FACULTY
- Department
- Department of Pharmacy
- Laboratory
- Clinical Pharmacy 2 Laboratory
- Field of Study
- Medical Pharmacy
- Degree
- Doctor (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
History
Graduate School/University, etc.
2002 Graduated from Department of Pharmacy, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2004 Completed First Term Doctoral Course in Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmacy, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University 2009 Completed Second Term Doctoral Course in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University
Why I Became a Researcher
When I was working as a pharmacist at a university hospital, the condition of each patient, the therapeutic effect of drugs, and the frequency of the occurrence of side effects differed greatly from person to person, and in order to provide pharmaceutical treatment to patients, I realized that I had to understand their condition while also adjusting the type, dosage, and administration method of the drug I was giving to patients. While participating in pharmacist work, I used statistical methods such as population pharmacokinetic analysis and multivariate analysis to understand the problems in pharmacotherapy in a clinic, and I was able to engage in elucidation of pharmacokinetic variability as well as analysis of the relationship between pharmacokinetics and the side effects of drugs. In addition, I was able to submit information to support the proper use of drugs, such as providing the findings obtained from my research to physicians in clinical departments and publishing those findings as academic papers. Based on this valuable experience that I gained from working at university hospitals, my curiosity for research grew and also made me want to do whatever I could to contribute to improving the quality of pharmacotherapy and medical care through research, and after that, I stepped into the path of a researcher.
Research Information
Research Area and Theme
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Studies for Individualized Pharmacotherapy
Based on the idea that the pharmacokinetics of a drug are closely related to its efficacy and safety, we clarified the variation factors for pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, as well as side effects, and deployed basic research and clinical research in parallel with the aim of building an optimal drug administration design method for individual patients.
Thoughts on Research Theme
The efficacy and safety of clinically used drugs are secured through clinical trial results at the development stage. Clinical trials are mainly performed on healthy volunteers and patients who satisfy certain conditions, such as whether or not they are using combined drugs, and in order to use drugs on patients who have various clinical backgrounds, it is necessary to consider the drug-drug interactions of combined drugs and comorbidities as variation factors for pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Therefore, with a focus on drugs with high incidences of side effects such as non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants, I am conducting pharmacokinetic analysis and gene analysis of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors (drug transporters, metabolic enzymes, etc.), and I am clarifying the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the patient population and their variabilities through joint research with medical institutions. I also evaluated the scientific validity of clinical research results by analyzing the effects of the functions and expression levels of drug transporters and metabolic enzymes on drug pharmacokinetics using cultured cells and microsomes derived from human tissues. By integrating and developing basic and clinical research in this way, I hope to provide the information necessary for establishing optimal dosage regimens for individual patients.
Message to Students
Please realize the importance of making steady, constant efforts through study
Today's pharmacists are not limited to auditing physicians' prescriptions and providing patients with guidance on medication, they also work with other medical staff, such as doctors and nurses, to ensure the safety and effectiveness of drug therapy, and to do this, it is necessary to confirm drug dosages, methods of administration, as well as the presence or absence of side effects, and to actively implement and intervene in prescription and design. In order for pharmacists to respond to such demands, they must cultivate the ability to collect information on the latest pharmacotherapy and the ability to extract current pharmacotherapy problems from a pharmacological point of view to consider solutions in an orderly fashion. Though you are limited in what you can do during your school days, I ask that you first realize the importance of making steady, constant efforts through your studies. Then, make it a habit to organize the problems related to issues in your research activities based on the knowledge you’ve acquired, formulate experimental methods to solve these problems, and then consider the results you’ve obtained. By repeating these seemingly plain tasks, you can lay the groundwork for becoming a pharmacist. Also, please live a meaningful student life while cherishing the relationships you have with the many people who have taken care of you thus far and the colleagues that you will meet in the future.