Through the infrastructure development of Translational Research Sites with government supports, translational researches that lead basic research outcomes to clinical development have been activated. As a result, pharmaceuticals and medical devices development originating in academia have been vitalized. The drug discovery originating in academia has been active since pharmaceutical companies introduced the idea of open Innovation.
As one of the Translational Research Sites, the Clinical Research, Innovation and Education Center, Tohoku University Hospital (CRIETO) has been coordinating about 10 investigator-initiated clinical trials every year and providing support for over 200 development seeds. CRIETO is also supporting related research in drug development related to COVID-19.
Based on the current situation, I will present the future prospects of drug discovery originating in academia from the standpoint of supporting the seeds.