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

Hitoshi Takuma

Kenji Harada

Director & Chief Venture Capitalist, Medical Incubator Japan K.K

He graduated with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, and is an immunologist by training. He is also a licensed pharmacist and a licensed first-class radiation supervisor. After obtaining his doctorate, he performed a wide range of tasks from basic research to preclinical research as a team leader at Toray Basic Research Laboratories (currently Pharmaceutical Research Laboratories), during which he was developing anti-inflammatory and central nervous system drugs. Subsequently, he was involved in planning and promoting collaborative research with universities and making assessments of platform technologies and drug candidates of American and European biotech startup companies from the technological and intellectual aspects. Furthermore, he conducted GMP inspections in pharmaceutical products and medical device areas multiple times. After starting his career as a venture capitalist, he consistently invested in the biotech sector in the U.S. and Japan. He served as a board member in some of the investees of the U.S. and Japan. Since August 2020, He has expanded his investments into European countries at his current company. He is also engaged in several Japanese governmental projects supporting Japanese startups and research projects.

Shin-ichi Kamachi

CRO-K Co.,Ltd

Completed doctoral course at Kyushu University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. After joining Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Research Institute in 1977, he worked consistently on pharmaceutical research and development. He has experience in approving one small molecule drug and four biopharmaceuticals. He also has the experience of being the first Japanese company to recommend approval for a central review of EMA. He took early retirement in 2004 and mainly assists with biopharmaceutical CMC and non-clinical testing. After establishing the Japanese branch of an American biopharmaceutical consulting company (Biologic Consulting Group, BCG), he currently serves as a senior consultant for CLOCK Co., Ltd., providing support and advice on the development of biopharmaceuticals.

Kunishige Masui

Managing Partner

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.”

Kazuhiro Takekita

Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Vascular Regeneration and Podiatry, Associate Professor

He was involved in launching a project of regenerative medicine by using autologous skeletal muscle-derived cell sheets in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University. Subsequently, he was involved in the evaluation of regenerative and biological devices at the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). He performed several duties related to the Health Labour Sciences Research Grant, clinical study of human stem cells, and advanced medical care at the Research and Development Division, Health Policy Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. After that, he led the regenerative medical product evaluation unit as chief of the Office of Review for Regenerative Medical Product, PMDA. Also, he was involved in improving the legislation for regenerative medical products in the revision of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in 2014. From August 2017, he has been serving as a specially appointed lecturer in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, where he promotes projects to develop various products derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells.