Graduate School of Medicine and School of Medicine Kobe University 2021

Graduate School of Medicine and School of Medicine

Kobe University
2021

Kobe University
Graduate School of Medicine/School of Medicine
7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017 JAPANTEL+81 (0)78 382 5111 http://www.med.kobe-u.ac.jp/

Kobe University Hospital

7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017 JAPANTEL+81 (0)78 382 5111 http://www.hosp.kobe-u.ac.jp/

Kobe University School of Medicine, Academic Aﬀairs Section（Open campus video）
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZnr_O0oqwcS3dXRHlQQheg

Published by Graduate School of Medicine Kobe University©2021 Graduate School of Medicine Kobe University

Directions and Transportration
交通アクセス
地図内の必要な名称、または不要なものを教えてください。

Contents

Osaka International Airport

History
Line
amate
hin-Y
y Seisubwa
ipal S
Munic
Kobe

Organizational Chart

Professor MINAMI Yasuhiro, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Fields

Division of Cell Physiology

Membrane Dynamics／Physiology

The Faculty and Graduate School of Kobe University’s School of Medicine provide students with a comprehensive,
continuous education from undergraduate to graduate level. We strive to cultivate outstanding doctors and medical
researchers who will be responsible for the future of medicine and medical treatment in Japan and the world, and our

7

Gastrointestinal Surgery／Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery

37
39

Sanyo Shinkansen Line

Shin-Kobe

Thoracic Surgery／Pediatric Surgery

9

Cell Physiology／Molecular andOkurayama
Metabolic Medicine

10

Kosoku- Kobe

Structural Medicine and Anatomy／Neural Diﬀerentiation and Regeneration

11

Sannomiya
Kobe
Biochemistry／Molecular andCellular Biology

Shin-Osaka

41

International Clinical Cancer Research and Promotion
Hankyu Kobe Main Line

42

Juso

Minimally Invasive Surgery／Neurosurgery

43

Ophthalmology／Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

44

Umeda

12

Osaka

JR Kobe Line

Membrane Biology／Molecular and Cellular Signaling

13

Orthopaedic Surgery／Spine Surgery

45

Pathogenetic Signaling／Pharmacology

14

Rehabilitation Medicine／Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

46

15

Urology／Advanced Medical Technology andNanba
Development for Urology

47

Pathology／Diagnostic Pathology

graduates possess a rich humanity and strong ethics combined with specialized knowledge and techniques, in

Pathology Network／Infectious Disease Therapeutics

16

Obstetrics and Gynecology／Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine／Gynecologic Advanced Medical Technology and Research

addition to a scientiﬁc perspective and international awareness. Also, our special regional ties developed throughClinical Virology／Infectious Disease Control

Plastic Surgery／Anesthesiology

collaboration with Hyogo Prefecture have enabled us to enhance medical care in underpopulated areas of the

Iryo Center

17
18

Disaster and Emergency Medicine／Innovative Emergency and Critical Care Medicine 50

19

Cooperative Graduate Program

prefecture by training enthusiastic medical practitioners. Recently, we have also been furthering our cultivation of key
medical researchers by establishing the Medical Scientist Training program and the MD-PhD program.

Medical Education

TennojiInternational Clinical Cancer Research Center（ICCRC）

Community Medicine and Medical Education／Community Medicine and Career Development
Kobe Airpot

48
49

Izumisano

Hinenoresearch in the ﬁelds of medicine, medical treatment and life sciences based on our collaborations with research

Bioresource Research and Development／Artiﬁcial Intelligence and Digital Health Sciences

21

institutions both domestically and abroad. We aim to bring about distinctive innovation by conducting research (suchFood and Drug Evaluation Science／Epidemiology

22

Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine／Ultrastructural Biology／
Kansai International Airpoandｒt Immunology Virus Infection
Infectious Disease Field Research／Infection
Infection and Immunology Immunology／Regulatory Science／Exploratory
and Advanced Search in Cardiology／Advanced Therapeutic Target Discovery
Ion Beam Therapy／Advanced Research for Clinical Psychiatry／System Biology of Diseases／Advanced Pediatric Medicine

as research into new drugs and the development of medical devices) with the goal of producing new diagnosis

Legal Medicine／Pathology for Regional Communication

Rehabilitation Science／Advanced Pediatric Surgery

methods and treatments based on an in-depth understanding of various diseases’ pathology. In addition, both the23

Creative Health Promotion

24

Education and Research Centers,and Library

Cardiovascular Medicine／Arrhythmia
To Hirano

25

Institute for Experimental Animals

Gastroenterology／Respiratory Medicine

26

Center for Infectious Diseases(CID)27Core Equipment Facility

57

28

The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry

58

29

Center for Cell Signaling and Medical Innovation(CSMI)

59

30

Next Generation International Center (NIC)60

31

Library for Medical Sciences, Kobe University Library61

32

Neuroscience Network in Kobe

62

with institutions such as the University of Washington (USA) and the University of Oslo (Norway). We aim to increase

Kusunoki CampusN

our contribution to international medical research and treatment through various initiatives while focusing on

Diabetes and Endocrinology／ Development of Advanced Therapy for Metabolic Diseaseproducing eminent graduates who are highly international. Furthermore, we will strengthen our cooperation with

General Internal Medicine／Neurology

regional medical organizations, research institutes and industries in Hyogo Prefecture, such as those in Kobe City,

Nephrology／Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
iy
nnom
To Sa
Diagnostic Radiology／Advanced Diagnostic Medical Imaging／DiagnosticnStatioInterventional Radiology／Radiology and Biomedical
Engineering
Department
Kobe Bunka
Hall
maRadiology
ayaof
Okur

Pediatrics／General Kobe
Pediatrics／Developmental
Pediatrics
City Subway

To Gakuentoshi・Myodani

circumstances through promoting the use of digital and remote methods. We are also currently establishing an

Kusunoki-cho, 6
Radiation Oncology／Dermatology

education system for the corona/post-corona eras that will feature hybrid classes and blended classes. The current
coronavirus crisis has been an opportunity for the vital role of medicine and medical care to be re-recognized on both

63

Psychiatry／Laboratory Medicine

34

Facts & Fiqures

65

Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine(Sysmex)／Metabolomics Research

35

Directions and Transortation

69

Medical Infomatics／Palliative Medicine
Minatogawa

36

Graduate School of Medicine’s basic medical divisions, clinical divisions and the University Hospital in terms of theno
KOBE Rapid Transit Railway

To Hankyu
Sannomiya

Kosoku Kobe Station（ Basement Level）
Tamon-dori, 6

Bus Terminal

The Japanese Museum of Anesthesiology

tio
Sta
be

Ko

Taxi Stand

To
A

kas

hi

cooperation and international cooperation, in order to further develop the School of Medicine, Graduate School of
Medicine, Kobe University Hospital, and Kobe University.

To Hanshin
SannomiyaInternational Clinical Cancer
Research Center（ICCRC）

nquality of education, research and medical care. Under the leadership of Kobe University’s President, I will strive topromote and strengthen interdisciplinary research, industry-academia-government cooperation, regional

Kobe City Medical Center General Hospitalmi

Shrinedisasters and climate change.
Thanks to your continued support and cooperation, we are improving the uniﬁed strengths of the School andInternational Medical Device Alliance（IMDA）

San

which can deal with the various imminent environmental changes, such as the next infectious disease outbreak,Minami Koen 56
Station

Kobe Vison for the Healthcare of Tomorrow

Kobe Municipal Bus

societal and global levels. This role will be absolutely indispensable in building resilient societies, a resilient world,

N

33

To

and hard work, we have been able to conduct safe and secure education, medical care and research under these

Medical Oncology／Hematology

54

st

at the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Kobe University Hospital. Thanks to everyone’s support

a・S

53

55

To Sannnomiya

obe
hin-K

52

We

The novel coronavirus crisis that began in early 2020 has had a huge impact on education, research and medical care

Kusunoki Campus

51

JR-

playing a central role in community medicine and furthering regional innovation in medicine and medical treatment.

Daigaku-Byoinmae Bus stop

International Clinical Cancer
Research Center（ICCRC）

Port Island Line

Collaborative Research Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases in Indonesia, and our collaborations

20

Iryo Center Station

School and Graduate School of Medicine are engaged in international academic exchange through our International

Biostatistics／Translational Scienceya

At the Graduate School of Medicine, we are promoting cutting-edge, fundamental medical research and clinical

1

Kyoto

Pharmaceutics／iPS Cell Applications

Breast and Endocrine Surgery／Cardiovascular Surgery Osaka Monorail
40

Port Island Line

Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine and School of Medicine
Kobe University

Kusunoki Campus

Hotarugaike

3

Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line

Message from the Dean

To Kobe Airport

2 70

History

History

1869 Apr. Kobe Hospital was established. The training center for medical
practitioners (called Igaku-Densyujyo) was attached to Kobe
Hospital.
Kobe Hospital's opening ceremony was held.

Organizational
Chart

1877 Feb. Kobe Hospital was renamed Public Kobe Hospital.
Nov. The branch hospitals were established in Akashi andNishinomiya.

Jul.

1963 Mar. The Center for Experimental Animals was constructed(ca.729m2).

1888 Mar. Prefectural Medical School and Hyogo Prefectural
Pharmaceutical School were both closed.
Apr. A new building for Prefectural Kobe Hospital was constructed.
Subsquently, the Hospital was moved to the new location.
(7-chome, Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku.)

1944 Apr. Prefectural Medical School was established. Also Prefectural
Kobe Hospital was renamed Prefectural Medical School Hospital.
1946 Apr. The establishment of Prefectural Medical College was approved (19departments; ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students: 80).
1951 Mar. Prefectural Medical School was closed.
The preparatory course of Prefectural Medical College wasabolished (due to the Educational System Reform).
1952 Feb. Kobe Medical College's establishment was approved.
Prefectural Medical College Hospital was renamed Kobe Medical
College Hospital.
Apr. Kobe Medical College's opening ceremony was held.
1953 Apr. The Institute of Forensic Science, aﬃliated with Kobe Medical
College, was renamed the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
The Division of Physiology (II) and the Division of Psychiatry and
Neurology were established.
The research course was established (under the old education
system).
1954 Apr. The Division of Pathology (II) and the Division of Orthopedics
were established.
The establishment of Pre-medical Courses at Hyogo Agricultural
University and the Himeji Institute of Technology was approved.
Kobe University became authorized in accreditation of academic
degrees (under the old education system).
Apr. The Division of Anatomy (II) was established.

Sep. The Institute of Forensic Medicine was combined with othersections to form the Aﬃliated Research Institute of Kobe
Prefectural Medical College.
1958 Mar. The establishment of the graduate school and its doctoral
course (PhD) was approved (under the new education system).

1964 Apr. The Faculty of Medicine was established in Kobe University. In
addition, Kobe Medical College's period of national statusbegan.

Aug.

The School of Nursing and the School of Medical Technology
were moved into the Myodani Campus.

1979 Mar.

All programs of the pre-medical course, the ﬁrst-year course,and 10 Divisions in Basic Medical Sciences were transferred.

The new School Building of Medical Sciences (the 3rd term ofwork) was constructed.

Apr.

1959 May The Health Science Course was introduced in the Higher Schoolof Nursing aﬃliated with Kobe Medical College. Furthermore, it
was subsequently promoted to the Prefectural Women's
Institute of Welfare.
1960 May The Research Institute was renamed the Research Institute of
Growth Mechanisms.
1961 Mar. Prefectural Medical College and its research course (under the

31965 Jan.

The Division of Occupational Health was closed. The Division of
Medical Zoology was established.

1981 Oct.

The College of Medical Sciences aﬃliated with Kobe University
was established in parallel inside the University.

1967 Apr. The doctoral course was established in the Faculty of Medicine,the Graduate School of Medicine.

1983 Apr.

The Medical Information Technology Center was established.

1984 Apr.

The School of Nursing aﬃliated with Kobe Medical College wasclosed.

1985 Apr.

The School of Medical Technology was closed.

The joint-research facility was established.

The Division of Internal and Generic Medicine was established.

1989 Apr.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine decreased to 100.

1991 Apr.

The Administration Department of the School of Medicine andthat of the University Hospital were combined, and rearranged
into the Administration Department of the School of Medicine(General Aﬀairs Division, Planning and Administrative Division,
Student Aﬀairs Division, Medical Aﬀairs Division).

The Department of Anesthesiology was established.
1994 Mar.

Apr. The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine increased to 100.

Oct.

The Internal Medicine (III) was established.

The Division of Neurosurgery was established.
1972 Apr. The School of Public Health Laboratory Technology was
reorganized into the School of Medical Technology.

Nerve, Feeling, and Movement Function:
Neurosurgery,
Orthopedic Surgery,
Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery,
Ophthalmology,
Dermatology,
Oral& Maxillofacial Surgery,
Plastic Surgery.

The Clinical Research Building (Currently, "Research Building A")
was constructed.
The Faculty of Health Sciences aﬃliated with the School of
Medicine was established. The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst
year students: 160

The Division of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine(Cooperative Graduate Programs) was established in the
Graduate School of Medicine.

The Study of Nursing, the Study of Medical Technology, theStudy of Physical Therapy, the Study of Occupational Therapy,
and other common programs were implemented

1969 Mar. The Central Research Laboratory was constructed in the Schoolof Medicine.

The School of Medical Technology aﬃliated with the School of
Medicine was established. The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst
year students: 20

Surgery:
Hepato-Billiary-Pancreatic Surgery,
Gastrointestinal Surgery,
Cardio Vascular Surgery,
Thoracic Surgery,
Breast-Endocrine Surgery,
Pediatric Surgery,
Artiﬁcial Organ-transplant Surgery,
Urology.

The Division of Geriatrics was established.

1968 Mar. Kobe Medical College and its graduate school were closed after
the completion of all transferrings.

Apr. The Department of the Internal Medicine (III) and theDepartment of Neurosurgery were established.

Internal Medicine:
Department of Digestive Diseases,
Cardiovascular Medicine,
Respiratory Medicine,
Medicine of Neurology,
Department of Diabetes and Metabolism,
Medicine of Endocrinology,
Department of Kidney Diseases,
Medicine of Hematology and Oncology,
Clinical Immunology.

The Division of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine wasestablished.
1988

1996 Apr.

The Division of Disaster and Emergency Medicine wasestablished.
The Division of Plastic Surgery was established.

Jul.
1998 Mar.

The Administration Building (and the Library inside) wasconstructed.

