Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy Hosts Keio Medical Science Prize Satellite Symposium 2024: "AI-Driven Life Science and Drug Discovery"

Publish: December 10, 2024

Faculty of Pharmacy/Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences

For Prospective Students of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Prospective Graduate Students, Current Students, Alumni, Companies and Researchers, Families, Science Topics, 2024/12/10

On Thursday, November 21, the Keio Medical Science Prize Satellite Symposium 2024, "AI-Driven Life Science and Drug Discovery," hosted by the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, was held in the main auditorium of the Shiba-Kyoritsu Campus.

Over 200 students, faculty, and staff members attended, filling the main auditorium to capacity. The event was a great success, with a live broadcast to an overflow room in Classroom 255.

The symposium consisted of an interactive talk featuring Dr. Demis Hassabis (Co-Founder and CEO of Google DeepMind), recipient of the 29th (2024) Keio Medical Science Prize and the 2024 Nobel laureate in Chemistry, and lectures by three researchers.

Following the opening remarks by Makoto Arita, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, lectures were given by Professor Hiroshi Makino (Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine), Dr. Kazuyoshi Ikeda (Unit Leader, Drug Discovery Chemistry AI Application Unit, RIKEN Center for Computational Science), and Project Professor Naohiko Koyama (Keio University Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Computing Research Center (Bio2Q)). Numerous comments and questions from Dr. Hassabis and the audience made for a lively research presentation.

In the subsequent interactive talk, Dr. Hassabis took the stage and, moderated by Professor Koji Hase (Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy), answered questions submitted in advance by participants. He also enthusiastically answered questions from students in the audience, providing them with a valuable experience.

After the closing remarks by Hidemi Misawa, Dean of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, all participants took a commemorative photo, bringing the highly successful event to a close.

→ Program Details (PDF)

→ About the Keio Medical Science Prize (External Link)

Report from a Student Who Attended the Symposium

Miki Kimihira (2nd year, Ph.D. program, Major in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Department of Molecular Design Chemistry)

This symposium made me realize once again the fascinating nature of interdisciplinary research, a feeling likely stemming from the wide range of potential applications for AI.

The lectures began with a discussion on the interaction between AI and neuroscience, then covered topics such as the use of theoretical calculations in drug discovery and the utility of AI in the lead optimization stage. Listening to these three lectures, which offered different perspectives from both basic and applied research, was a valuable opportunity to appreciate the importance of not confining oneself to a single research area. Technologies like AI and computational science may at first seem disconnected from experimental sciences like applied research, but I was reminded that there is definite value created for both when they are introduced in an interdisciplinary manner and that they should be actively incorporated. I believe that designing a community where feedback from applied research can more easily reach basic research will lead to the future advancement of useful technologies.

In Dr. Hassabis's interactive talk, he spoke on a wide range of topics, from his career and private life to his research. The breadth of his career is fascinating; while he pursued research on neural circuits during his graduate school years, he ultimately won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for protein structure prediction using AI. Here again, I felt the affinity between cognitive neuroscience in biology and AI, and I was once again reminded of the power of collaboration between different research fields. Dr. Hassabis is also involved in multiple joint research projects with pharmaceutical companies. From his unique perspective as a researcher who builds AI, he sincerely answered questions about the role that "human researchers" should play in drug discovery. I feel he gave us insights into what pharmacy students should master during their student years to fulfill their roles. The story of him enjoying futsal and games with his son in his private life seemed to resonate with many students. I felt that his attitude of enjoying both his private and professional life is connected to the playfulness that can be glimpsed in his research. Related to the breadth of his career, the story that AlphaFold originated from a conversation about protein folding with a friend during his student days is particularly striking. Protein structure analysis often seems incredibly difficult, yet he revolutionized this research area—springing from a casual conversation with a friend—using a technology completely different from those of the experts in the field. Furthermore, considering that this is connected to AlphaGo, I am nothing but inspired by his flexibility and curiosity to view one research topic from another angle and connect them holistically.

His attitude of never being satisfied with the status quo was very impressive. It made me feel that it's hard to compete with someone who truly enjoys their work, and it was a good opportunity for me to reaffirm my desire to become a researcher with a broad perspective.