What does the Medical Applications Promoting Office do?

We currently have 11 members in three teams: Intellectual Property, Research Planning Support, and Ethics. The IP team is responsible for applying for patents for inventions from the early stages of research and obtaining patent rights. The Research Plan Support Team supports research plan preparations so researchers can proceed smoothly toward medical applications of their research findings. The Ethics Group provides support to ensure the research at CiRA is executed with adequate concerns about various ethical, legal, and social issues. Research plans involving human samples, such as cells, must be reviewed and approved by CiRA’s Ethical Review Committee before they can begin. Members in all these groups work hard every day to ensure that CiRA’s research results can be translated for medical applications as quickly as possible.

Many people have donated to CiRA’s iPS Cell Research Fund. One use of the fund is to "secure and maintain intellectual property." Could you please explain this further?

The fund is used to support our team members working on intellectual property, fees for patent applications and translations into foreign languages by patent firms, and other processing fees required for patent registration. The term for patent rights is up to 20 years from the initial filing of the patent application, so donations also cover the cost of maintaining patent rights during that period.

Why does Kyoto University put so much effort into filing patent applications for its research?

As Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, former director of CiRA, used to mention, for-profit companies and other entities will solidify their patent networks if Kyoto University does not apply for patents. As a result, they may not grant any patent licenses (permission to use the patented invention) to companies and other entities that want to use the patented technology, or they may charge exorbitantly high licensing fees. To advance cutting-edge research, such as iPS cell research, into medical applications as quickly as possible, it is critical for Kyoto University, as a non-profit institution, to file patent applications and provide patent licenses at reasonable amounts so that everyone can afford to pursue research and development. In addition, the patent income earned helps fund future rounds of research and development or cover a portion of CiRA’s operating expenses, so it helps to create a positive feedback loop for sustainable research here.

Is there anything you keep in mind when doing your job?

No matter the position of the person I work with, I always remember to be respectful and put myself in other people’s shoes. I also try not to forget the spirit of challenge. To help all investigators conduct the best research possible, we must not work passively but instead-strive to enhance the value of the support services we provide. Hence, I always actively take on new challenges to energize our office.

When do you find your work most rewarding?

When you are working to support science at a cutting-edge research institute like CiRA, many new tasks require unexplored approaches, so we must take on new challenges sometimes as pioneers. Although it involves a lot of work and responsibility, the challenging work is quite rewarding. When a new approach we take is successful, it can have powerful ripple effects, such as setting a standard for other research institutions working on iPS cells. I find my work very meaningful.

What are your goals for the future?

As the office head, I want to create the best working environment for my teams. "People" is the most crucial element in organizational management. To do our best to support research at CiRA, our team members must always work under the best conditions. I would also like to devote even more energy to training younger staff members. Rather than always taking the lead as the person in charge, over the past few years, I have actively worked in the background to support and encourage the next generation to play more active roles and perform to the best of their abilities.