The University Hospital (clinical divisions) was reorganized asfollows:
Clinical facilities:
Development and Aging, General Therapeutics:
Obsterics and Gynecology,
Pediatrics,
Internal and Geriatric Medicine,
Psychiatry and Neurology,
Radiology,
Anesthesiology.

The Radioisotope facility was established.

1966 Apr. As steps for the 3rd ﬁscal year of promotion to national status, 5
departments in Clinical Sciences were transferred.

Clinical facilities:
Internal Medicine I, II, Surgery I, II, Orthopedics, Obstetrics &Gynecology, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry &Neuroscience, Pediatrics, Radiology, Dermatology, Urology,
Anesthesiology, Dentistry, Clinical laboratory, Surgical care,
Pharmacy.

2002 Apr.

The Division of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery was established.
1980 Apr.

Jun. In association with the promotion to national status, Kobe
Medical College Hospital and the Prefectural Women's School of
Welfare were renamed Kobe University Hospital and the Schoolof Nursing aﬃliated with the School of Medicine, Kobe
University, respectively.

Thirty-ﬁve Divisions of the Faculty of Medicine were closed, andrearranged into the four principal Departments.

The International Center for Medical Research (ICMR) aﬃliated to
the School of Medicine was established.

Apr. As steps for the 2nd ﬁscal year of promotion to national status, 3
Divisions in Basic Medical Sciences and 5 Divisions in Clinical
Sciences were transferred.

As steps for 4th ﬁscal year of promotion to national status, allstudents of the graduate school, as well as 3 Departments in
Clinical Sciences and the College Library were transferred.

The Division of Imaging Medicine and Ion Beam Therapy(Cooperative Graduate Programs) was founded in the Faculty of
Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Division of Biomedical Sciences (master's course) wasestablished in the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of
Medicine.
The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students: 20
Jun.

The Post Graduate Clinical Education Center was promoted tothe oﬃcial constitution under the Planning and Coordination
Department.

2004 Apr.

Kobe University was transformed into the National University
Corporation.

The College of Medical Sciences aﬃliated with Kobe University
was closed.

The system of the Administration Oﬃce was reformed.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine decreased to 95.

The International Center for Medical Research was promoted to
the International Center for Medical Research and Treatment.

The Department of Radiation Biophysics was established.

It was determined that a new entrance system for Bachelors(transfer into the 3rd year) would be introduced as of 2000 (FY12of the Heisei). The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students:
5.
The Clinical Research Building was constructed.

The Division of Clinical Evaluation of Pharmacotherapy and theDivision of Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine were
established in the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of
Medicine (until March, 2009).

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine increased to 120.

The school building of the Faculty of Health Science wasconstructed.

1973 Mar. The School of Public Health Laboratory Technology was closed.
The Division of Biochemistry was renamed the Division of
Biochemistry (I).

Jun.

The Division of Biochemistry (II) was established.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year doctoral course
students was increased to 54.

1999 Apr.

Institute for Experimental Animals aﬃliated with the School of
Medicine was established.
May The closing of the tuberculosis ward was approved.
1975 Oct. The Department of Dentistry was renamed the Department of2000 Apr.

Management Division was renamed Financial Management
Division in the Administration Department of the School of
Medicine.

The Graduate School of Medicine ("Daigakuin Igaku-kenkyuka")
was renamed "Daigakuin Igakukei-kenkyuka".

Jul.

The Division of Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine (Sysmex)
was established in the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Faculty of Health Science (master's course) was establishedin the Graduate School of Medicine.

2005 Jun.

The Department of Hepato-Billiary-Pancreatic Surgery, theDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Department ofBreast-Endocrine Surgery, and the Department of Artiﬁcial
Organ-transplant Surgery were uniﬁed, and then, divided into
two Departments:
The Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, andThe Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research (Cooperative
Programs) was established in the Department of Internal
Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

The University main building, the new medical ward, the foodservice building, etc. were constructed. (ca. 8,392m2; 1,004 beds)

The school buildings of the School of Nursing aﬃliated with the
School of Medicine and the School of Public Health Laboratory
Techniques were constructed. (#10, 7-chome, Tomogaoka,
Suma-ku.)

Five major Departments (e.g. Dept. of Physiology) wererearranged into the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of
Medicine.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

1957 Apr. The Division of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine was closed. In
its place, the Division of Hygiene and the Division of Public
Health were established.

1978 Mar.

The doctoral course was established in the Faculty of Health
Sciences, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

1955 Jan.

The new School Building of Medical Sciences (the 2nd term ofwork) was constructed.

Apr.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

1930 Dec. The main building of the Hospital was constructed. (ca.
14,193m2)

1977 Mar.

2001 Feb. The Shinryoku Hall was constructed.

Research
FieldsResearch
Fields1883 Apr. A Pharmaceutical School aﬃliated with Prefectural Kobe
Hospital was established.

The new School Building of Medical Sciences (the 1st term ofwork) was constructed.

Dec. The Cabinet decided to promote Kobe Medical College tonational status from FY 1964.

1882 Apr. Prefectural Kobe Medical School was established.
Dec. Public Kobe Hospital was promoted to Prefectural Kobe
Hospital.

The College Library was constructed (ca.1,462m2).

1976 Feb.

Organizational
Chart

Igaku-Densyujyo was promoted to Kobe Hospital Medical
School.

1876

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.

old education system) were closed.
1962 Apr. The Division of Dermatology and Urology was closed. In its
place, the Division of Dermatology and the Division of Urology
were established.

History

History

1868 Apr. The preparatory section for the Hospital was set up inside Kobe
Foreign Public Oﬃce, and the construction of Kobe Hospitalbegan.

4

History

History

The Department of Emergency Critical Care Medicine wasestablished. (Hospital)
2006 Jan.

The Section of Child Health and Development was established in
the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine. (until
March 2013).

The Division of General Practice and Community Medicine wasestablished in the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of
Medicine.

Financial Management Division was reorganized into Financial
Management Division and Hospital Management Planning
Division in the Administration Department of the School of
Medicine.

Also, the University Hospital (clinical facilities) was reorganized
as follows:

Aug. The Department of Infectious Diseases and the Department of
Pathology Diagnostic were established. (Hospital)

Internal Medicine:
Cardiovascular Medicine, Nephrology, Respiratory Medicine,
Clinical Immunology, Gastroenterology, Diabetes andEndocrinology, Internal and Generic Medicine, Neurology,
Oncology, Hematology.

Oct. The Department of Radiation Oncology was established.
(Hospital)

Internal Related:
Radiology, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Psychiatry and Neurology.

Nov. The Central Research Laboratory was renovated, and theendowed facility was constructed.

Surgery:
Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hepato-Billiary-Pancreatic Surgery,
Cardiovascular Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery.

2009 Apr. Institute for Experimental Animals aﬃliated with the School of
Medicine was renamed Institute for Experimental Animals
aﬃliated with the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Section of Arrhythmia was established in the Faculty of
Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine wasreorganized as follows:

The Division of Infectious Disease Field Research (Cooperative

5

May

Oct.

The Section of Advanced Medical Technology and Development
for Urology was established in the Faculty of Medicine, theGraduate School of Medicine.
The Section of Molecular and Metabolic Medicine wasestablished in the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of
Medicine.

The Patient Service Division was established in the
Administrative Oﬃce of the School of Medicine.
Jun.

The International Medical Communication Center was
established. (Hospital)Jul.

The Center for Hospitalization was closed, and the Center for
Patient Support took over operation.

2018 Feb. The Center for Research and Development of Medical
Engineering was established. (Hospital)
The Medical Device Innovation Platform was established in the
School of Medicine.

The Center for Education of Global Leaders was established in
the Graduate School of Medicine.
2013 Jan.

The Section of Pathogenetic Signaling was established in the
Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Apr.

Apr.

The Division of Pathology for Regional Communication wasestablished in the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of
Medicine.

Creative Health Promotion,Spine Surgery,Innovative Emergency
and Critical Care Medicine were established in the Faculty of
Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Oct.

The Department of Radiology was renamed Diagnostic andInterventional Radiology.
The Center for Endovascular Therapy was renamed Center forInterventional Radiology

The Division of Advanced Pediatric Medicine and the Division ofAdvanced Pediatric Surgery (Cooperative Graduate Programs)
were established in the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate
School of Medicine.
The Department of Rheumatology was closed. The Departmentof Clinical Immunology was reorganized into the Division ofRheumatology and Clinical Immunology. (Hospital)
The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation wasestablished (Hospital).
The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine was increased to 110.

The Center for Palliative Care was established. (Hospital)
2019 Jan.

The Center for Information Analysis and Promotion wasestablished.

Mar. The International Clinical Cancer Reserch Center was
reorganized University Hospital.
Apr.

The Clinical Anatomy Training Center was established in the
School of Medicine.
The Bio Resource Center was established.(ICCRC・Hospital)May

The Center for Education and Research in Membrane Biology
and Medicine was established in the Graduate School of
Medicine.

Jun. The Department of Social Medicine was renamed theDepartment of Social/Community Medicine and Health Science.

Jun.

The Department of Palliative Medicine was established(Hospital).

Jun.

The Pneumothorax and Cystic Lung Diseases Research Center
was established.(ICCRC・Hospital)

Oct. The Department of Internal and Geriatric Medicine and theDepartment of General Medicine were uniﬁed, and renamed theDepartment of General Internal Medicine. (Hospital)

2014 Jan.

Extension of Central Laboratories was constructed.

Jul.

Feb.

The RS Incubation Center for Medical Devices & Regenerative
Medicine Products was established in the Graduate School of
Medicine.

The Emergency Division was renamed the Emergency andCritical Care Center.

Aug. The Division of AI and Digital Health Sciences was established in
the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Apr.

The Center for Advancement of Community Medicine wasestablished in the School of Medicine.

Sep. The Center for Clinical Genomics and Research was established.
(Hospital)

The Medical Innovation Center was established in the Graduate
School of Medicine.

Nov. The Oﬃce for AI and Digital Health Promotion was established.
(ICCRC・Hospital)

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine increased to 100.

The Section of General Pediatrics was established in the Facultyof Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.
2010 Jan.

The Division of Medicine of Oncology was renamed the Divisionof Medicine of Oncology/Hepatology.

Apr. The Division of General Practice and Community Medicine wasrenamed the Division of Family & Community Medicine in the
Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Section of Pathology Network was established in the Facultyof Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Section of Pathological Brain Science, the Section of
Pathological Molecular Cell Biology, and the Section ofAdvanced Therapeutic Target Discovery (Cooperative Graduate
Programs) were established in the Faculty of Medicine, theGraduate School of Medicine.
The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine increased to 103.
The entrance system for Bachelors (transfer into the 3rd year)
was modiﬁed with the transfer into the 2nd year as of FY2010.

The Respiratory Center was established (Hospital).
The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine was increased to 112.
May2015 Apr.

The Section of Community Medicine and Career Development,
and the Section of Developmental Pediatrics were established in
the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.
The Section of Exploratory and Advanced Search in Cardiology,
and the Section of Advanced Research for Cardiovascular
Surgery were established in the Faculty of Medicine, theGraduate School of Medicine.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Divisionof Biomedical Sciences (master's course) of the Graduate Schoolof Medicine increased to 25.
2011 Apr. The Section of Drug Discovery and the Section of Regulatory
Science (Cooperative Graduate Programs) were established in
the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Oral Management Center was established (Hospital).

Jul.

WHHLMI Rabbit Research and Bioresource Center was
established in the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Translational Research Innovation Center was established in
the Graduate School of Medicine.

Nov.

The Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery was established in the
Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine was increased to 105.

2016 Apr.

The Center for Cell Signaling and Medical Innovation wasestablished in the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Research Support Division was established in the
Administration Department of the School of Medicine.

2017 Apr.

The International Clinical Cancer Research Center was
established in the School of Medicine.

The Department of Medicine of Neurology was renamed
Division of Neurology.

2020 Apr.

The Section of Advanced Therapeutic Target Discovery(Cooperative Graduate Programs) were established in the
Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Aug. The Department of Clinical Engineering was established.
Nov. The Department of Clinical Facilities, the Department of
Hospital Administration were reorganizationed into the
Department of Hospital safety and management section, theDepartment of Medical Support and Administration Planning
Section Central Clinical Facilities and Specialty the Departmentof Medical Care Section.
2021 Feb. The Center for Mental Disorders was established in the Graduate
School of Medicine.
Apr.

The Precision and Tele Surgery Center was established in the
Graduate School of Medicine.
The Division of Joint Preservation & Reconstruct Surgery and The
Division of Podiatric Medicine were established in the Faculty of
Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

Dept. of Physiology and Cell Biology,
Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Dept. of Pathology,
Dept. of Microbiology and Infectious Deseases
Dept. of Social Medicine,
Dept. of Internal Medicine,
Dept. of Internal Related,
Dept. of Surgery,Dept. of Surgery Related.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine increased to 110.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures2008 Apr. The Graduate School of Medicine ("Daigakuin
Igakukei-kenkyuka") was renamed "Daigakuin Igaku-kenkyuka"
again.

The Disaster Medical Center was established (Hospital)

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Oct. The Department of Aesthetic Surgery was established. (Hospital)

The Division of Aesthetic Surgery was established in the Facultyof Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine (until March2012).

The Advanced Biomedical Imaging Research Center was
established in the Graduate School of Medicine.

The Facilities Management Division was established in the
Administration Department of the School of Medicine.

The International Center for Medical Research and Treatment
aﬃliated with the School of Medicine was reorganized into theCenter for Infectious Diseases aﬃliated with the Graduate
School of Medicine.

Surgery Related:
Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology,
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Urology, Obsterics andGynecology, Plastic Surgery, Anesthesiology, Oral&Maxilofacial
Surgery, Emergency and Critical Care Medicine.

The Next Generation International Center was established in the
Graduate School of Medicine.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Jun. The Division of Rheumatology was established in the Faculty of
Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.(until March 2012)

The Division of Rehabilitation Medicine was established in the
Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsClinical Sciences:
Dept. of Internal Medicine,
Dept. of Internal related,
Dept. of Surgery,Dept. of Surgery Related.

The Tenure-Track Center was established in the Graduate Schoolof Medicine.

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

The Faculty of Health Science was established in the Graduate
School of Medicine.

The Post Graduate Clinical Education Center was rearranged into
the Integrated Clinical Education Center.

The ﬁxed number of places for ﬁrst year students of the Facultyof Medicine, the School of Medicine was increased to 108.

The Department of Breast Surgery was established. (Hospital)

Basic Medical Sciences:
Dept. of Physiology and Cell Biology,
Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dept. of Pathology
and Microbiology,
Dept. of Social Medicine.

