Medicine
Challenges surrounding medical treatment
Japanese society is aging. According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the percentage of elderly people over 65 will have increased from 23.0% in 2010 to 39.9% in 2060.
Furthermore, it is projected that the population between the ages of 15 and 65 will fall from 63.8% to 50.9%.
Even if the demand for medicine and related services increases due to aging, the generation supporting the medical insurance system will steadily decline. Thus, substantial changes are required.
Viewpoint towards problem solving
Let us look at the example of regenerative medicine. This is an epoch-making technology that makes it possible to treat intractable diseases that were conventionally thought untreatable, by artificially creating tissues and organs from stem cells and using them for treatment. In order for this to be used by future generations, it is important not only to cultivate cells and to create tissues and organs, but also to know how to culture vulnerable cells on a commercial scale and use them during treatment. This way of thinking is applicable in all aspects of healthcare, such as the development of new drugs and devices.
Medical advances made possible through chemical system engineering
In our department, you will learn chemical engineering, chemoinformatics, statistical analysis, process system engineering, and other topics based on chemistry. One might ask, "I developed a new culture method, by how much can we shorten the time required before it can be administered to patients?", or "How can we change this product's price?" You should become aware of the connection between individual technologies and the entire process. Laboratories have been assigned to work on these themes.
- Dynamic simulation and process assessment of cell cultivation modes inmonoclonal antibody production (Hirao-Sugiyama Lab.)