Keio University’s Center for Research Promotion held the Keio Symposium for Leading-edge Science and Technology on February 20 in the North Building Conference Hall on the Mita campus. Entitled “Toward Rapid Medical Applications of Basic Research in the Life Sciences,” the panel discussion focused on what should be done by the government, academia, and industry to make translational research an entrenched part of the nation. (Translational research bridges the boundary between basic and clinical research to allow basic research to be swiftly applied to the clinic, and for insights gained from the clinic to inform basic research.) An audience of 220 members, from high-school students to industry and university experts, listened in.
The symposium opened with an address by Keio University President Yuichiro Anzai. Next, university researchers gave presentations on the latest developments of practical research. They were: Prof. Kazuo Umezawa (Dept. of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology), Prof. Masato Yasui (Dept. of Pharmacology, School of Medicine), Prof. Tsunenori Arai (Dept. of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology), Prof. Kazuo Tanishita (Dept. of System Design Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology), and Prof. Hiroshi Handa of the Tokyo Institute of Technology’s School and Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology. They were followed by Prof. Makoto Suematsu of the Department of Biochemistry and Integrative Medical Biology, School of Medicine, and Prof. Masahiro Takeuchi, director of the Kitasato Institute Center for Clinical Pharmacology, who discussed their advances in translational research. Finally, Prof. Yasuo Ikeda, dean of the School of Medicine, introduced the activities of the Keio Clinical Research Center, using as examples efforts to connect the bedside and the bench.
Before panel discussions commenced, Mr. Kazuhisa Yanagisawa, senior executive officer of Olympus Corporation, talked about the fostering of researchers in industry. From the government’s viewpoint, Mr. Kazuhiro Araki, director of Research and Development Division in the Health Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, described the current situation of translational research in Japan as seen through the system for clinical trials. Next the speakers participated in panel discussions. Moderated by Prof. Toru Takebayashi of the School of Medicine, the panelists exchanged various viewpoints on the establishment of career paths for translational research and what should be done to provide support to researchers on this path. The panelists all reiterated their belief that the development of researchers with a wide range of perspectives and knowledge of engineering, medicine, and clinical fields, in both industry and academia, is urgently needed. Many in the audience could be seen taking notes intently, demonstrating a high interest in this subject.