The Division of Ultrastructural Biology, the Division of Infection
and Immunology, and the Section of Rehabilitation Science(Cooperative Graduate Programs) were established.
The Division of Imaging and Nuclear Medicine (Cooperative
Graduate Programs) was rearranged into two sections:
The Section of Ion Beam Therapy, andThe Section of Mollecular Imaging.

Apr.

The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry was established in
the Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine.

2007 Apr. The Faculty of Medicine, the Graduate School of Medicine wasreorganized as follows:

Central Clinical Facilities:
Clinical Laboratory,
Radiology Division,
Blood Transfusion Division,
Surgical Pathology Division,
Perinatal Center,
Emergency Division,
Dept. of General Medicine,
Intensive Care Division,
Surgical Division,
Rehabilitation Division,
Nephrology & Dialysis Center,
Coronary Care Unit,
Dept. of Endoscopy,
Dept. of Clinical Genetics,
Dept. of Infection Control and Prevention,
The International Patient Center,
Mental Health Clinic for Child and Mother,
Emergency and Intensive Care Center,
Cancer Center,
Dept. of Nutrition,
Outpatient Chamotherapy Room.

2012 Mar.

History

History

Graduate Programs) and the Division of System Biology of
Diseases were established in the Faculty of Medicine, theGraduate School of Medicine.

The Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation. (Hospital)

The Patient Service Division in the Administrative Oﬃce of the
School of Medicine was renamed the Medical Support Division
The International Patient Center was closed, and the International
Medical Communication Center took over operation.
The Children's Medical Center was established. (Hospital)

6Organizational Chart

Organizational Chart（As of May 2021）

Graduate School of Medicine

History

History

神戸大学
Kobe
KobeUniversity
University
School of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine

Membrane Dynamics

Microbiology

Cell Physiology

Clinical Virology

Cell Physiology
Molecular and Metabolic Medicine

Infectious Disease Control
Infectious Disease Pathology
Infectious Disease Therapeutics

Neuronal Signaling

Infectious Disease Field Research

Structural Medicine and Anatomy Infection and Immunology

Neural Differentiation and Regeneration

Virus Infection

Molecular Brain Science

Immunology

Developmental Biology
and Regenerative Medicine

Genetic Medicine

Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology

Medical Education

Molecular and Cellular Biology

Medical Education

Membrane Biology

Community Medicine and Medical Education

Ultrastructural Biology
Molecular and Cellular Signaling
Molecular and Cellular Signaling
Pathogenetic Signaling
Pharmacology
Pathology
Pathology
Diagnostic Pathology

Community Medicine and Career Development
Community Medicine and Medical Network
Bioresource Research and Development
Department of AI and Digital Health Sciences
Medical and Healthcare Systems
Healthcare Administration
Healthcare Economics andHospital Administration
Medical Law and Ethics

Diagnostic Pathology

Regulatory Science

Pathology Network

Biostatistics
Translational Science
Food and Drug Evaluation Science
Epidemiology
Legal Medicine
Pathology for Regional Communication
Creative Health Promotion

Exploratory and Advanced
Search in Cardiology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Advanced Therapeutic Target Discovery
Respiratory Medicine
Respiratory Medicine

Advanced Research for
Cardiovascular Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
Pediatric Surgery
Minimally Invasive Surgery

International Clinical Cancer
Advanced Medical Technology for Respirology Research and Promotion

Diabetes, Endocrinology andGeneral Internal Medicine

Development and Application ofAdvanced Medical Technology

Diabetes and Endocrinology

Advanced Cancer Research and Treatment

General Internal Medicine
Division of Development of Advanced
Therapy for Metabolic Disease

International Medical Co
operation and Promotion
Surgery Related

Nephrology and Clinical Immunology Orthopaedics
Nephrology
Orthopaedics
Spine Surgery
Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Division of Joint Preserva
tion & Reconstruct Surgery
Oncology/Hematology
Rehabilitation Science
Hematology
Rehabilitation Medicine
Neurosurgery
Internal Related
Ophthalmology
Diagnostic Radiology
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Diagnostic Radiology
Urology
Division of Interventional Radiology,
Urology
Department of Radiology
Advanced Medical Technology andDivision of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging
Development for Urology(Medicaroid)
Division of Radiology and Biomedical Obstetrics and Gynecology
Engineering Department of Radiology
Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine
Radiation Oncology
Gynecologic Advanced Medi
Radiation Oncology
cal Technology and Research
Ion Beam Therapy
Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Pediatrics
Podiatric Medicine
Pediatrics
Anesthesiology
General Pediatrics
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Developmental Pediatrics
Disasterand Emergency Medicine
Dermatology
Disaster and Emergency Medicine
Psychiatry
Division of Neurology

Innovative Emergency andCritical Care Medicine
Advanced Research for Clinical Psychiatry Advanced Pediatric Surgery
Laboratory Medicine
Psychiatry

Department of Patient Safety andQuality Management
Department of Infection Prevention and Control
Center for Management and Planning
Center for Information Analysis and Promotion

Internal Medicine

Department of Clinical Laboratory
Center for Radiology andRadiation Oncology
Department of Transfusion
Medicine and Cell Therapy
Department of Diagnostic Pathology
Department of Critical Care
Department of Surgical Care

General Affairs for Pharmacy

Narcotics Management

Basic Medical Technology

Specialty Medical Care Section

Drug Information Service

Applied Medical Technorogy

Medical Support and Administration
Planning Section
Center for Medical Information Processing
Center for Disaster Control and Prevention
Center for Distribution
Center for Clinical ResearchCenter for Medical Records
Integrated Clinical Education Center
Center for Patient Support
Center for Bed Control
Department of Clinical Engineering
Department of Nutrition
International Medical Communication Center
Center for Emergency and Critical
Care Medicine
D&N plus Brushup Center
Center for Human Resource Developmentfor Regenerative Medicine
Disaster Medical Center
Center for Research and Developmentof Medical Engineering
Bio Resource Center
Center for Palliative Care
Pneumothorax and Cystic Lung
Diseases Research Center
Office for AI and Digital Health Promotion

General Internal Medicine
Cardiovascular Medicine
Nephrology
Respiratory Medicine
Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Gastroenterology
Diabetes and Endocrinology
Neurology
Medical Oncology and Hematology
Hematology
Infectious Diseases
Internal Related
Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology
Radiation Oncology
Pediatrics
Dermatology
Psychiatry and Neurology
Palliative Medicine
Surgery
Gastrointestinal Surgery
Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Cardiovascular Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
Pediatric Surgery
Surgery Related
Orthopaedic Surgery
Neurosurgery

Center for Perinatal Care
Emergency and Critical Care Center
Department of Rehabilitation
Nephrology and Dialysis Center
Coronary Care Unit
Department of Endoscopic Medicine
Department of Clinical Genetics
Department of Mental Health forChildren and Parents
Cancer Center
Center for Interventional Radiology
Center for Rheumatic Diseases
Center for Arrhythmia
Center for Memory and
Behavioral Disorders
Organ-tissue Transplant Center
Sleep and Respiratory Care Center
Medical Engineering Management Center
Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center
Respiratory Center
Oral Management Center
Center for Clinical Genomics and ResearchChildren's Medical Center

Department of Pharmacy

Department of Nursing

Administration Department

Basic Nursing

General Affairs Division

Division of Medication Storage and Provide

Clinical Nursing

Division of Dispensing

Maternal Nursing and Midwifery

Division of Formulating

Community Nursing

General Affairs Section(Graduate School of Medicine)
General Affairs Section (University Hospital)
Personnel Section
Staff Member Section
Welfare Section
Human Resource Development Support Office
Human Resource Development Support Section
Integrated Clinical Education Section

Division of Chemotherapy Management
Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory

Clinical Trials Management
Division of Pharmaceutical
Management and Patient Care

Department of Medical Technology

Department of Physical Therapy
Basic Physical Therapy
Applied Physical Therapy

Department of Nursing
Department of Medical
Technology Support
International Clinical Cancer
Reserch Center
Clinical Departments

Gastrointestinal Surgery
Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
Pediatric Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Urology

Department of Occupational
Therapy
Basic Occupational Therapy
Applied Occupational Therapy

Center for Advancement of Community Medicine: Secretariat Section
Financial Management Division
Accounting General Section
Accounting Section
Contract Affairs Section(Graduate School of Medicine)
Contract Affairs Section (University Hospital)
Logistics Management Section

Education and Research Centers
Medical Device Innovation Platform
Center for Advancement of Community Medicine
Clinical Anatomy Training Center

Facilities Management Division
Facilities Planning Section
Facilities Section
Building Equipment Section
Hospital Management Planning
DivisionManagement Planning and Analysing Section
Accounting and Management Section
Student Affairs Division

Gynecology

General Affairs Section

Plastic Surgery

International Exchange Support Section

Anesthesiology

Academic Affairs Section

Gastroenterology

Graduate Student Affairs Section

Radiology
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Research Support Division

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Center for Medical Records

Research Planning Section
Research Support Section
Center for Clinical Research Pro
motion: Administration Office
Center for Clinical Research
Promotion: Secretariat Section

Plastic Surgery

Department of Surgical Care

Hospital Medical Affairs Division

Ophthalmology
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Urology

Aesthetic Surgery

Department of Medical
Technology Support
Department of Patient
Safety Management

Department of Infection Prevention
and Control

Medical Administration Section

Education and Research Centers

Anesthesiology and Pain Clinic

Department of Pharmacy

Revenue Section

Medical Infomatics

Institute for Experimental Animals

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Department of Nursing

Medical Service Fee Section

Palliative Medicine

Center for Infectious Diseases

Metabolomics Research

Biosignal Pathophysiology
Pharmaceutics
System Biology of Diseases
Advanced Pediatric Medicine
iPS Cell Applications
Division of research on the intractable dermatological diseases
Genome Medicine

Emergency and Critical Care Medicine
Diagnostic Pathology

Core Equipment Facility
Radioisotope Facility
Medical Information Technology Center
The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry
Center for Cell Signaling and Medical Innovation
Tenure-Track Center
Next Generation International Center
Center for Mental Disorders
Precision and Tele Surgery Center

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Medical Record and Infor
mation Management Section
Medical Information Section
Medical Support Division
Medical Support Section
Medical Safety Section
Doctor's Office Clark Section
Center for Patient Support: Administration OfficeInternational Clinical Cancer ResearchCenter Administration Department
International Clinical Cancer ResearchCenter Administration Department

8

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

iPS Cell Applications

7

Central Clinical Facilities

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine(Sysmex)

Clinical Departments

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Research and Development of Medical Engineering

Arrhythmia

Hospital safety and management section

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

BiochemistrySocial/Community Medicine and
Health Science

Cardiovascular Medicine

Surgery
Gastrointestinal Surgery
Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Cardiovascular Surgery
Cardiovascular Surgery

Faculty of Health Sciences

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsPhysiology

Internal Medicine
Cardiovascular Medicine

University Hospital

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Physiology and Cell Biology

Microbiology and Infectious
DiseasesDivision of Biomedical Sciences

Research Fields Physiology and Cell Biology

Physiology

Cell Physiology

History

History

Membrane Dynamics

Research Fields Physiology and Cell Biology

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart
The Division of Membrane Dynamics, in terms of “Membranerules the life”, aims to reveal biochemically various functions ofmembrane and thereby understand cellular function expressedby membrane and its homeostasis maintenance.

Our laboratory, in particular, conducts molecular functional and pathological analyses at cell, tissue, organ, and whole-body levels, using
genetically modiﬁed mice or disease-model mice. And, through these studies, we expect to elucidate “the nature of ﬂexibility and/or plasticity
observed in living organism”, “principles operated in biological phenomena”, and “pathologies induced by disruptions of biological processes” at multiple hierarchical levels. On the basis of these analyses, we expect to obtain mechanistic bases applicable to the development ofnovel preventions, diagnoses and therapeutics.
Our ongoing research themes are as follows:
1) Analysis of signal transduction regulating cell migration and polarity during tissue-/organo-genesis and repair of damaged tissues (regeneration).
2) Analyses of the relevance between aberrations in signal transduction regulating cell migration and polarity and invasion and/or metastasisof cancer cells.
3) Analyses of signal transduction mechanisms which regulate the development, damage response, inﬂammation of the central nervous
system.
4) Analyses of the epigenetic regulation involved in tissue damage response, cancer progression, and prolonged inﬂammation.
5) Pathological analyses of growth, invasion and metastasis of cancers, using disease-model mice.
6) Pathological analysis of tissue repair and inﬂammation using disease-model.
7) Elucidation of operating principles in biological phenomena, by employing multi-OMICS analyses, imaging analyses, and mathematicalanalyses.

Molecular and Metabolic Medicine<Endowed Chair>
1.Molecular mechanisms of cell signaling in insulin secretion
Pancreatic β-cells secrete insulin, the most important hormone that maintain blood glucose levels in normal range. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by impaired insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells and impaired insulin action at target tissues. Insulin secretion from pancreatic
β-bells is precisely regulated by various intracellular signals generated by hormonal and neuronal inputs. We aim to elucidate molecularmechanisms of signaling in insulin secretion by a variety of approaches including metabolomics, proteomics and general manipulation suchas CRISPR/Cas9.
2. Mechanisms of the regulation of glucose metabolism using animal models.
Glucose is an essential energy source for living organisms. Glucose homeostasis is maintained by complex systems of intracellular andintercellular signals. The failure of these systems cause diabetes and hypoglycemia. We aim to investigate the mechanisms of glucose homeostasis in vivo using various animal models such as genetically modiﬁed mice and spontaneous diabetic rats and mice. These studies will
provide basis for development of novel therapeutic strategies as well as clariﬁcation of the mechanisms of diabetes and hypoglycemia.
3. Mechanisms of aging of pancreatic islets
Aging is an important factor contributing to development of diabetes. However, the relationship between aging and pancreatic islet function
is poorly understood. We aim to clarify the relationship by investigating the eﬀect of aging on pancreatinc hormone secretions, gene expressions (RNA seq), and metabolome of healthy mice and aging ‒promoted mouse models, and elucidate molecular mechanisms of aging ofpancreatic islets and their roles in glucose metabolism.
4. Search for novel insulin-secreting compounds and their mechanisms of action in insulin secretion
We are exploring new compounds that exhibit glucose-dependent insulin secretion with novel mechanisms, by combining in-silico similarity
search and chemical modiﬁcations. This study may provide a basis for development of novel antidiabetic drugs for unmet needs in diabetes
treatment.

