Organization

Advanced Cell Therapy Research Division

Bringing together the wisdom of exceptional
cell design to create a wide variety of innovative
cell therapy seeds.

Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine
Director: Prof. Koji TAMADA

The Division of Advanced Cell Therapy is promoting clinical development of innovative cell therapy through organized collaboration with university-launched startups, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, financial institutions, related hospitals, and local governments, so as to overcome intractable diseases that cannot be solved by current therapies, by taking advantage of the innovative “cell design” technology that has been cultivated for long time as a strength of the RICeD. Technologies developed in our division include, but are not limited to, PRIME CAR-T cell therapy for the treatment of intractable solid cancers, regenerative therapy using mesenchymal stem cells, and treatment of refractory skin ulcers using allogeneic cell sheets consisting of layered fibroblasts, representing various research seeds of cell-based therapies which are considered as top-tier in Japan.

In addition, our division is also engaged in exploring technologies to “create the cells” and “deliver the cells”, which are indispensable for drug formulation and supply to the patients, as exemplified by automated cell culture equipment, validation methods of cellular functions, cell culture media, and technologies of cell storage and transport. In addition, our division also contribute to “foster the specialists for cell therapy” such as cell processing operators and advanced medical technicians, aiming at the creation of innovative next-generation therapies.

Division of Medical and Veterinary Translational Clinical Research

Veterinary and medical care for dogs and cats
Toward a cycle of translational

Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine)
Deputy Director: Prof. Takuya Mizuno

Canine and feline companion animals are our closest relatives and enrich our lives by living together. Dogs and cats also suffer from many intractable diseases similar to human diseases, ranging from genetic diseases to cancer. In addition, unlike laboratory animals such as mice, these diseases occur naturally in dogs and cats, and they are increasingly recognized as natural models for human diseases. Furthermore, in recent years, more and more people consider dogs and cats as family companions, and veterinarians are required to provide advanced medical treatment.

The Medical and Veterinary Translational Clinical Research Division conducts “medical to veterinary” translational research to expand the means to save animals with intractable diseases by advancing research to apply cutting-edge medical technologies to companion animal medicine. At the same time, we aim to create a sustainable cycle of medical-veterinary translational research by promoting “veterinary to medical” translational research to return the knowledge gained from such research to medical treatment by promptly applying to companion animals treatments that are difficult to implement in medicine due to ethical issues and various other barriers. We aim to create a sustainable cycle of medical and veterinary translational research.

Division of Advanced Genome Editing Therapy

Aiming to Conquer Genetic Diseases,
Medical research using domestically produced
genome editing technology

Graduate School of Medicine (Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology)
Professor Tatsuo Miyamoto

There are more than 7,000 human genetic diseases, and the total number of affected people is estimated to be more than several hundred million worldwide. Until now, most treatments for human genetic diseases have been limited to symptomatic treatment and have been considered incurable, but with the advent of innovative genome editing technology that can modify specific locations of the 3 billion base pairs of long human genetic information, human genetic diseases are expected to be transformed into diseases that can be overcome. On the other hand, there are still technical and patent barriers to be overcome before genome editing technology can be used safely in the medical field.

The Division of Advanced Genome Editing Therapy brings together basic medical researchers with experience in the development of domestically produced genome editing technologies and clinical medical researchers aiming to develop genome editing therapies to take on the difficult task of “conquering genetic diseases” in humans and companion animals. In collaboration with other research institutions in Japan, such as the Center for Genome Editing Innovation at Hiroshima University, we aim to develop the center as a research and educational center for genome-edited therapies originating in Japan.

Division of Medical Information Systems

Knowledge Integration Using Data Science:
Exploring New Possibilities for Cell Therapy Research

Graduate School of Medicine (Department of Systems Bioinformatics)
Professor Yoshiyuki Asai

Based on the idea that “Biological functions are the dynamics of living organisms.,” the Systems Medicine and Informatics Division integrates expertise in bioinformatics and artificial intelligence technologies from the perspective of systems biology to analyze experimental data and integrate information related to cell design generated by other research divisions. We will lead and fully support the development of innovative cell and gene therapies, as well as therapies using companion animals.

We are also working to develop new analytical methods and generate knowledge in the field of medical science by integrating systems biology, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence technologies, three important data science technologies that have been developing remarkably in recent years. At the same time, we also focus on data science education with the aim of producing physicians with strong expertise in data science and technology.

This research division functions as a hub for cross-divisional collaboration in the Institute for Cell Design and Medical Science, and aims to open up new horizons in disease treatment by linking technologies with newly generated knowledge to practical applications.