding regular working groups for medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences: We held regular working group meetings once every one to two months to address joint research, applications for research funding, and curriculum development for human resource training for collaborative projects in these fields.
■ Number of Published Papers (and Names of Major Journals), Number of Conference Presentations (Domestic and International), and Achievements in Social Contribution such as Events (Date, Location)
Operation of the collaboration platform site for medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences: http://www.mpec.project.rcp.keio.ac.jp/ We disseminate information about the activities of the Keio Medical and Pharmaceutical Science and Engineering Commons (MPEC) through this website.
Holding collaborative symposia for medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences: Symposia are held once every four months, rotating between the respective campuses. Each event attracts a large number of participants. 3rd Incubation Lounge (July 24, 2013, Shinanomachi Campus), 4th Incubation Lounge (December 11, 2013, Hiyoshi Campus), 5th Incubation Lounge (March 19, 2014, Shiba-Kyoritsu Campus)
■ Notable Achievements Through the Center's Activities
We have successfully formed a platform that facilitates joint research collaboration between medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. Additionally, based on the collaborative symposia (Incubation Lounges) held sequentially at each campus, we have succeeded in generating new needs and seeds.
Project Members
Principal Investigator
Kazuo Kishi
ProfessorPlastic and Reconstructive SurgeryToshiyasu Nakamura
Full-time LecturerOrthopedic Surgery