10

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

9

The Division of Cell Physiology conducts investigations aiming to elucidate “molecular mechanisms underlying morphogenesis andtissue-/organo-genesis” and “relationships between the disruption of these processes and pathological conditions such as cancer progression and/or inﬂammation” in mammals including humans. As a clue to unravel these molecular mechanisms, we focus on the roles of signaltransduction elicited by Wnt protein and its cognate receptors, Ror-family receptor tyrosine kinases (Ror1, Ror2), which play important rolesin the development processes and the onsets/progression of various diseases.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

As for the medical education, we partially hold the chairs of cellbiology and biochemistry for the ﬁrst and second year students of
the Faculty of Medicine.

Cell Physiology

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

In particular, our laboratory targets principally endoplasmic
reticulum, considered as most important among organelles.
Endoplasmic reticulum is the organelle forming a reticular
network of membrane throughout the cytoplasm. Endoplasmic
reticulum plays central roles in synthesis, sorting, and traﬃckingof secretory proteins and membrane proteins, quality control ofproteins, synthesis of lipids, and restoration of calcium. It also
works as a source of membrane, required in the formation ofother organelles such as nucleus, the Golgi apparatus, peroxisome, and autophagosome. We currently attempt to elucidate
the mechanisms that form endoplasmic reticulum applying threeresearch themes as follows:
1) Molecular mechanisms underlying the tubular and sheet
structures of endoplasmic reticulum
2) Machinery for the translocon-independent insertion of
membrane protein into endoplasmic reticulum
3) Reconstitution of organelles using artiﬁcial membrane✉: takumit@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Our goal is to understand our mind by our brain. To understandhigher brain functions such as cognitive function, we take anapproach to study mental disorders as abnormality of mental
functions. Currently our project is integrative analysis of autism
spectrum disorders (ASD), developmental disorders and psychiatric disorders. We also work on circadian rhythms in which geneand behavior are linked. Furthermore, we try to combine thesetwo diﬀerent projects. For example, we have used cutting-edgeembryonic stem cell technologies to make model mice withhuman biological abnormalities, such as copy number variations(CNV), based on clinical data. The mice will be founders forforward genetics and targets for multi-dimensional approaches.
More recently, we have also employed new genome editing
techniques such as CRISPR/Cas to develop a next generation
chromosome engineering method. This new technology enables
us to generate whole libraries of human CNV as well as new
mouse models. Through multi-faceted approaches including
electrophysiology, imaging techniques and optogenetics, we aretrying to understand the neural circuits involved in social behavior using a humanized mouse model of ASD. The imaging
techniques include in vivo imaging of spines by using two-photon microscopy, in vivo Ca imaging by micro-endoscope anddynamic cortical imaging using virtual reality system, etc. At thecellular level, we are also interested in local translation in neuronal dendrites and spines. As mentioned, we plan to generate awhole cell library of human CNV by using a next generation
chromosome engineering technique. The library will be useful for
analyzing cellular phenotypes, and for a drug screening for ASD.
We also develop organoids to see their phenotypes as well as
diﬀerent kinds of diﬀerentiated cell types. Needless to say, dry
approaches including mathematical modeling, computerscience, bioinformatics and information science, such as AI, areessential in all of the above ﬁelds, and are used to complement
our wet lab work.

Yasuhiro Minami, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Building blocks of all diverged lives are cells, which are surrounded by membrane. Each of the cells encompasses various intracellular organelles, nearly all of which are enveloped by membrane.
With the harmonized reactions by the groups of membraneprotein localized in each organelle, the organelle membrane isshaped, exerting the organelle-speciﬁc functions. We hope tocontribute our investigations to elucidate a series of membranemechanisms including the localization of membrane proteins,the functions of membrane proteins, structures and machineriesof organelles, toward understanding cytopoiesis.

Toru Takumi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsToshiaki Sakisaka, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Research Fields Physiology and Cell Biology

Neural Diﬀerentiation
andRegeneration

Biochemistry

Molecular andCellular Biology

History

History

Structural Medicine andAnatomyResearch Fields Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Shunichi Nakamura, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Akira Suzuki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : ryonitta@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Our research is based on the morphological analyses, the studiesof shapes or structures of living organisms to elucidate thesefunctions. Historically, morphology was started from the macroscopic anatomy, though we can precisely visualize molecular
structures at near-atomic resolution to date. Our laboratory
investigates fundamental functions in living cells by elucidating
molecular structures or subcellular organelles using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. We currently investigate
the key molecules related with a neuronal cell development,
neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiomyopathies. Our current
topics are listed below. We also welcome to start structural
studies of new fundamental molecules in any other researchareas you interested in. Let’s enjoy nano-worlds of living organisms that no one has ever seen in the world!

We are interested in molecular mechanisms underlying thedevelopment of the nervous system. By using mice as a modelorganism and by functionally combining genetic, biochemical
and molecular biological approaches, we investigate the behavior of molecules and cells that regulate neural development. We
also investigate pathogenetic mechanisms underlying developmental disorders of the nervous system by generating andexamining mouse models of such diseases. Our goal is to obtainmolecular insights into development and pathology of thenervous system and to apply that knowledge in the developmentof novel strategies for the treatment of disorders of the nervous
system. Our three major ongoing research themes are as follows:

In Biochemistry division, we are currently investigating themechanism of cellular signaling through lipid mediators. We
focus on phosphatidic acid as a glycerophospholipid andsphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) as a sphingolipid for the understanding of physiological mechanism underlying cell proliferation and diﬀerentiation as well as pathogenesis of cancers andneurodegenerative disorders. However, we place greater weighton sphingolipid research these days.

Cancer, which is still increasing world-wide, is the leading causeof death. Our studies speciﬁcally examine molecular mechanisms
for the onset and development of cancer using various
techniques from the ﬁelds of molecular biology, cellular biology,
biochemistry, and embryonic engineering. Most oncogenes andcancer suppressor genes are known to be involved not only in theonset of cancer, but also in the onset of various other diseases
including development and diﬀerentiation abnormalities thatcritically aﬀect whole-body homeostasis. We have continued invivo functional analyses of p53, PTEN/PI3K, and Hippo signaling
pathways by generating knock-out mice. Results show that thesemutant mice show various cancers and non-cancerous diseases,
such as autoimmune disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, andcardiac failure. These mutant mice have become attractive andpowerful tools to analyze the diseases and to develop new
therapeutic methods.

Current topics
1) Microtubule biology and medicine.
●CAMSAP family proteins and Tau family proteins.
●Molecular mechanisms of the axonal development.
●Cryo-EM structural study of the cytoskeletal organization in
cardiomyocytes2) Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation.
3) The systems of tissue stem cell maintenance: mechanisms
underlying oncogenesis or aging, using mouse models andnext-generation sequence.
Undergraduate and graduate students are always welcome tojoin our research!

1. To elucidate the physiological function of the GDNF Family
Ligands and their receptors.
The GDNF Family Ligands and their receptors play essential roles
in development of various neuronal populations in the central
and peripheral nervous systems. We investigate how signaling
mediated by these ligands inﬂuences neurons and their progenitors and regulates neural development.

Recent Major Recent Publications from our lab are as follows
1. Nishio M, et al.
Dysregulated YAP1/TAZ and TGF-β signaling mediate hepatocarcinogenesis in Mob1a/1b-deﬁcient mice.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 113(1):E71-80, 2016
2. Hikasa H, et al.
Merlin/NF2-Lin28B-let-7 is a novel tumor-suppressive pathwaythat is cell density-dependent and Hippo-independent.
Cell Reports in press, 2016
3. Nishio M., et al.
Cancer susceptibility and embryonic lethality in Mob1a/1b
double-mutant mice.
J. Clin. Invest. 122(12): 4505-18, 2012.
4. Sasaki M., et al.
Regulation of the MDM2-P53 pathway and tumor growth by
PICT1 via nucleolar RPL11. Nat. Med. 17(8): 944-51, 2011.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

3. To unravel the molecular mechanism underlying neurocristopathy
Neural crest cells are multipotent cells that can diﬀerentiate into
various cell types including cells in the peripheral nervous system,
pigment cells, cartilage and bone. Failure in development anddiﬀerentiation of neural crest cells leads to a wide variety of
diseases known in human as neurocristopathies. Through our
research, we seek to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma and Hirschsprung disease, two major
developmental disorders in pediatric and pediatric surgery
practices.

As for student education, we give lectures on biochemistry to the
2nd year medical students. We emphasize understanding biological phenomena in a molecular basis. We expect to the students
to understand how we get chemical energy from foods throughdigestion and adsorption of them and to utilize the energy for our
biological activities. In addition, we educate them on nutrition,
vitamin and responses to environmental stress for the maintenance of human health.

Our recent researches are summarized as follows:
1) Functions of Hippo signaling pathway
2) p53 regulation by nucleolar stress3) Functions of PTEN/PI3K pathway in various tissues4) Molecular target drug discovery for cancer

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

2. To understand the mechanisms underlying the developmentof the enteric nervous system (ENS)The ENS regulates the motility, secretion and blood ﬂow of thegut, and is thus vital to the maintenance of animal life. One of theamazing features of the ENS is that it can exert its basic function
without inputs from the brain, for which reason the ENS is often
called ‘the second brain.’ We investigate the behavior of cells thatgoverns a given step of the ENS development and explore theunderlying molecular mechanisms.

It is well known that S1P plays important roles as a lipid mediatorin the regulation of cell proliferation, angiogenesis and immunity.
In addition, we have recently reported that S1P causes glutamate
release from hippocampal neurons and that S1P regulates
maturation of exosomal multivesicular endosomes. We willcontribute to the understanding of molecular mechanisms ofmemory and learning and pathogenesis of incurable diseases
such as malignant transformation of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease by making further
advances in our sphingolipid research.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Hideki Enomoto , M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsRyo Nitta, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

11

12

Research Fields Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Molecular and Cellular
Signaling

Pathogenetic Signaling

Pharmacology

History

History

Membrane Biology

Research Fields Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Yoshimi Takai, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : titoh@people.kobe-u.ac.jp✉ : matozaki@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Subject 1 "Mechanism of cell motility by phospholipid signaling"
Phospholipids are important biological molecules involved insignal transduction at the plasma membrane, whose metabolic
dysfunction can lead to a number of diseases. Among them, thegeneration of cancer cells characterized by uncontrolled proliferation, invasion, and metastasis are brought about by abnormal
signal transduction through cell membranes, and dynamicchanges in membrane morphology. Our laboratory studies themolecular mechanisms of cell motility and membrane traﬃcmediated by phospholipids that make up the cell membrane. We
have clariﬁed the mechanisms that control the directionality ofcell movement driven by actin polymerization beneath theplasma membrane. In recent years, we particularly focus on apreviously unrecognized parameter, membrane curvature, inorder to understand the pathogenesis of severe disease caused
by abnormalities in phospholipid signaling. Further, we aim to
expand our research to drug discovery based on the regulatory
mechanism of membrane morphogenesis.

The division of Molecular and Cellular Signaling aims to elucidate
novel signal transduction mechanisms inside or between cells,
which are expected to be essential in many areas of life science.
We identify the novel signaling molecules, and conduct analyses
on their functions by the use of wide-ranged research methods
such as in biochemical, molecular biological, cell biological, or cell
technological ways.

The cellular signaling pathways and their crosstalk, which are
crucial for cell movement, proliferation, adhesion, and polarization, strictly regulate normal ontogeny and organogenesis.
Dysfunction of the signaling pathways results in a variety ofpathological conditions, such as oncogenic transformation ofcells, invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, neural disorders, andatherosclerosis. The goals of our laboratory are to identify key
molecular events underlying pathogenesis of these disorders andto develop new therapies for them. Towards these ends, we deal
with the following research themes: 1) roles of nectins and theirrelated molecules on growth factor signaling; 2) molecularmechanisms to establish neural circuits and synapses; 3) pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders such as dementia andschizophrenia; and 4) molecular mechanisms of dysfunction ofcells by aging. To achieve the goals, we perform unique fundamental researches by thinking outside the box. Immediately aftergetting innovative results, we aim to apply them to translational
research, clinical research, and moreover to drug development.
Our laboratory locates at Kobe Biotechnology Research andHuman Resource Development (BT) center on the corner of KOBE
Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC), a complex of research
institutes, corporations, and organizations, in Port Island. Taking
advantage of this location, we actively communicate with theresearchers in the pharmaceutical companies as well as the
public research institutes in KBIC and carry out collaborative
studies with them to make outstanding discoveries. Throughthese research activities, we simultaneously make every eﬀort totrain young scientists and obtain patents in order to contribute tosociety.

Furthermore, recently we are involved in studies on the regulation system of a cellular life span. It is apparently known thatterminally diﬀerentiated and mature cells composing various
tissues possess a distinct life span. We are investigating how thelife span of terminally diﬀerentiated cells in tissues is regulated byinternal and external factors, how it has a role in the maintenanceof tissue homeostasis, and how the disruption of such regulation
will be associated with the pathogenesis.
Our laboratory is eventually purposing the investigations whose
results would eﬀectively contribute to the diagnoses andtreatments for various diseases such as carcinoma, neurologicaldisorders, metabolic and endocrine disorders, arteriosclerosis,
and autoimmune diseases, etc.

Nectin and Afadin System at the Cell Adhesion Site

✉ : tfuruya@med.kobe-u.ac.jp‘Pharmacology’ is a discipline to elucidate the interactions
between drugs and our bodies as well as molecular mechanisms
underlying pathophysiology of diseases, contributing towards
the developments of novel drugs and therapeutic strategies.
Using multidisciplinary approaches, our laboratory aims to identify molecular, cellular and neural-circuit mechanisms which
regulate cognitive and emotional functions as well as theirdeﬁcits related to psychiatric disorders.
Based on clinical studies, it is established that physical andpsychological stress in addition to genetic susceptibility plays acritical role in the onsets and progressions of psychiatricdisorders. However, therapeutic strategy targeting stress has notbeen established, since its mechanism of action remains unclear.
Using a rodent model of stress, we discovered that social stressinduces structural and functional changes in the prefrontal cortex
through dopaminergic projection and neuron-glia crosstalk,leading to emotional changes. We are currently pursuing molecular and cellular correlates of stress in the brain as well as functional alteration of a broader neural network underlying stress-related
pathophysiology.
To be hypothesis-driven, our research employs multidisciplinary
techniques from molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral
neuroscience. Besides conventional techniques, we haveintroduced and developed cutting-edge technologies, such as
ﬂuorescent visualization of speciﬁc neuronal circuits, optogenetic
and pharmacogenomic manipulation of neuronal activity, andmolecular manipulation and transcriptome analysis with highspatiotemporal precision. In parallel, we attempt to establish
cell-based assays with primary cultures exploitable for eﬃcient
drug discovery for psychiatric disorders.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

In addition to the research activities, our division devotes every
eﬀort in our graduate programs to fostering advanced pharmacologists who wish to pursue basic and translational research;and in our undergraduate programs to fostering physicians andclinician scientists who can comprehend and think logically of
pathophysiology and drug behaviors at molecular, cellular andsystems levels.

