Center for Development of Hydrogen Gas Therapeutics (SU)

Director: Motoaki Sano (Associate Professor, School of Medicine)

Campus: Shinanomachi

The use of hydrogen as an energy source is gaining attention as a key to solving the so-called 3E trilemma of Economy, Energy, and Environment. We have demonstrated the potential for hydrogen to exert therapeutic effects in various situations in emergency and critical care medicine, and have served as a leading strategic research center for the realization of hydrogen medicine. We established the Center for Development of Hydrogen Gas Therapeutics to promote integrated non-clinical and clinical research, aiming for regulatory approval of hydrogen gas and hydrogen medical devices. This will be based on strengthening inter-university collaborations that transcend disciplinary boundaries and on industry-academia partnerships focused on clinical applications.

Hydrogen medicine, integrated non-clinical and clinical research, inter-university collaboration with veterinary universities

■ Ongoing Activities from the Previous Fiscal Year: Background, Rationale, and Goals

We proved that hydrogen gas inhalation is effective as an alternative (or adjunctive) therapy to therapeutic hypothermia for cerebral resuscitation after cardiopulmonary arrest in rats (Hayashida K., Circulation, 2014). In 2014, at Keio University Hospital, we administered hydrogen gas via a ventilator to five post-cardiopulmonary arrest patients and demonstrated its safety (UMIN000012381). We planned a multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial. After obtaining approval from the Keio University ethics committee, we held a kick-off meeting on February 12, 2016, at the Hotel Pearl City Kobe with institutions scheduled to participate in the nationwide clinical trial. At the end of February, we held an internal kick-off meeting with the Keio operational members: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine: Suzuki, Hayashida, Tamura, Katsumata, Shibusawa, Yoshizawa, Onuki, Sasaki (personal information manager/allocation manager); Department of Cardiology: Sano (ward team), Maekawa (catheterization team); Department of Anesthesiology: Takeshi Suzuki; Department of Neurology: undecided (2 members); Department of Nursing: Okamoto (GICU), Hayashi (outpatient), Watanabe (emergency outpatient);

Center for Medical Engineering: Hirabayashi, Tominaga; Independent Data Monitoring Committee: Fujishima (Chair), Horiguchi, Masaoka; Academic Research Support Section: Tanaka; Office for Research Coordination and Administration: Kimura (intellectual property). Patient enrollment is scheduled to begin as soon as preparations are complete.

■ Fiscal Year 2016 New Activity Goals, Content, and Background

We launched an inter-university collaboration consortium between Keio University and Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University with the aim of developing new advanced therapies by transcending the boundaries of faculties such as medicine and veterinary medicine, and by complementing each other's strengths and challenges. In fiscal year 2016, our goal is to establish a collaborative laboratory at Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University and to conduct systematic management and operation of experimental animals. Using a high-precision rat 5/6 nephrectomy model that incorporates microsurgery techniques, we will investigate the therapeutic effects of hydrogen gas on hypertension and explore its molecular mechanisms.

■ Implementation Details, Research Outcomes, and Degree of Achievement Relative to the Business Plan for the Fiscal Year

We are creating highly reproducible and precise disease model animals using microsurgery techniques, and are conducting animal management and evaluation of the efficacy and pharmacology of hydrogen gas inhalation as an integrated system. To this end, we launched an inter-university collaboration consortium with Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University. We planned a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial to examine the efficacy of hydrogen inhalation therapy for patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and it was approved by the ethics committee.

Launched an inter-university collaboration consortium with Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University.

Planned a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial to examine the efficacy of hydrogen inhalation therapy for patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which was approved by the ethics committee.