I work as a faculty member in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Tokyo University of Science. My work involves education and research. The environment surrounding pharmaceutical sciences has greatly changed. Pharmacists who used to generally deal only with drugs are now also required to interact with people. Pharmaceutical researchers are also expected to work on basic research with clinical or pathological implications. My research area is a hygienic pharmacy for disease prevention and health enhancement. This pharmaceutical science is unique in that it is not intended to cure diseases directly with drugs. My efforts are focused on education of pharmacists and research on pharmaceutical sciences to respond to the demands of the present age, based on the viewpoint that the relationships between human health and environments correspond to the interactions between biomolecules and environmental chemicals. Professors in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toyama are just as enthusiastic about research as they are about education. I believe this is an integral part of the university's tradition. Also, the Sugitani Campus, where the buildings of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Natural Medicine and University Hospital are located, provides a wonderful atmosphere. One of the best things I got out of university came from the exchanges I had with people outside of my own field of specialty. Although busy today with my laboratory staff and students, I often look back fondly on my own student days.

Originally I intended to become a pharmacist when I enrolled in Pharmaceutical Sciences. But I became fascinated by research in the course of hands-on practice and graduation work, and I ended up becoming a university teacher. A six-year curriculum has been introduced into pharmacy schools in Japan, and this is expected to contribute to the development of quality pharmacists for the medical field. There is also a need to train researchers who can play an active role on the front lines of research for the purpose of new drug development. I am currently working to determine the pathogenesis of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and to develop drugs that can lead to the prevention and cure of these diseases. Although it is often hard to get the results I want, I sometimes make unexpected discoveries. Finding something different than what you were looking for—but something valuable—is called serendipity. You need broad-based knowledge and experiences to enhance your chances of experiencing serendipity. That's why I try to make every day with my students a learning experience.

It was more than 10 years ago that I was hired as a pharmacist in the pharmacy department of Toyama University Hospital after graduating from the university's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and graduate school. Now, as the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Trials Control, I am involved in the overall management of the center, and I work for the Institutional Review Board.
Basic research gives rise to the seeds of potential drugs, which are developed by numerous research institutions and pharmaceutical companies. Eventually clinical trials involving actual patients are conducted to confirm the efficacy and safety of these drugs. Finally, after being approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, they are released onto the market as approved drug products.
The Center for Clinical Trials Control is a division that manages clinical trials involving patients. Its responsibilities include working for the Institutional Review Board to assess whether trials are measuring results on a scientifically sound basis and to ensure the safety of participating patients; providing support services for doctors and patients who are participating in trials; and holding meetings with pharmaceutical companies regarding trials. The work requires a broad-based understanding that encompasses legal and ethical perspectives as well as knowledge of medicine and pharmaceutics. The Center for Clinical Trials Control holds an important position in the final stage of drug discovery.

Currently, I am involved in the process of evaluating and approving new drugs. My job involves two major tasks: consultation on clinical trials, and evaluation and approval of drugs.
When consulting on clinical trials, I offer explanations and advice to pharmaceutical companies that are measuring the results of human trials to test the efficacy and safety of new drugs. I work to improve the quality of clinical trials and to ensure that all the requirements for drug approval are properly met. After completing a given trial, pharmaceutical companies organize and analyze the data they obtained and apply for a potential new drug to be approved.
In the evaluation and approval of drugs, I evaluate the efficacy, safety, and quality of new drugs used in applications based on currently available scientific standards. Evaluation and approval is done by an evaluation team that consists of evaluation officers with various specialized backgrounds: quality, pharmacology, toxicology, medicinal efficacy, and clinical medicine. Officers read the application materials from their own specialized perspectives and share their opinions and knowledge with people from the other fields.
Both of my job tasks are designed to facilitate the production of better drugs for society in as short a time as possible. I feel that this is a very satisfying job.

I am currently working for Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. conducting research to discover new drugs.
Our mission as a pharmaceutical company is to contribute to the improvement of patients' health and quality of life by developing new drugs for treatment or by improving existing drugs.
Developing a drug actually involves a wide range of activities: investigating possible agents to be used as ingredients in a drug; synthesizing compounds; evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of a drug; pharmaceutical design; and clinical trials. Creating a drug is a long and difficult process, taking 15 years and costing ¥15 billion. Researchers specialized in different areas must strive together towards the same goal and overcome various challenges before a new drug can be born.
Every day I utilize the knowledge and skills I learned at university. While imagining the joy of seeing a new drug born, I feel proud to be working for a worthy cause.
The photo shows an experimental process using an automatic scratch-measurement device.