Kobe Future
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Kobe Future
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Subject 2 "Functional analysis of protein kinases"
By focusing on the biological processes that involve protein
phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, we have been studying
the mechanism of intracellular signal transduction. Since our
discovery of protein kinase N (PKN) family, we explore thepossibility of the drug discovery target through studies on theirstructure and function. In particular, genetically modiﬁed mousemodels are our main tools for the functional analysis of protein
kinase C (PKC) and PKN at the physiological level. Our research
reveals roles of protein kinases in cell motility, cell death, andstress response.

In particular, we are interested in intracellular signaling pathways
through protein tyrosine-phosphorylation. These signaling
pathways are thought to play a pivotal role in the regulation ofcellular functions which are the bases of biological phenomena
such as cell proliferation, adhesion, movement, and metabolism,and higher biological functions including nervous and immune
systems. We have recently found the CD47-SIRPα system, a novel
cell-cell communication system, which is related to signaling
pathways through protein tyrosine-phosphorylation. Further
research on its physiological functions and pathological signiﬁcance is currently being explored.

Tomoyuki Furuyashiki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

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Takashi Matozaki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsToshiki Itoh, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

13

14

Research Fields Pathology

Diagnostic Pathology

Pathology Network＜Endowed Chair＞

Infectious Diseases
Therapeutics

History

History

Pathology

Research Fields Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart
We are in charge for the education of Pathology for 2nd to 3rd
grade, and case presentation of autopsy cases at Union Lecture of
6th grade (upon request) of Medical Students. In addition, we arecommitted to the early research education throughout thecourse of Medical School with the students willing to work withus.

✉ : tomitoh@med.kobe-u.ac.jp✉ : kodamayo@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Our Department of Diagnostic Pathology is specialized in surgicalpathology, contributed to pathological diagnosis and educationin Kobe University Hospital. Many certiﬁcated pathologists
belong to our department, most of them have subspecialty ofvarious organs and disease, such as malignant lymphoma, liver,
renal glomerular diseases, respiratory system, endocrine and soft
tissue. All staﬀs perform highly advanced diagnoses andresearches in each subspecialty. We also introduced moleculartechniques for diagnostic purposes, such as mass spectrometeras well as FISH and PCR.
Our department might be one of the most competitive pathological laboratories in Japan, with many experienced pathologists
and the state-of-the-art facility, providing fascinate pathologicaltraining programs in such favorable circumstances. The multidisciplinary conferences are routinely held with other clinical departments.
We have actively performed researches related to pathological
technique such as immunostaining. Particularly, our study associated with development of multiplex immunohistochemistry arehighly appreciated in Japan. Recently, we introduced remotepathological diagnosis system using whole slide imaging.
Through this technology, we assist local pathologist in otherdistant hospitals, contributing to local medicine, as well as
provide educative teleconferences. We annually organizededucative seminars of pathological diagnosis and technique.
We can accept the trainee for surgical pathology. It requires the
medical license of your country. Please feel free to contact us fordetails. We are sorry that we cannot provide you the scholarshipin our institute.

The Division of Pathology Network was established in 2014. We
are not only involved in pathological diagnosis at the Kobe
University Hospital, but also in education and research for
medical students and residents. The main purposes of thisdivision are the following three points.
(1) Construction of a pathological diagnosis network: We areaiming to build a diagnosis support system through a network byconnecting regional hospitals with the Kobe University Hospital.
We aim to develop pathology network technology, educate
young pathologists through the network, and provide advanced
pathology diagnosis technology. Currently, the Kita-Harima
Medical Center has established a pathological diagnostic support
system through the network for many cases of intraoperative
rapid diagnosis and some biopsy materials, and we are aiming for
further development in the future.
(2) Pathological research: We specialize in clinical pathologicalresearch and molecular biology research using tissue specimens.
Especially in the ﬁeld of brain tumors, we are working jointly withother institutions. We are conducting research in a translational
stance with the aim of obtaining clinical trials that can be applied
to pathological analysis, diagnosis, and treatment. We also aim todevelop new pathological diagnosis technology that applies
advanced technology such as the latest digital technology.
(3) Training of young pathologists: Training of young pathologists is an urgent issue because lack of pathologists is a serious
problem. We will introduce an education system that utilizes our
network in collaboration with regional hospitals. We aim todevelop highly specialized pathologists who have some subspecialties and are internationally applicable.

Kentaro Iwata,M.D.,Ph.D.,M.Sc.,FACP,FIDSA
Professor
Division of Infectious Diseases Therapeutics was founded in 2008
and it has devoted to clinical studies related to various infectious
diseases. These studies include but not limited to randomized
controlled trials, retrospective case-control studies, casereports/series, descriptive qualitative studies, and theory building
related to diagnosis/management of infectious diseases. Our areaof interest in infectious diseases are very broad, which include
avian/swine novel inﬂuenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue
fever, malaria and others.
Medical education is another area we are very interested in and
we developed various educational tools and textbooks. We
invented an educational program called HeatApp, which is ahybrid program of both problem based learning (PBL) and team
based learning (TBL).
Our activities go beyond domestic and we work in various area inthe world, including but not limited to Cambodia, Thailand,
Kenya, the United States, and Peru, having cooperation withmany institutions regarding clinical management, medical
education, and research activities.
Division of Infectious Diseases deals with any kind of infections
and we do take care of at both inpatient and outpatient settings.
We set up an American style Infectious Diseases consultation
services and do see various infections related to both medicine
and surgery. We ourselves do have inpatient service and take careof various patients such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, FUO (fever of
unknown origin), or various imported infections such as malaria,
dengue, or typhoid fever. We work with other divisions such as
Division of General Medicine, or Critical Care closely, and take careof patients in holistic, and team based approach so that patients
receive ideal care. We also work closely with Department of
Infection Control, Department of Pharmacy, and Department ofLaboratory Medicine, and take part in Infection Control, management of multi-resistant organisms, and our original Antimicrobial
Stewardship named Big Gun.

Kobe Future
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Kobe Future
Medical Plan

We are responsible for the conduction of Pathological Autopsy in
the Kobe University Hospital with about 50 cases per year. We
arrange Clinico-Pathological Conference (CPC) for every case andreport the ﬁnal diagnosis at least half a year after autopsy. We arealso in charge for the instruction and evaluation of CPC Reports
for the Early Phase Residents of the Hospital. We hold the
additional post at the Division of Diagnostic Pathology in the
University Hospital conducting the histopathological diagnosis ofendoscopically resected alimentary tract cancers with the instruction of Residents at Diagnostic Pathology.

Yoshinori Kodama, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

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Cooperative
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A disease causes a given morphological alteration to the humanorgan, tissue and cells through various molecular changes.
Pathologists catch the “change of shape” with naked eye as wellas under microscope and provide the ﬁnal diagnosis of disease atclinical practice. We are trying to conduct our research toelucidate the mechanisms of the “change of shape” and to apply
the results to diagnosis and treatment of alimentary tract cancers
at Division of Pathology. We have reported the signiﬁcance ofcancer-stromal interactions between gastric or colorectal cancer
and ﬁbroblast or mesenchymal stem cells on the characteristic
morphogenesis and acquisition or maintenance of cancer stem
cells. We are now accumulating new scientiﬁc ﬁndings of theinteraction of cancer cells and tumor-associated macrophages orcancer-associated ﬁbroblasts on the carcinogenesis and progression of human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Tomoo Itoh, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsHiroshi Yokozaki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

15

16

Research Fields Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Infectious Disease
Control

Medical Education

History

History

Clinical Virology

Research Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health Science

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Seiji Kawano, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : ymori@med.kobe-u.ac.jp✉: kansensg@med.kobe-u.ac.jp✉ : sjkawano@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Division of Clinical Virology devotes to the studies related to viral
infectious diseases, especially in those caused by human herpesviruses. We have been focusing on the analysis of viral genefunctions, viral life cycle, viral-host interaction, and so on. Our ﬁnal
goal of these studies is to elucidate the mechanism of viral diseases and ﬁnally, contribute to developing the methods for prevention and treatment of these diseases. We are also developing
vaccines based on Varicella vaccine, the only licensed live vaccine
for prevention of human herpesvirus diseases. We have inserted
alien antigen gene(s) into the viral genome to construct polyvalent varicella vaccine, as the result, the vaccine could protect
people from the pathogens, in addition to varicella zoster virus.
We have started to study about COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2
to elucidate the infectious mechanism and the pathogenesis.

The Division of Infectious Disease Control focuses on the researchon viral infection and pathogenesis. Although viruses cannot
proliferate by themselves, they utilize the host machinery, such as
membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids, to eﬃciently proliferate
in infected cells. The viruses often hijack host factors to avoid hostimmune system, establish persistent infection, and result incausing cancer. Our research aim is to understand molecularmechanisms of viral infection and pathogenesis caused byhepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human papillomavirus (HPV). We also conduct molecular epidemiology of
Norovirus and Rotavirus in Indonesia. Our major ongoing
research themes are as follows:
1. Molecular biology of HCV and HBV:HCV is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus belonging toFaviviridae family. HBV is a double stranded DNA virus belonging
to Hepadnaviridae family. HCV and HBV infection often cause
chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, and ﬁnally develop hepatocellular carcinoma. We aim to elucidate molecular mechanisms ofviral replication and pathogenesis caused by HCV and HBV.
2. Molecular biology of HPV:
Several speciﬁc types of HPVs are associated with human cervicalcancer. The high risk group HPVs encode two oncoproteins E6
and E7, which target the tumor suppressor gene proteins p53 andpRB, respectively. The E6-promoted ubiquitylation of p53 ismediated by the cellular ubiquitin ligase E6AP in conjunction
with E6. We are interested in a role of E6AP in carcinogenesis.
3. Development of novel small molecules for targeting ubiquitin-proteasome pathway:
We are trying to develop novel small molecule inhibitors for
ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitylating enzymes.
4. Molecular epidemiology of viral gastroenteritis caused by
Norovirus and Rotavirus in Indonesia:
We are currently investigating molecular epidemiology of Norovirus and Rotavirus in Indonesia in collaboration with Institute ofTropical Disease, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, and National
Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo.

The primary mission of the Section of Medical Education, founded in April 2014, is to function as a base of shaping the future medical education programs of the School of Medicine, Kobe University, and of expanding the plans into practical activities. We are to conduct the curriculum reform of the medical courses in seizing the occasion to focus on ECFMG certiﬁcation and accreditation issues eﬀective in 2023.

Besides viral researches, we also focus on the education. Both
medical students and graduate students are studying in ourdivision. Those students are not only trained with experimentskills, but also with how to design those experiments. We hope
they could be skilled and knowledgeable young researchers or
medical doctors enthusiastic at medical research.
We have been collaborating with laboratories from the othercountries and foreign students and researchers are studying in
our laboratory. We hope these activities would contribute not
only to the progress of research, but also to others, such as
cross-cultural communications.

Secondly, as our appealing feature, we act together with the Integrated Clinical Education Center of the University Hospital and the ClinicalTraining and Simulation Center, organized for executing seamless and synthetic training programs on clinical medicine for the students
before and after graduation. One of our foci on this matter is, therefore, to induce versatile simulated education programs for the improvement of student’s comprehension, skill-up, and patient’s safety. We set “clinical care”, where we can carefully take up students’ researchquestions emerged through their actual experiences in clinical sites. What is the best way of fostering students’ ability to be competitive
professionals in today’s fast-evolving society of medicine? To this highly important, ubiquitous, and evasive question, we try to make ourresearch activity itself capable to ﬁnd this answer from, by weaving the steps - plan, do, and analysis - of our medical education research into
the down-to-earth practices in clinical medicine.
Thirdly, also as our attractiveness, we move in concert with another Section of our Division of Medical Education, which was founded together
with us. That Section of Community Medicine takes charge of the research and educational activities to foster human resources who will serve
the leading roles in the future community medicine. The Division of Medical Education aims to function as a crossing or a knot of these twoaxes, and concurrently, to visualize and theorize of this crossing itself as our research target. Fourthly, as our laboratory’s responsible activity,
we are engaged in coordinating the education programs for fostering the inquisitive medical students and the supporting programs for thosepursuing basic medicine. By promoting the students-organized periodical workshops and their interactions with younger researchers, we
multi-directionally encourage the students aspiring to be basic scientists or clinician scientists.

Cooperative
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Cooperative
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Graduate Program Centers,and Library
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Ikuo Shoji, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFields

Yasuko Mori, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

17

18

Research Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health Science

Yoji Nagai, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : kenzaka@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Biostatistics is a ﬁeld of data science that focuses on dataobtained from biology. When conducting new clinical research,
we need consider how should the research design be designed toobtain research results with less bias and high precision, howmany research subjects are needed, how to analyze obtained
data and how to present the analysis results. To address theseissues, knowledge of biostatistics is required. Biostatistics is adiscipline that requires both theoretical and systematic
techniques. Those involved in the practice of biostatistics need tohave a good balance of these two aspects.
The Division of Biostatistics, Department of Social / Community
Medicine and Health Science, Kobe University was established in2015. Our research is to construct and evaluate biostatisticalmethodologies related to clinical research and alternatives toanimal experiments. We also provide classes related to biostatistics at Kobe University School of Medicine and Graduate School of
Medicine. Furthermore, we provide clinical research seminars
related to biostatistics in collaboration with the Clinical & Translational Research Center Kobe University Hospital.

“Translational Science” is the ﬁeld of investigation focused onunderstanding the scientiﬁc and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process. Translation is theprocess of turning observations in the laboratory, clinic andcommunity into interventions that can improve the health ofindividuals and public. Thus, it includes not only the processes toapply basic research ﬁndings to humans, but also the processes
to execute clinical trials, to extend the achievements in clinic andto transfer clinical observation to the population health. Eachprocess must be implemented through ethically, legally andsocially righteous methodologies, which are realized, for instance,by animal experiments, clinical trials and observational studies.
Division of Translational Science is dedicated to the cultivation ofscientiﬁc principles underpinning such translational processes, aswell as to the facilitation of respective processes that lead to theimprovement of medicine and public welfare.
Indeed, preclinical studies and clinical studies/trials are the key
components in medical technology developments, whereby
proactive initiatives of academic expertise are strongly expected.
At the same time, the current medical technologies should becontinuously evaluated and then optimized, through welldesigned implementation studies, with the risk for public healthadequately controlled. The success is dependent not only on
basic science and cutting edge medicine, but also on multidisciplinary science, including clinical science, regulatory science anddata science. Thus, to comprehensively cope with all phases oftranslation, and to cover education for the next generation,
Division of Translational Science was started in 2016.

