Hisao Shimizu

Bachelor’s Degree Holder for 2003, Master’s Degree Holder for 2005 and Ph.D. Holder for 2008

I work as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company that engages in research and development for new drugs on a global basis, under a shared goal of delivering innovative new drugs for patients. New drug development is an extremely challenging mission that consumes a significant amount of time and effort, involving target searches, chemosynthesis, drug efficacy evaluations, toxicity evaluations, pharmacokinetic evaluations, formulation, and clinical trials.
I am involved in research involving pharmacokinetic evaluation, so I currently mainly analyze medicine blood concentration. At the research institute, we frequently discover new candidate compounds, which range widely from low molecular compounds to high molecular compounds such as nuclear acids and peptides. We are also required to analyze not only drugs, but also metabolites and biomarkers, in a highly sensitive manner. Developing analysis methods that closely reflect these compounds’ characteristics is rewarding to me, as I help develop new drugs. I studied at the University of Toyama during my undergraduate and graduate school years; as an adult professional, I now feel acutely that the specialized knowledge and experience I obtained at the University served as an important foundation for my work as a scientist.