"Medical and Pharmaceutical Research and Development Systems" intensive lectures in Washington D.C.

Visit with Japan's Ambassador Fujisaki (front center) during
the intensive lecture in Washington D.C.

At the lecture

The SDM 3-day intensive class, “Medical and Pharmaceutical Research and Development Systems” was held January 20-22. Nine students participated - six from SDM, Yosuke Nakajima (SDM Research Institute researcher), Akihiro Sakaedani (SDM Research Institute researcher), Satoru Arakawa (M2) , Shinichi Okano (M1), Tatsuya Shoji (M1), Tomoaki Sakurai (M1), two from the Graduate School of Medicine, Chisato Imai (M2) and Keisuke Izumi (Doctor, D2), and Takahiro Uchida, a SDM visiting researcher who joined from Boston.
Upon arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport on the afternoon of the 20th, the students headed directly to NIH to attend the first lecture the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The lectures continued all day for the following two days. The students got involved in deep discussions every night until late with other attendees who shared their new approaches of developing system designs for the medical and pharmaceutical fields.
Pharmaceutical projects are global and require enormous funding because it takes 15 years to get products to market. The pharmaceutical industry is uniquely affected by limited-life intellectual property, various regulations, and the importance of clinical trials. The students really enjoyed working on the system design and management of such dynamic topics.
The lectures were based on the leading-edge research in the US and focused on multifaceted issues, including the differences in the medical and social systems and environment between the US and Japan. We will continue to share information. The students were also invited to a one-hour meeting and discussion with Japan’s Ambassador to the United States at the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C.
The four-day stay at the guest house was fulfilling; the full agenda of lectures, meals, and late night discussions left no time for jet lag. We are grateful to Professor Yuko Kuno and Dr. Ryuji Ueno, who worked hard to create this program, and Prof. Yoshiaki Ohkami, Prof. Ryuichi Teshima and the SDM office members and teaching assistants for making it such a success. We hope this valuable program is offered again in the future and continues to aid in students’ research efforts.