Driving Force of Medical Innovation
Observations in the laboratory, clinic and community

Translation to
Population HealthTranslation to
Practice

T4

T1

T3

T2

Translation to
Human
Translation to
Patients

Improved Public HealthInterface between Life Scienceand Humans
Translational Science

Clinical Science

Directions andTransortation

Regulatory Science / Data Science

Translational Research
Clinical Research
Implementation Research
Epidemiological Research

Translation

This division was established in 2015.
Based in the Community Medical Education Center of Hyogo
Prefectural Tamba Medical Center, we mainly engage in thefollowing activities while providing hospitals such as the Toyooka
Public Hospital with support in medical care, education, andresearch:(1) Provision of medical care in the Tamba Medical Service Area
and Tajima Medical Service Area
(2) Support of lifelong training and education for healthcare
providers in the Tamba Medical Service Area and Tajima
Medical Service Area
(3) Development of training programs for general internists andgeneral physicians(4) Clinical research concerning quality improvement of community medical care and general medical care
We particularly focus on education, clinical guidance, andresearch support for physicians participating in the physician
development program of Hyogo Prefecture, students andphysicians intending to become general internists or general
physicians.
In the model core curriculum of medical education, "community
medicine" and "community based medical care clinical training"are compulsory subjects that medical students must take or takepart in. As to postgraduate education, community medical caretraining is a compulsory subject in the clinical training system forjunior residents. As for postgraduate education, community
medical care training is a compulsory subject in the clinicaltraining system for junior residents. We have developed and are
currently operating these curricula and programs as well as a
specialized training program for general medical care in the new
specialist physician system.
Ever since the collapse of community medical care became asocial issue, the "development of healthcare providers that
communities need" has been strongly called for. That is, communities need healthcare providers who listen to various health-related concerns and problems of people in the community,
respond to their needs and concerns appropriately, and provide
attention broadly to their daily lives, while watching over andsupporting these community-dwelling individuals.
The present status and issues in community medicine cannot belearned without experience gained on the front line. Our goal isto establish pre- and postgraduate education for community
medicine, based in the Community Medical Education Center ofHyogo Prefectural Tamba Medical Center, as a national model. We
also strive to cultivate healthcare providers who can provide
people in the community withmedical care while considering
their daily lives and regional
characteristics.

Translation

Directions andTransortation

19

Takashi Omori, Ph.D.
Professor

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Furthermore, our laboratory cooperates with the leading section
in public health service of Hyogo Prefecture, participating in thegovernment’s policy making on community medicine. By thismeans, as a think-tank, we reﬂect the beneﬁcial outcomes fromour research/education activities on community medicine into
the medical policies of our community.

Tsuneaki Kenzaka, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Concerning our education, we provide novel and challenging
approaches, aiming at promoting students’ motivation andrewarding experience and cultivating their sense of responsibility
in community medicine. We develop our method with applying
local activities and involving people. We also planned our new
program, the lectures on healthcare in collaboration with diverse
professionals.

＜Endowed Chair＞

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

As for the education on community medicine, we clariﬁed thatthe clinical training is a key to strengthen student’s motivation forproviding community medicine or general practice. We further
proved that the healthcare trainings especially with experiencing
home medical care play eﬃcient roles to accelerate theirintention to community medicine. Then, the experience of home
medical care in undergraduate might lead to provide community
medicine in the future. In addition, we detected three factors:"preparing for the future", "community relationships", and"psychological eﬀects" aﬀected with a mechanism of developing
motivation for providing community medicine. Regarding themanagement of common health problems, we veriﬁed that thepatients with cold are only little aﬀected by bathing. And, as forthe primary care delivery system, we deﬁned the distribution of
the clinics across Japan, using geographical information system.

Translational Science

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsThe Section of Community Medicine and Medical Education was
founded in 2014. We are charge in medical education concerning
community medicine. With expecting improved and qualiﬁed
community medicine, we now devote our eﬀort to developing
eﬀective education on community medicine, researching on how
to manage common health problems, suggesting for eﬃcientdelivery system of community medicine based on the analyses on
medical resources, and so on.

Biostatistics

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Masanobu Okayama, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Community Medicine
and Career
Development

History

HistoryCommunity Medicine
and Medical
Education

Research Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health Science

Humans, Patients, Community

20Research Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health Science＜Endowed Chair＞

Youichi Kurebayashi, DVM.,Ph.D.
Professor（Masato Fujisawa, M.D., Ph.D.Professor）✉ : yuzura@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

In the ﬁeld of medical research, investigations have been
traditionally developed, mainly with targeting certain diseases,
their mechanisms, or the treatment methods. In recent years, wecame to face super-aging society, and heightened attention to
the health span is increasing. Novel health management method,functional food, and dietary supplement for preventing from
diseases or promoting good health, all these are strongly urged inaddition to the prior and existing therapeutics. However, these
health management methods, functional foods, and dietary
supplements are so mild in their eﬀects, in comparison with theexisting therapies or medical drugs. Due to this fact, thelong-term data collection from the large-scaled groups are often
needed, though their evaluation methods have not been satisfactorily developed yet. The Division of Food and Drug Evaluation
Science explores the issues on such frameworks for implementing scientiﬁc evaluation and assessment strategies.
Our ongoing main research themes are as follows:
1) Evaluation on the eﬀects and elucidation of the action
mechanism of functional food and dietary supplement, using
animal model such as mice (This research is currently
suspended)
2) Design and implementation of clinical studies for evaluating
health management method, functional food, and dietary
supplement.
3) System developments in data collection, analyses, andvisualization for clinical studies
4) Research and development of the systems for collecting,analyzing, and visualizing big data concerning the issues on
health care.
We are particularly targeting at two topics: a) Machine Learningand Deep Learning based Clinical Data Analysis System and b)
Spiritual care for cancer patients and heart failure patients andthe evaluation methods.

Yasuhiro Ueno, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : mashino@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

22

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Our laboratory is engaged in the research on molecular epidemiology with tight collaboration with the Integrated Center for Mass
Spectrometry. Our speciﬁc aim is epidemiological application ofanalytical chemistry and data science, which contribute to understanding biological phenomena and investigating the etiology
and pathophysiology of diseases and the development of
diagnostic methods and treatment strategies.
Comprehensive proﬁling of proteins and metabolites, namely
proteome and metabolome, are closely related to biologicalphysiology and pathophysiology. Speciﬁc proteins and metabolites may work as enzymes and substrates for energy production.
Other metabolites may have distinct biological activities which
can directly regulate cellular functions. Mass spectrometry anddata integration with artiﬁcial intelligence have made possible
unbiased, comprehensive, and sensitive analyses of such proteinsand metabolites, and using this method, we aim to establish
systems biology based on physiology-related and disease-related
proﬁles of proteome and metabolome.
Speciﬁc research aim (1): Bioactive lipid mediators in inﬂammation and resolution.
Recently it has been revealed that bioactive lipid-derived small
molecule metabolites, namely lipid mediators, play critical roles
in maintenance of homeostasis, including inﬂammation and its
resolution, tissue repair and regeneration, and brain functions.
However, these lipid mediators are structurally unstable andbiosynthesized only at nmol ~ pmol/L range on demand, exert
stereoselective actions, and are degraded to inactive metabolites.
To analyze these mediators quantitatively and comprehensively,
advanced technologies are necessary for mass spectrometry andits preprocessing. We employ an automated system for solid
phase extraction to extract lipid mediator-enriched fraction, andperform sophisticated quantitative, wide-targeted lipid mediator
proﬁling with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-mass
spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). We have been conducting basic andclinical researches about bioactive lipid mediators especiallythose related to inﬂammation and its resolution.
Speciﬁc research aim (2): Distinct metabolism in cancer cells.
Whereas normal cells produce their energy, namely ATP, mostly
through oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, cancer cells
depend on distinct metabolism, aerobic glycolysis to produce
their ATP (the Warburg eﬀect). Our working hypothesis is that thedistinct metabolism in cancer cells could confer their characteristics, such as motility and invasiveness. We mainly focus on hydrophilic metabolites, and employ gas-chromatography/mass
spectrometry (GC/MS) system with in-house developed data-integration software.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Over the next decade, artiﬁcial intelligence (AI) is likely to signiﬁcantly transform the basic biomedical research and clinicalpractice. Based on the premise, the Department of Artiﬁcial
Intelligence and Digital Health Sciences (AIDiH) was newly
established in July 2019 as an endowed chair sponsored by CMIC
Holdings and Nihon UNISIS in Kobe University Graduate School of
Medicine. The central mission of AIDiH is to harness the power ofdigital health and medical innovation by assessing, integrating,and maximizing the opportunities of cutting edge information
sciences and artiﬁcial intelligence technologies. Currently,
multiple collaborative projects are in progress to develop atrans-regional, broad personal health record (PHR), explore newalgorisms for biomedical big data analysis, and develop new
AI-empowered approaches to eliminate recent drug discovery
slump in collaboration with various partners, including Hyogo
prefectural government, Kobe city government and industry
partners. AIDiH is also expanding its eﬀorts to establish andoperate the Oﬃce of AI and Digital Health Promotion in Kobe
University International Clinical Cancer Research Center (ICCRC)
to provide the ﬁeld for clinical proof-of-concept study in responseto rapidly increasing R&D activities to produce innovative digital
health products and services. Many eﬀorts have been made to beengaged in the cross-talking with the community and academia
to share the perspectives on current issues associated withincorporation of AI and digital health systems into healthcare
settings. In order to ensure successful project operation, close
collaboration continues with the University of Hyogo, Tokushima
University Graduate School of Medicine, National Institute of
Biomedical, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN) and National
Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center.

Norihiro Sakamoto,
M.D., Ph.D.(Medical Science), Ph.D.
(Information Science) Professor

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21

Epidemiology

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsIn recent years, the momentum for creating evidence for thedevelopment of therapeutic agents, diagnostic agents, andmedical devices by utilizing bioresources (human specimens withclinical information) is rapidly increasing all over the world. At
Kobe University Hospital, we decided to combine humanspecimens and clinical information databases to create aneﬃcient infrastructure that researchers and companies inside andoutside Kobe University can easily utilize bioresources. April 2019
"Kobe University Hospital BioResource Center" was set up in theInternational Clinical Cancer Research Center of Kobe University
Hospital (ICCRC). We have started joint research activities withresearchers inside and outside the hospital using "humanspecimens" such as the acquisition of comprehensive cancer-related human antibodies. We are also contributing to the adoptionof the Cabinet Oﬃce grant project by proposing research on an"ever-improving prediction model of prognosis on personalized
precision surgery" using patient blood and surgical specimens.
Based on these achievements, in order to promote research on
cancer and dementia using human specimens and research on
prediction model of prognosis on personalized precision surgery,etc., on April in 2nd year of Reiwa, the ﬁeld of bioresource
research and development was founded.
The ﬁeld of bioresource research and development will promote
the utilization of bioresources, proceed joint research inside andoutside the hospital, help create ‘Real-World Evidence’ in ICCRC.
We aim to make a signiﬁcant contribution for Kobe University toplay a leading role in Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster.

Food and Drug Evaluation Science

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Hiroshi Matsuoka, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Artiﬁcial Intelligence andDigital Health
Sciences

History

History

Bioresource ResearchandDevelopment

Research Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health ScienceResearch Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health Science

Pathology for Regional
Communication＜Endowed Chair＞

Creative Health
Promotion

History

History

Legal Medicine

Research Fields Social/Community Medicine and Health Science＜Endowed Chair＞

Organizational
Chart

OrganizationalChart✉ : uenoya@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

The Division of Pathology for Regional Communication wasestablished in the Department of Social/Community Medicine
and Health Sciences, the Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe
University on April 1st, 2013 as an endowed chair by Hyogo
Prefecture. The installation was purposed to promote theresearch on regional communication in pathology, to familiarize
those research results to the society, and to contribute ourservices to the improvement in pathological diagnoses of Hyogo
prefectural hospitals.

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The Division of Legal Medicine executes the research and education on human death. We mainly investigate into forensic pathology and forensic toxicology related to various causes of death(COD). Precisely, we are involved in the instrumental analyses ona variety of toxic agents or alcohols, the application of thosemethods to the COD diagnoses, and the pathological research on
cardiac sudden death and death in abnormal environment, withimmunohistological staining and laboratory markers, etc.
Previously, we had successful results in the discovery of pathological indicator of death from cold and the establishment of rapid
analytical method for mushroom toxins and agricultural chemicals sampled from human body, etc. We also submit actively thecase reports of death from various causes, collecting the knowledge on human death.
Forensic autopsy cannot be separated from education andresearch in legal medicine. Forensic doctors and technicians are
specially trained with accumulating knowledge and experiencesin forensic autopsy, and improve themselves in autopsy skills andevaluation ability. Those beneﬁts will improve the education andresearch in legal medicine. Furthermore, we are entrusted withexecuting forensic autopsy in unnatural death cases in Hyogo
Prefecture. Developing our evaluation ability in forensic autopsy,
we contribute to the society by clarifying COD in the spirit of“Quest for truth, based on the facts substantiated”.

2．Fostering of surgical pathologists in Hyogo Prefecture
The number of surgical pathologists is insuﬃcient in this country
including Hyogo Prefecture. The Department of Diagnostic
Pathology of the Hyogo Cancer Center, where our research teambelongs, widely accept faculty students and residents on theirpractical trainings. We further provide educational opportunitiesof pathological diagnoses to younger pathologists, mainly inboth departments of the Hyogo Cancer Center and the University
Hospital.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

3．Consultation service on pathological diagnoses in Hyogo
Prefecture
In the Division of Pathology for Regional Communication, wedeliver a consultation service on pathological diagnoses, mainly
regarding bone and soft tissue tumor and brain tumor, to thepathological divisions of many hospitals in Hyogo Prefecture. We
devote every eﬀort to the accurate and appropriate cares forthese rare cancers being conducted.

