Dean

Graduate School of Medicine

ISHII Masaru

Creating a bright future for medical care through industry-academia collaboration

The Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research (CoMIT) of the University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine was established in 2014 with the aim of promoting our pioneering research on medical science and medical care and creating medical innovation for social implementation. CoMIT plays a role as a platform to “bridge” researchers from rapidly developing fields of life science, digital health, AI, and data science cross-functionally and promote consistent development from basic research to clinical application and commercialization through industry-academia collaboration.

The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine constantly explores future-oriented medical care to realize a “future society for our lives.” CoMIT is especially committed to addressing the challenges in modern medical science such as cancer, regenerative medicine, intractable immune disorders, and infectious diseases. Physicians and other healthcare professionals, medical researchers and technologists, and entrepreneurs aiming for social implementation work together across the boundaries of their expertise to develop innovative therapies and diagnostic technologies to meet these challenges. CoMIT also proactively promotes international collaboration to establish a research system that can contribute even to global medical issues.

Through various activities based in CoMIT, we will develop medical professionals to lead the next generation and achieve breakthrough results in medical research to provide new values to the society. We sincerely appreciate your continued warm support and cooperation.

Director

Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research

FUJIMOTO Manabu

An integrated research center for collaboration among industry, academia, and government

In 2002, the Graduate School of Medicine of the University of Osaka established the Medical Center for Translational Research at the University of Osaka Hospital, and has become one of the first institutions in Japan to establish a system to develop basic technologies (from on and off campus) into advanced medical care. The next innovation expected was the preparation of the “soil” for promising basic technologies to flourish. As a key way to achieve this, the establishment of the Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research (CoMIT) was proposed with the purpose of enhancing collaboration between industry and academia.

In the course of fleshing out the details, this proposal was selected for the Subsidy for Advanced Technology Demonstration and Evaluation Facility Development (a project for construction of “Centers to Facilitate the Development of Technology”) by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. CoMIT was then established in April 2014 as the culmination of leadership by 3 successive deans of the Graduate School of Medicine and hard work by numerous faculty members.

CoMIT has a highly unique characteristics, where companies, universities, and researchers from different fields and areas gather “Under One Roof” of the same facility for development and practical application of integrative, cross-cutting, advanced medical technology in immunity, regeneration, and other areas. The number of projects promoted at CoMIT and participating companies is actually increasing every year, further enriching research to deliver multiple achievements. I hope CoMIT will continue to play an active role in bridging basic research to clinical research and social implementation as a center to create and deliver new innovations by integrating various areas of knowledge.