Kickoff Symposium for the Medical Innovation Consortium held

On Monday, December 9, 2019, the Medical Innovation Consortium Kick-Off Symposium, “Paving the Future of Medicine,” was held at the Akio Suzuki Memorial Hall, M&D Tower, Tokyo Medical and Dental University. The Medical Innovation Consortium was established in December 2018 with the objective of developing and conducting the social implementation of genomic medicines and AI systems using bio banks and big data. During the kick-off symposium, the lectures were given by two consortium representatives, Professor Yuta Kochi and Specially appointed Associate Professor Tetsuya Nagata, as well as a special lecturer, Designated Professor Yusuke Nakamura who is currently leading the way in Japanese future medicine. Through these lectures, the speakers described the state of innovative medicine which the consortium is aiming.
Tokyo Medical and Dental University strives toward the social implementation of new medical technologies, centered on the activities of the Medical Innovation Consortium in collaboration with research institutes and enterprises in Japan and overseas. To this end, we are grateful for the community continuing to support us.

Special lecturer: Designated Professor Yusuke Nakamura (Director of the Cancer Precision Medicine Center/ Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago andProfessor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo)
In his lecture “How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Medical Care?,” special lecturer Designated Professor Nakamura offered a highly captivating discussion on such topics as the clinical experiences that inspired him to delve into genome research; an outline of “customized medical care,” which is currently replacing the traditional concept of standardized medical care in the cancer field; genome analysis; and the concept of an AI hospital that incorporates technologies such as image analysis and voice recognition.

Lecturer: Professor Yuta Kochi (Immunologic Abnormalities Unit / Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Medical Research Institute)
In his lecture, “Genomic Medicine for Multifactorial Diseases: What to Expect from AI,” Professor Kochi introduced the frontier of genome research in medical studies. This included the approach of utilizing genomic medicine on autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and the technological innovations enabled by AI.

Lecturer: Specially appointed Associate Professor Tetsuya Nagata (Innovative Medical Technology Development Unit/ Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Graduate School of Dental and Medical Sciences )
In his lecture “The Development of Nucleic Acid Drugs for Neurological and Muscular Disorders,” Specially appointed Associate Professor Nagata provided an outline of nucleic acid drug technology, and offered a clear explanation of the possibilities brought by new nucleic acid drugs, which he is currently developing based on his abundant research data.

Commemorative photo taken after the symposium.
(From left) Akinori Kimura, Executive Senior Vice President of Research, Accreditation and Evaluation; Professor Yuta Kochi (lecturer); Designated Professor Yusuke Nakamura (special lecturer); Yasuyuki Yoshizawa, President; Mamoru Watanabe, Executive Director / Executive Vice President of University Innovation; Professor Toshihiro Tanaka, Director of the Medical Innovation Consortium and Chair of Special Lectures; and Specially Appointed Associate Professor Tetsuya Nagata (lecturer)

In his opening statement, President Yasuyuki Yoshizawa laid out the purpose of the Medical Innovation Consortium and his expectations for the consortium.

Executive Director/Executive Vice President Mamoru Watanabe introduced the role of the Medical Innovation Consortium and each of its units.