✉ : tamori@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
The 100-year-life is realizing and the boundary between ‘disease’and ‘aging’ is becoming unclear. In this milieu, we aim to extend
the healthy life expectancy of citizens by creating a new medical
ﬁeld in the traditional medical care and to make the strategies forthe new treatment so that more citizens can enjoy healthy lives.
Diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, which are typicallifestyle-related diseases, are closely associated with heart diseaseand cerebrovascular disorder, which are the leading causes ofdeath in Japanese. Obesity is very important as a basis for thedevelopment of these lifestyle-related diseases. One in threemales and one in ﬁve females are obese in adult Japanese. Obesity is also associated with a wide range of diseases including
cancer, dementia, and infectious diseases. However, if appropriate measures are taken, many lifestyle-related diseases such as
obesity can be suppressed. Furthermore, in recent years, sarcopenia characterized by the decrease of muscle with aging, andfrailty, the pathological condition in which physical and mental
function decline, leading to a state requiring nursing care havebeen attracted the attention as important factors that shorten
healthy life expectancy.
Based on this situation, Kobe City is promoting the “HealthCreation City KOBE”, a town development project that enables
everyone to become healthy. We participate in the joint development and operation of the citizen's Personal Health Record
system "MY CONDITION KOBE" with Kobe City. In addition, weplan to improve the consultation rate for speciﬁc health checkups
as well as speciﬁc health guidance and support the Kobe City
Data Health Plan which eﬀectively prevents the aggravation oflifestyle-related diseases. In collaboration with Kobe City, we
grasp the current situation of sarcopenia and frailty in Kobe anddevise the eﬀective interventional methods to these situations.
We are actively developing various projects and research studies.
From an academic perspective, we take a new approach topreventive medicine, which should be one of the two wheels
along with therapeutic medicine.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

As for education, our division holds the chair of Legal Medicine in
the programs of basic medicine. According to the system ofinquests into the COD in Japan, and due to the insuﬃciency innumber of expertise physician in legal medicine, postmortem
examinations of deaths without any suspicious point are carried
by general clinicians. The validation about suspiciousness in legal
medicine is then to be delivered. Therefore, clinicians are required
to possess adequate knowledge of legal medicine. Our laboratory
thus provides education in legal medicine to the students, aiming
at their acquisition of essential knowledge needed at postmortem examination of dead body.

1．Pathological diagnoses in Hyogo Prefecture(1) Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Hyogo Cancer Center:
Inside the Hyogo Cancer Center, the research institute of pathology for regional communication was established. It succeeded
partially the responsible work of the Department of Diagnostic
Pathology of the Center, and drives business improvements.
(2) Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kobe University Hospital:
Our laboratory members review the pathology of brain tumor
and bone and soft tissue tumor together with pathologists of the
Hospital, and improve diagnostic accuracy.

Yoshikazu Tamori, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

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Tomoo Itoh, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsYasuhiro Ueno, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation
Kobe University
Graduate School of Medicine/School of Medicine Logo

23

24

Research Fields Internal Medicine

Gastroenterology

Respiratory Medicine

History

History

Cardiovascular Medicine

Research Fields Internal Medicine

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Cardiovascular Medicine
The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine devotes to introduce leading-edge diagnoses and therapies for cardiovascular diseases. Concurrently, we strive for research, education, and clinical practice, aiming to unravel the causes of diseases and to develop novel diagnoses/therapies.

In clinical service, we implement leading-edge therapies with catheterization for ischemic heart disease or cardiovascular interventions/devices for severe cardiac failure, valvular heart disease, structural heart disease, adult congenital heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension, etc.
We try never to refuse any emergency outpatients with cardiac diseases to oﬀer our care.
In education, we emphasize on fostering qualiﬁed clinician scientists through researches, and encourage them to study abroad, which brings
chances of practice/research in topnotch environment. Many physicians actually pursue their esoteric themes there. We bring deep passion
to educate the youth: faculty/graduate students and residents. Especially for younger physicians, we instruct suﬃcient humanity to think on
the patient’s behalf. We thus deliver not only advanced therapies, but also preventive medicine and general medicine. All constitutors of ourlab including younger clinicians have their own dreams, achieve every targets, and develop themselves continuously toward their ambitions.

Arrhythmia<Endowed Chairs>✉ : nishiy@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
The Division of Respiratory Medicine is devoted to thewide-ranged clinical practices and investigations into various
respiratory diseases. We mainly target bronchial asthma, andrecently focus on ras and it’s eﬀector protein, phospholipase Cε.
Moreover, we analyze the allergen of occupational asthma andthe eﬀect of suspended particular matter to asthma patients.
Based on these study results, we are developing the novel
treatment method for respiratory tract inﬂammation. As forclinical studies, we analyze biological data such as cough andnighttime oxygen saturation, and develop diagnostic aids.
In recent years, the number of persons with lung cancer has been
increasing, and it has become one of major causes of death inJapan. To this end, we have launched the basic research on lungcancer in molecular and biological approach. In clinical research,
we participate in multicenter collaborative studies to develop thetreatment procedures in the area of clinical oncology for lungcarcinoma.

Performances in 2019:
Number of Outpatient: 29,960, Inpatient (admission): 1,260
Number of Inspections: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: 7902,
Colonoscopy: 2,828, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: 722, Endoscopic ultrasonography including Endoscopic ultrasound-ﬁne needle aspiration: 1,002, Abdominal ultrasonography: 4,955, Liver biopsy 111, Liver tumor biopsy 64
Number of major treatments: Endoscopic submucosal dissection：407、Endoscopic mucosal resection:786, Radiofrequency
ablation: 24, Chemotherapy (esophageal cancer , stomach cancer,
colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer): 55

The Department of Respiratory Medicine (of the University Hospital) is contributing medical cares for numerous diseases in theﬁeld of respiratory medicine. In particular, we coordinate theconferences on lung cancer therapy in collaborated with the
Department of Thoracic Surgery, the Department of Radiology,
the Department of Radiation Oncology, and the Department of
Diagnostic Pathology. We there make eﬀorts on constructing the
optimum system for providing medical services. Further, we
dedicate to widely oﬀer the advanced clinical services for thepatients with bronchial asthma, respiratory tract diseases such as
COPD, diﬀuse pulmonary
diseases such as interstitial
pneumonia, sleep apnea
syndrome, and respiratory
infections, etc.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

The said chair puts emphasis on fostering graduate students as the chair belongs to the Graduate School of Medicine, in cooperated with theSection of Cardiovascular Medicine. To spread out highly advanced arrhythmia treatment, fostering fresh human resource is requisite. We instruct following items for cultivating their wider knowledge and advanced skills:(1) Improvement of diagnostic ability for arrhythmia(2) Acquisition of device-implanting skills and its management ability(3) Deep comprehension in electro physiologic assay and acquisition ofcatheter ablation skills✉ : gastro@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
The Division of Gastroenterology, as the Department of the
University Hospital, devote to oﬀering medical care, research, andeducation for various gastrointestinal diseases.
Providing high quality medical care is important for all clinicians.
Our good Teamwork among medical staﬀ enables the supply of
individualized medical care for each patient.
We have world-class advanced technology of endoscopic
diagnostic and therapeutic technology. We should diﬀuse
advanced technologies overseas
To solve the problems in the current medical technology, we
have been tackling medical research. Our focus is to investigate
the pathophysiology of intractable diseases in gastroenterology,
including digestive organ cancers, inﬂammatory bowel diseases,
and fatty liver diseases.
Education is a critical element. Our division will promote frontier
medical sciences and bring up excellent physician-scientists who
can lead the worldwide activities in the ﬁeld of gastroenterology.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

We conduct clinical studies on cutting-edge arrhythmia treatments as neededwith our graduate students. For elucidating the mechanism of arrhythmia, we
ﬁrst unravel the onset mechanism in atrial ﬁbrillation. We try to improveourselves with applying catheter ablation, and also advance in clinicalresearch on the deﬁbrillating mechanism of ventricular ﬁbrillation, contributing to the development of arrhythmia therapy.

25

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

The Section of Arrhythmia was founded in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, the Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University, forthe purpose of establishing the base site in fostering arrhythmia-speciﬁed clinicians and other healthcare professionals, and in providing
medical cares for arrhythmia. The said chair functions as a development center to introduce highly advanced arrhythmia therapies into clinicalsites rapidly and widely. We foster arrhythmia-speciﬁed clinicians expertized in catheter ablation and implantations of cardioverter-deﬁbrillator or pacemaker, and their supporting healthcare professionals. Our works are growing steadily. The numbers of catheter ablation and cardiovascular device implantation carried have been dramatically increasing since the said chair was established. Our laboratory has become oneof leading facilities for arrhythmia treatment in our nation, not simply under Hyogo Prefecture.

Yoshihiro Nishimura, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

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In basic research, we carry out ingenious investigations into the causes of atherosclerosis, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and dyslipidemia, and into the developments of novel diagnoses/therapies. In clinical research, we explore the researches on diagnostic imaging forcoronary artery diseases; cardiomyopathy, valvular heart diseases, and cardiac functions, using echocardiography; the onset/oﬀset machineries in atrial ﬁbrillation; severe ventricular arrhythmia; cardiovascular diagnostic imaging (cardiac CT/MRI/radio isotope); the discovery ofbiomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. We also target across all cardiovascular diseases including pulmonary hypertension and cardiac
rehabilitation. We present our research results in domestic/international conferences and publish our data in international journals.

Yuzo Kodama, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsKen-ichi Hirata, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

26

Research Fields Internal Medicine

General Internal
Medicine

Neurology

History

History

Diabetes and Endocrinology and General Internal
Medicine

Research Fields Internal Medicine

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Diabetes and Endocrinology

In the ﬁeld of endocrinology, investigations such as pathoetiology, pathological analysis, and drug discovery for hypothalamic and pituitary diseases
are conducted as our major research themes, with applying the case-oriented and disease-oriented approaches. We are aiming to reward for patientsby applying these results. We are currently involved in the themes: elucidation of the cause and pathology of pituitary tumor and its drug discovery,
elucidation of the pathology in pituitary autoimmunity and proposal for anovel clinical entity, elucidations of pathogenesis and pathology in hypopituitarism, and the identiﬁcation and functional analyses of novel hormones.
Concerning medical education, we oﬀer the wide-ranged instructions on“common endocrine diseases” such as thyroid diseases, osteoporosis,
secondary hypertension, or adrenal tumor, and also, on comparatively rare
conditions such as pituitary diseases or gonadal disorders. All will be practical for daily clinical practice, considering the signiﬁcance and concept of
endocrine system, which are necessary for understanding systemic homeostasis.

In the education, we are committed to develop young generations by promoting ICT-based training and online seminars on
top of hands-on trainings for medical students and neurology
residents including those in aﬃliated hospitals.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

27

In the research, we target several neurological ﬁelds with aim torealize “the Cure of Neurological Disorders” as follows:
1) Epilepsy/Brain Physiology: Elucidating pathophysiology of
epilepsy and underlying physiology of brain functions byapplying systems neuroscience, unraveling pathophysiologyof elderly-onset epilepsy in an interdisciplinary manner, anddeveloping wearable EEG devices2) Neuroimmunology: Elucidating control mechanisms of thesystemic immune response in neuroinﬂammation and neurodegenerative processes for development of new therapeutic
agents tailored to pathological conditions3) Dementia: Promoting early diagnosis and treatment of dementia in collaboration with the Dementia Kobe Model: initiatives
to promote a dementia friendly community in Kobe city4) Neuromuscular diseases: Developing new technologies anddevices for electrodiagnosis
5) Parkinson's disease and related disorders: Elucidating molecular genetics/pathology of sporadic/hereditary neurodegenerative diseases and performing neuroimaging studies

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Disruption of metabolic homeostasis caused by obesity and overnutrition leads to various metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes andnon-alcoholic fatty liver disease. There is a great social need for the development of new therapeutic agents for these diseases.
This section was established in July 2019 as a joint research course with NIPPON Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd. and as a section of Division of
Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine. Our purpose is to advance translational research that leads to drug discovery
under an industry-academia collaborative system, based on the research ﬁndings related to metabolic regulation, including molecular mechanism of insulin action and pathology of obesity, which have been conducted by Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Higher education to promote the acquisition of advanced knowledge and skills for people who are active as professionals in society is calledrecurrent education, and is considered to be one of the activities that the university should actively promote in the future. In addition to theconventional framework of human resource exchange, where researchers belonging to companies and universities interact with each other,
we are also actively promoting recurrent education. We aim to develop human resources who can play an important role in a wide range ofﬁelds, including not only researchers who can play an active role in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, but also coordinator positions
that can contribute to the construction of industry-academia
cooperation systems and the promotion of open innovation.
From ﬁscal 2020, we have been conducting graduate school
education with complying a person who was in non-research
position in a pharmaceutical company as a graduate student.

In addition to consultations from sections both inside and outside
Kobe University Hospital, the General Internal Medicine sections
have also become involved in emergency medical care by constituting an emergency center with the emergency department.
Based on the belief that "providing good medical care is good
medical education", we are also making eﬀorts to educate thenext generation of medical staﬀ, including medical students,
residents, and senior residents in the actual medical ﬁeld. Since
we treat a wide variety of diseases, we are engaged in cross-sectional disorder clinical research such as thrombosis, nutritional
intervention, and blood glucose ﬂuctuations and their control.
In the aspect of basic research, we are engaged in the elucidationof the pathogenic mechanism of type 1 diabetes mellitus, which
is an organ-speciﬁc autoimmune disease, to develop the immunotherapy for preventing an onset or as a treatment. Our laboratory also participates in the nationwide research survey on
Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, which is projected by the Japan Diabetes Society and the National Center for
Global Health and Medicine. Furthermore, revealing the relationship between dementia and lifestyle-related diseases, we
research the age-related transition in body composition andchronic inﬂammation.

✉ : neuro@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Our department specializes in treating a variety of neurologicaldiseases. It covers not only rare and intractable neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateralsclerosis, but also common diseases such as stroke, dementia,
and epilepsy, which are increasing in a super-aged society. We
carry out a wide range of medical care, research, and education,from the disease of the brain, spinal cord to peripheral nerve andmuscle diseases. In the 21st century, so called "the century of thebrain," the causes of several degenerative diseases are being
elucidated. Novel treatments for some intractable diseases havebegun. In the clinical ﬁeld, as a main university hospital in Hyogo
prefecture, we aim to build a world-class medical treatment for
dementia, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorder, whileproviding patient-ﬁrst, safe and secure advanced medical care by
all the expertise of every staﬀ in collaboration with other related
departments.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Division of Development of Advanced Therapy for Metabolic Disease✉ : kzhkskgc@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Riki Matsumoto, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

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The Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology is engaged in the research and education on diabetes mellitus and endocrine diseases. In the areaof diabetes mellitus, aiming to develop the improved therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus, we have devoted our studies on the molecularmechanisms of insulin resistance and beta-cell dysfunction. We also expect to develop some approaches to the novel treatment proceduresfor obesity or obesity-related diseases through the research on functions of adipocytes and the research on energy metabolic regulation. As
for our clinical research, we devote our eﬀorts to the in-depth understanding the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus with the use ofa variety of techniques including glucose clamp or MR spectroscopy, and to the research on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion andcontinuous glucose monitoring, based on the wealth of experience of our country’s top-level clinicians.

