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Initiatives of Drug Discovery Research and Human Resource Development at Research Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Keio University

Research Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy at Keio University has been in full-scale operation since 2018, as a place to generate research results that lead to maintenance of human health and treatment and prevention of diseases, as well as a place of cultivating future talented researchers in the next generation, through open innovation by diverse and active interactions. Currently, the four projects has been started; Innovative Metabolomics Center for Drug Discovery (iMec), Project of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics (PreMo), Progressive Research for Immunology and Antibody (Primab), and Microbiome Drug Discovery Project (Microbiome). Through these projects, we are expecting new interactions among faculty members, industrial researchers, and students.

The Research Center for Drug Discovery helps new theme settings, exchanging each knowledge, and new research approaches by having faculty members in and out of Keio University and corporate researchers with diverse knowledge and skills. We also provide research environments  and experiences so that students can grow researchers who generate new innovations themselves in the future. Outlines of the four projects are below.

Innovative Metabolomics Center for Drug Discovery; iMeC

The Innovative Metabolomics Center for Drug Discovery (iMeC) aims to create a research environment for open innovation with state-of-the-art mass-spectrometry technologies, as well as to explore and evaluate drug discovery seeds, develop new technologies and human resources. In this project, an optimized method will be built according to the analysis target and aim to apply it for a variety of pathological and biology research, including elucidation of metabolic networks related to biocontrol, search for new bioactive substances and drug discovery targets, and elucidation of mechanisms such as drug efficacy and pharmacokinetics.

Project of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics；PreMo

In order to contribute to genomic medicine, the Project of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics (PreMo) works the performance assessment of next-generation sequencers and other molecular diagnostic systems based on analytical chemical techniques and experiences that faculty members have. The project aims to identify current issues and develop support methods by examining the process of making treatment decisions such as medications based on the test results of molecular diagnostics that utilize knowledge of drugs.   

Progressive Research for Immunology and Antibody; Primab

The Progressive Research for Immunology and Antibody (Primab) aims to solve unmet medical needs for rare intractable diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases, and contribute to the realization of a healthy, long-lived society. In addition to developing new antibody-drug technologies and searching for seeds, we develop talented human resources in the field of drug discovery.

Microbiome Drug Discovery Project; Microbiome

The purpose of this project is to clarify the roles of the most popular symbiont, intestinal bacterial communities (gut microbiota), on physiological functions and disease development and prevention, and their mechanisms of action. By using a variety of disease animal models and multi-omics analysis, we aim to explore new seeds that will be target molecules for drug discovery, as well as to develop human resources with a drug discovery mindset.

 In the future, we will launch new projects as well as further advance the current projects and will contribute to the realization of a healthy and long-lived society through research for drug discoveries. We will also make efforts to create a better environment and enhance research activities for students so that they can grow themselves into researchers who generate new interactions and innovations in the future, through the experience at the Research Center.

November 2021
Yun-Gi Kim
Professor, Research Center for Drug Discovery
 Faculty of Pharmacy, Keio University