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers students the most options of any science faculty: graduates can choose from a variety of career paths. Since you learn both chemistry and biology, you can work for a company or become a professional such as a pharmaceutical evaluation officer.
I work at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. My research targets an agent—a molecule made by an organism called interferon—that is involved in viral infections and at the same time commercially distributed as an antiviral drug. I analyze the control mechanism of biological responses to viral infections and interferon in the hope that this will lead to the development of drugs to protect living organisms from serious infections.
I was greatly helped by the experience of working and studying at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland, U.S.A. I hope to have the opportunity to educate young people and pass on to them the technical guidelines I develop.
The photo shows co-segregation analysis of a cell using a flow cytometry device.

I work for Ikeda Mohando, a company in Kamiichi-machi, Toyama Prefecture, overlooking Japan's Northern Alps. Toyama has long been famous for its pharmaceutical industry, and our company is part of that history. You may not be familiar with the name of our company, but its main product, Muhi, is a well known analgesic ointment and an example of a national brand that originated in Toyama.
'Medicines from Toyama' might sound traditional and old fashioned. You might not associate the phrase with research and development. However, providing safer and more effective medicines is the mission of a pharmaceutical company. Therefore, we work hard every day to improve our existing products and develop new ones. For example, differences in a base cream can change the feel and efficacy of an ointment, so we make a hundred test products to evaluate safety and efficacy before releasing a new product.
I was not from Toyama originally, but I entered the University of Toyama and took up mountain climbing. I joined the university's Alpine and eventually settled down in Toyama, surrounded by beautiful nature. My college days are therefore the foundation of my career and my lifestyle.

Coming all the way from Hokkaido, what have I learned in Toyama?
One thing I learned in coming to Toyama was the cultural differences throughout Japan. I learned for the first time ever about the traditional customs and cultures of other regions. I was thus able to broaden my perspective by attending a university with students from all over Japan.
Another thing I learned about, of course, was Kampo medicine. I belonged to a student club called the Shaben Society, a group for studying Kampo. Since there aren't many doctors or pharmacists in Hokkaido specializing in Kampo, the knowledge I acquired in Toyama has proven valuable in my work as a pharmacist. Even doctors seek my advice on Kampo, and I lead a very satisfying life as a pharmacist.
Attending a national university where I could learn the latest on cutting-edge life sciences gave me an essential foundation for understanding the ever-advancing field of medical care.
You, too, can learn whatever you want at the University of Toyama. So why don't you come and take your first steps towards becoming a pharmacist?

I work on a wide range of tasks as a pharmacist in a hospital. My job includes dispensing medicines, preparing injection sets, preparing medications for cancer treatments, and identifying the medicines that patients have brought in. One special task of mine is to manage the "master" cancer medicine so that other pharmacists can properly and accurately prepare medicine. I am also responsible for a section of the hospital where I visit in-patients and instruct them on the correct way to take their medicine. I do everything possible to help patients receive safe medical care.
I was deeply saddened by the loss of so many lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. I was part of an emergency medical relief team dispatched by Toyama Prefecture. We conducted relief work in Kamaishi City in Iwate Prefecture. My job on the team was to prepare medicine and instruct people in how to take it. It was important to instruct people how to take their medicine and ensure that it was safe to take the medicine in combination with vitamin supplements.
Sometimes I gave instructions on the usage and dosage of compounds to physicians who were writing prescriptions outside their area of specialty. When people from refuge centers came to look for a certain medicine, I helped to find medicines in our supply with the same or similar effects. If several pharmaceuticals were together in a bag, I identified each medicine by reading the name engraved on the surface of the tablet.
The physicians and nurses I worked with depended on me. Because so much of the medicine provided for the disaster victims consisted of generic drugs, it was important for the medical team to have a pharmacist like me who is used to handling generic drugs in his everyday work. As a member of the medical relief team, I also provided environmental hygiene support.
What was needed during the disaster relief was motivation, a smile, and the experience of daily work. There are many discoveries you can make during your daily work in a hospital. I continue to work hard to acquire new knowledge and skills so that I can better support the lives of patients.