Knowledgeable experts support
the practical application of medicines,
medical devices,
and regenerative medicinal products.
What is MEDISO
MEDISO provides support for business ventures, academia,
and individuals intending to put into practical use medicines,
medical devices, and regenerative medicinal products.
Click here for further details.
About the Medical Innovation Support Office
The medical innovation support office matches medical venture companies and academic institutions facing challenges in the practical application of medical products and devices for specialists* who provide detailed consultation and support for solving problems at each stage from research and development to practical use, as well as insurance coverage at clinical sites, while looking ahead to the overall comprehensive advances and dissemination into the global market.
* Specialists in each field provide support for the response to laws and regulations, marketing, business planning, fund rasing, management strategy, intellectual property management, and international development, etc.
This website is operated by Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., as a trustee under instructions from the Economic Affairs Division, Health Policy Bureau, and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a part of the total support for the medical ventures program sponsored by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Support targets
Ventures, academic institutions, and individuals aiming to put into practical use the medicines, medical devices, regenerative medicinal products, and novel drug-discovery technologies or medical materials subject to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law.
Details of support
MEDISO provides support for the practical application of medicines, medical devices, regenerative medicinal products, and other products subject to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law.
That support includes business planning, financing, advice on laws and regulations, and other assistance as required.
- ●Support method:We provide support via online meeting or e-mail.
- ●Support source:Support is provided in cooperation with experts in R&D, consultants in pharmaceutical affairs, and experts from related organizations including the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
- ●Remarks:Consultation and support services are free of charge.
In case the link does not work, please contact us at the email address below
mediso@ml.mri.co.jp
Specialists Introduction
We will introduce registered specialists
(updated as necessary).
Hiroyuki Hasegawa
Director of Life Science, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.
Main specialty areas
- medicines
- medical devices
- regenerative medicine products
Specialized support fields
- Regulatory compliance
- Marketing
- Business planning
- Funding
- Business operation systems
He graduated with a master’s degree from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University. In 1994, he joined Daiichi Seiyaku Company (current Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited) and was in charge of the areas of infectious diseases and cancers in the Department of Post-marketing Surveillance. In 2004, he joined UFJ Capital Co., Ltd. (current Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.), where he served as an analyst and capitalist. From 2013, he made an attempt to use open innovation for the Development of Emerging Technologies (OiDE) Fund for the purpose of nurturing outcomes from academia-launched research to become the fundamental technology for drug discovery in collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited(liquidated in 2023).Since the first fund in 2017, we have been promoting investment activities using a total of 50 billion yen, including the "Mitsubishi UFJ Life Science Fund No. 4" (20 billion yen).Currently, he holds the position of outside director at Kamuipharma, GAIA Biomedicine, and Luxonus Co. Ltd., as well as serving as a fellow for collaboration between industry and academia at Kyoto University Medical Science and Business Liaison Organization.

Akihiko Watanabe, Ph.D.
President, GlobalHumanScienceInnovation; Senior Consultant, Headland Strategy Group; Visiting Professor, Gifu Pharmaceutical University; BD Consultant, United Immunity; Executive Advisor, SOKK Japan
Main specialty areas
- medicines
- regenerative medicine products
Specialized support fields
- Marketing
- Business planning
- Funding
- Business operation systems
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.

Yoshinori Shinoki
Pharma Initiative Support LLC
Main specialty areas
- medicines
- medical devices
- regenerative medicine products
Specialized support fields
- Regulatory compliance
- Marketing
- Business planning
- Business operation systems
He graduated from the Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, and is a licensed pharmacist. At Sawai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Eli Lilly Japan K.K., after taking charge of clinical development, business planning, etc., he acquired experience in planning and implementing various clinical development plans as a project leader for newly developed items in the project management department. In addition, he led NHI price negotiation strategy, post-marketing clinical startegy, and market planning. After that, he built up clinical development department at Global CRO. he also led the planning of the clinical development for Japan for small and biological products, as well as negotiating with regulatory authorities. Recently, in addition to medicines, he also led the development of clinical development strategies of medical devices and the products of regenerative medicine (gene therapy products and cell/tissue processed products).

Kunishige Masui
Managing Partner
Main specialty areas
- medicines
- medical devices
- regenerative medicine products
Specialized support fields
- Regulatory compliance
- Funding
- Specialized support fields
Graduated from Kyoto University Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo Law School, and University of California, Irvine LLM. 2014 - 2021 at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu; 2020 - 2021 at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (US law firm). Established Masui & Partners in December 2021. Mr. Kunishige Masui assisted numerous startups, from angel rounds to companies nearing IPO, and has also assisted in the launch of many new businesses, including cross-border localization. He is well versed in the legal and financing issues that arise for startups and new business development, and provides support as a mentor for JETRO, Healthcare Innovation Hub, Kawasaki-NEDO Innovation Center (K-NIC), Venture Café Tokyo, and IDEC. In addition to providing easy-to-understand explanations of foreign legal systems in comparison to those in Japan, he also specializes in removing obstacles to business growth by not only providing answers to "points that clients have actually consulted with" but also by digging into "points that need attention that clients are not yet aware of.”

Eiichi Yamaguchi
Eiichi Yamaguchi, Ph.D. President A1 Partners
Main specialty areas
- medicines
- medical devices
- regenerative medicine products
Specialized support fields
- Marketing
- Business planning
- Funding
- Business operation systems
Ph.D from Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Kyushu University. Currently engaged in management and business development consulting for pharmaceutical companies, biotech ventures, and consulting firms. Over 20 years expertise of business development at Shionogi Co., Ltd., a major pharmaceutical company as well as bioventure companies. Senior Director, Business Development & Corporate Planning Dept., Shionogi. A lot of global business experience such as the first Managing Director, Shionogi Singapore, Vice President, Shionogi Qualicaps, Inc., North Carolina, and Shionogi New York. Board of Director & President & COO, a bioventure company. The first chairman, Japan Pharma Alliance Association. The Vice Chairman, Public Private Alliance Conference associated with Infectious diseases led by Dr. Shigeru Omi. Also engaged in Director, International Committee, JPMA. Last but not least, selected as Mentor for Blockbuster Tokyo 2021

Introduction of measures implemented by public institutions
We will describe the measures from public institutions for pharmaceutical companies,
medical device companies, companies manufacturing regenerative medicinal products, and venture companies.
- The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/
- Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)/
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)/
- Cabinet Office/
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications/
- Small and Medium Enterprise Agency/
- Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan/
- Union of Kansai Governments/
- New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)/
- Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. (LINK-J)/
- Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)/
- Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)/
- INCJ, Ltd./
- Osaka Prefecture/
- Tokyo Metropolis/
- Kanagawa Prefecture/
- National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN)
A comprehensive portal site for Medical Innovation Support Office (MEDISO).
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