A comprehensive portal site for Medical Innovation Support Office (MEDISO).Medical Innovation Support Office

Yasuo Sasaki

He graduated with a doctoral degree in science from the Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University. He was involved in the research and development of pharmaceutical products as an employee of Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation. He was mainly in charge of preclinical studies and regulatory affairs. From 2013, he provided support for research and development by academia, drug discovery venture companies, and small and medium enterprises centering on the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Since 2018, he has been providing support services as a freelance advisor or coordinator in the life science field.

Akihiko Watanabe, Ph.D.

President, GlobalHumanScienceInnovation; Senior Consultant, Headland Strategy Group; Visiting Professor, Gifu Pharmaceutical University; BD Consultant, United Immunity; Executive Advisor, SOKK Japan

With R&D expertise atJapanese and global pharmaceutical companies as a backbone, he has been engaged in marketing, BD, management planning and fundraising, in addition to R&D. In the Editorial Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, he organized roundtable discussions and special issues on practical application of academia seeds. He has been thinking about how Japanese bio-ventures can succeed. Over the past five years, he has worked at bio-venture companies as CBO or VP of BD and open innovation. He is also engaged in the making and analysing stratetgies of management, business, R&D, and marketing for pharmaceutical companies and bio-ventures on commission from a US consulting firm.

Katsuya Hashizume

Beyond Next Venutes Inc.

For over 10 years, he has been consistently involved in investing in academia startups. Joined BNV in 2020, focusing on investments in startups in the medical device and digital health sectors. Appointed as an Executive Officer in August 2021. Leads the investment department while also overseeing the community management of portfolio companies. Prior to BNV, he has served as the leader of industry-academic investment group at JAFCO and the chief promoter of JST START. While investing in startups, he has been involved in the company creation of several acedemia startups, including Microwave Chemical (IPO), Biomedical Solutions (M&A) and Bly Medical (M&A). Completed graduate studies at the Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance.

Kazuhiro Terashima

CaTe inc. CEO
Fujita Health University, Department of Cardiology, Assistant Professor

Cardiologist, Fellow of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics, Registered Cardiac Rehabilitation Instructor, Certified Occupational Health Physician and Clinical Education Instructor. He graduated from Nagoya University School of Medicine in 2011. After working at the Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center, Nagoya Daiichi Hospital, Sakakibara Memorial Hospital and other institutions, he joined Fujita Health University in 2023 as Assistant Professor of Cardiology and CCU Instructor. In 2020, he founded CaTe Inc. to research and develop programmed medical devices for cardiac rehabilitation, and to conduct clinical research and company-led clinical trials of such devices. He is currently the principal investigator for basic research on the Exercise Load Optimization function, a promising technology seed. In 2023 he closed Series A funding with JAFCO etc. as lead investor. While continuing his clinical work, he serves as CEO of the company and advises and supports other clinicians in the social implementation of clinical technology seeds.

Yutaka Kono

Guest professor
Drug Discovery Science Division,Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University