Kazuhiko Sakaguchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor（Wataru Ogawa, M.D., Ph.D. Professor）

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsWataru Ogawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

28

Research Fields Internal Medicine

Research Fields Internal Medicine

Medical Oncology /Hematology

History

History

Nephrology

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Nephrology

Hironobu Minami, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : naikajin@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
The Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology is engaged in both basic and clinical researches on rheumatic diseases.

Clinical Research on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
We devote to improve clinical outcome of refractory hematological diseases by clinical research on hematopoietic stem celltransplantation as well as basic research on hematopoietic stem
cells
Back Translational Research
Our division engaged in basic research to elucidate pathologicalmechanism and improve the eﬃcacy of drugs already launchedin clinical applications. Through these back translational research,questions emerged out clinical practice and studies can be solvedin laboratory.
Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Anticancer
Drugs
As one of the most exquisite laboratories of pharmacokinetic
research on anti-cancer drugs in Japan, we actively conductclinical pharmacology research including pharmacokinetics andpharmacodynamics

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

29

Developmental Therapeutics of Immuno-Oncology
Immune check-point inhibitors, another main stream of developmental therapeutics in oncology, may yield cures of advanced
malignancies, but only in some patients. We perform translational
research to identify biomarkers for eﬃcacy or toxicity in multidirectional approach, including kinetics of immune cells, microbiome, HLA, and clinical pharmacology.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

At the University Hospital, we devote our services as an expertise in the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology. In clinical research, we
perform the retrospective studies of our patients, and present the results inpublic. We have reported the issues on lupus nephritis, giant cell arthritis,
glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, myositis, Behcet’s disease, and IgG4-related diseases in academic journals and conferences. Based on these retrospective studies, we now consider about executing prospective studies hereafter.
We have just launched our cohort study of the patients with rheumatoid
arthritis in 2014. We will accumulate the cases and cooperate with othermedical institutions to promote clinical researches.

Tumor Agnostic Developmental Therapeutics of Molecularly
Targeted Drugs
Molecular target drugs are the main stream of developmental
therapeutics in oncology, and they are eﬀective irrespective oftumor types harboring the same driver genes. Taking advantage
of our clinical practice in all sort of cancer types, we are executing
early-stage clinical studies including ﬁrst-in-human studies aswell as conﬁrmatory late-stage trials in patients with solid cancers
or hematological malignancies. We also conduct clinical research
on anticancer drugs already available for clinical practice in order
to augment eﬃcacy and diminish toxicities.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

In our basic research, we mainly investigate into the pathological analyses of rheumatic diseases, aiming to develop new treatment methods
and discover novel markers. We analyze pathological ﬁndings in animal models or the patient specimen from the immunological perspective.
We currently carry forward the following projects:
1. Research on immune cell dynamics in arthritis-model mice
2. Research on novel treatment method with arthritis-model mice or ﬁbrosis-model mice
3. Research on metabolism in immune cells in patients with rheumatic diseases through metabolome analyses
4. Research on cytokines and alarmins in inﬂammatory conditions

We are a very unique laboratory who contributes to both of basic
and clinical researches on various solid cancers and hematologic
malignancies, in close conjunction with the Department ofMedical Oncology / Hematology in Kobe University Hospital,
where many professionals expertized in the methodologies ofclinical trials assemble. Medical research delivers its signiﬁcanceonly by application to clinic, and the fruit obtained in basic
research must be evaluated appropriately in clinical trials before
being launched in daily clinics. We are devoted to clinical andbasic research to solve clinical questions out of our clinical sites
where we provide drug therapies for any sort of cancers, whether
hematological or solid.

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The Section of Nephrology practices the treatments of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and complications of chronic dialysis as our major clinical,
education, and research targets.
As our clinical work, we are responsible for the treatments of glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, congenital and autoimmune diseases,
and complications of CKD. Additionally we are charged with dialysis treatments and the support of kidney transplantation in blood puriﬁcation center.
Our department conducts clinical and basic researches in parallel. As clinical researches, we have performed the intervention with phosphateabsorption agents and angiotensin receptor blockers for cardiovascular diseases in CKD patients. From the biochemical analysis, we elucidated that the eﬃcacy of these agents were the rolls of inhibitors of increased oxidant stress in CKD condition. For the patients with Fabry diseases, we have continued the enzyme replacement treatments (EMT). In the clinical course, we reported the protective eﬀects for the progressionof cardio-renal syndrome by EMT in the patients with Fabry disease.
In the basic researches, we aim to clarify the mechanism of progression of cardiovascular diseases in CKD patients. With animal models
presenting CKD condition, we found a tight relationship between oxidant stress acceleration and the disorders of renin-aldosterone system,
vitamin D metabolism, and bone remodeling hormone metabolism in CKD models. Recently we are going to investigate the eﬃcacy ofChinese herb as an inhibitor of CKD progression. Until now we have reported that Astragalus, one of Chinese herb elements, inhibited thedecline of renal function through the suppress of increased oxidant stress.
Concerning the education, we make our motto, an empathetic education. According to our motto, we actively educate medical students,
residents, and postgraduate students in the enjoyable environment.

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsShinichi Nishi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Kobe University Hospital

Logo

30

Research Fields Internal Related

Research Fields Internal Related✉ : deprad@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Pediatrics
Pediatrics

The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology is mainly engaged in the research on diagnostic imaging and interventional
radiology (IVR).

Masatoshi
Hori ,
M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

KandaiNodu,
M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

In Japan, neonatal mortality has
decreased due to advances in perinatalcare, but high-risk deliveries haveincreased with late marriage and advances in reproductive medicine, and cerebral
palsy (CP) and intellectual disability (ID)have increased. In addition, the numberof developmental disorders, such as
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) andattention deﬁcit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) have increased remarkably
among children without the perinatal
risk. Developmental issue is the mostcommon pediatric practice today. The
mission of this division is to conduct
systematic research on developmental disorders and to develop
diagnostics and treatments based on scientiﬁc evidence.

HiroakiNagase,M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Pediatric Acute Diseases
The majority of pediatric care is forchildren with acute illness. The missionof this ﬁeld is to apply the latest knowledge and research technology to daily
pediatric medical care and promoteadvanced education, research andmedical care on pediatric acute illness.
Also, we aim to return the results toregional medical care and disseminating new knowledge nationwide and tocontribute to the promotion of pediatric emergency medical care nationwide. The Kobe Children's Acute Illness
Center, which was established in 2010,
has a research institute for the Department of Child Acute Illness. We are conducting clinical and basic
research on acute illness in children by fusing the clinical practiceand know-how of research and advanced medical care at Kobe
University.

Developmental
Pediatrics＜Endowed Chair＞

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

This joint research section wasestablished in 2020 with the aim of
conducting industry-academia collaborative research with Canon Medical
Systems Co., Ltd. to develop advanced
diagnostic imaging technology. The
performance of medical imaging has
improved remarkably in recent years,
and the amount of information, spatial
resolution, temporal resolution, andaccuracy of medical images have
improved signiﬁcantly. In particular,
ultra-high-resolution CT can collect ahuge amount of information at highspeed. In order to process suchinformation eﬃciently and utilize it in clinical medicine, radiology
and engineering (machine learning, artiﬁcial intelligence, image
engineering, information science, material science, etc.) should
be closely linked, and in cooperation with industry. Throughthese pursuits, we aim to improve diagnostic ability andtreatment results for various diseases, contribute to the development of medicine and public welfare, and promote industrial
development with new technologies.

General Pediatrics＜Endowed Chair＞

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Cooperative
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Network in Kobe

Radiology andBiomedical
Engineering

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsThis department established in July 2019 is a joint research department with GE healthcare for the purpose ofdeveloping human resources for advanced research and innovation creation. We aim to develop new diagnostic
imaging technology for tumors and cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading causes of death in Japan. In
addition to this, this department is open to human resources other than doctors and aims to collaborate on
research with people from various backgrounds.

Interventional Radiology (IVR) is arelatively new therapeutic ﬁeld whichplays a part of minimally invasive
therapy. We principally carry out basic
and clinical researches, mainly developing novel therapies for various
malignant tumors and exploring novel
endovascular repair methods for aortae
and peripheral vessels. Currently,
clinical researches regarding endovascular treatment for aortic aneurysm,
aortic dissection, and critical limb
ischemia are in progress. Simultaneously, our department conducts somebasic researches for endovasculartreatment including development of new endovascular devices
and eﬃcacy and safety of various new embolic materials. One ofour missions is to develop a new less invasive and safer treatmentusing basic technology eﬃciently transferred to clinical ﬁeld.

Division of Integrated Child Health
In April 2019, a new division for research on child abuse anddevelopmental disabilities was newly established. Child abusehas become one of the largest issue of children's health as various
diseases have been overcome. This division aimed early detectionof child abuse, development of eﬀective abuse prevention
programs, and systematic research on child abuse.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

31

The Division of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine is associated with many related facilities
notable for their abundance of case reports, such as Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s Hospital and other regionalcore hospitals. In a tight cooperation with these facilities, a qualiﬁed education and training programs can beoﬀered for medical students and residents. Since the Fiscal Year 25 of the Heisei, we welcome Hyogo Prefectural
Kobe Children’s Hospital as our cooperative graduate school, and more eﬃcient pediatricians have been accepted
into our graduate programs. We make eﬀorts, in such ways, to foster medical researchers who will bear ourcountry’s future in pediatric science.

Advanced Diagnostic Medical Imaging

Diagnostic andInterventional
Radiology

Koji
Sugimoto,
M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Kazumoto
Iijima,M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

As one of our recent topics, an investigator-initiated clinical trial of Rituximab treatment for childhood-onset
refractory nephrotic syndrome has achieved signiﬁcant result. The full study report has been published in The
Lancet, which has yielded a big reward that the application of Rituximab has increased and spread in the therapy
for refractory nephrotic syndrome. Beyond that, many other research and developments in novel therapies including another investigator-initiated clinical trial of molecular target therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy isattempted in progress. These studies are originally patient-oriented, developed from the clinical questions arisen
through numbers of our cares for the patients. Therefore, those results have the characteristics of directly leading toclarify pathogenesis and pathological conditions or to develop novel therapies for refractory diseases.

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Takamichi
Murakami,M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : pediat@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

The Division of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine is engaged in a variety of investigations into
child and newborn infant. Major targets of our laboratory are kidney diseases, newborn infant diseases, nervous andmuscular diseases, metabolic and endocrine diseases, hematological tumor, malformation syndromes, andinfectious diseases, etc. Then, a wide range of research activities, principally as investigation into the developmentof new therapy for refractory diseases or molecular genetic research unraveling etiology and pathology, areperformed. Our laboratory actively transmits those results not only inside Japan, but also towards all the world.

Diagnostic Radiology
Since we have mainly conducted clinical researches on diagnostic imaging, intimate cooperation with related
clinical divisions is vital. Our research teams are, therefore, subdivided into organ speciﬁc topics; such as neuro,
cardiovascular, thoracic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal imaging. Substantial number ofworld-leading state-of-art imaging scanners are installed in the department of Radiology, Kobe university hospital.
For example, we have four state-of-art dual-energy CT scanners in CT suit, including dual-source CT and area-detector CT, gemstone-detector CT while in MRI suit, we have three state-of-art 3.0-T scanners and two 1.5T-scanners.
Furthermore, in our 3D-laboratory, several types of workstations are installed and we can provide cutting-edge
image processing and three-dimensional imaging reconstruction, as well as 3D-printing. Accordingly, we conduct
the researches not only on morphological imaging, but also on world-leading diagnosis and therapy-assist
functional imaging with CT &/or MRI. In the RI suit, many cutting-edge unique systems are installed; such as
SSD-based cardiac-SPECT, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and PET/MRI system. We perform studies on diagnostic imaging, as
well as investigation for new drugs. In addition, as a cyclotron is installed in our hospital, we have planned to
conduct more clinical trials and reviews on new diagnostic agents.

History

History

Diagnostic Radiology

32

Research Fields Internal Related

Dearmatology

Psychiatry

Laboratory Medicine

History

History

Radiation Oncology

Research Fields Internal Related

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Chikako Nishigori, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Yoshihiro Nishimura, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Laboratory Medicine is applied to a variety of purposes including
multiphasic screening and epidemiological studies, as well as
clinical services from routine practice through advanced medical
treatment. The employed laboratory tests corresponding tochanging times and progress in medicine has been rapidly transformed. The role of our science is to analyze and integrate
examinations scientiﬁcally to follow their respective objectives,
and to further develop novel screening tests. Our research
activities are carried forward with these two perspectives in mind.

✉ : dermatol@med.kobe-u.ac.jp✉ : psychiat@med.kobe-u.ac.jp“Skin” is the largest organ in human body. The mission of ourDivision is to explore a variety of life phenomena around the“skin” and their disruptions resulting in skin diseases. “Dermatology” has grown up to be a mature interdisciplinary systemcovering molecular biology and genetics. Skin diseases are
expressed in a fairly expanded area, and in varied ways as induced
or modiﬁed forms: inﬂammatory diseases such as allergy, skinneoplasm, and skin diseases caused by environmental factors
including the sunlight.

The Division of Psychiatry is constituted of the specialized groups:
Molecular Psychiatry group, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
group, Geriatric Psychiatry group, General Clinical Researchgroup.

With capturing a correlation between clinical ﬁndings in front of
our eyes and histopathological diagnosis, we can pursue wellwhat molecules of the skin cells is targeted, and why those
symptoms have induced. It might be an attractive feature of ourscience that we can make diagnosis and select an appropriate
therapy through grasping these molecular pathogenesis basedon the skin manifestations and histological ﬁndings perceived byour own naked eyes. We actually provide 120 clinical services foroutpatients and 28 cares for inpatients per day. Therefore, for the
students, we can set a favorable environment for raising theirability high and full-spectrum in clinical skills through the wide
variety of case analyses.
Since research activities are absolutely pivotal in comprehending
pathogenesis, we currently investigate into skin malignant tumor,
skin allergy diseases and photobiology, etc. In particular, to view
all life phenomena from the molecular level, we proactively pushforward the collaborative studies with other divisions in basic
medicine of our University, which have ever achieved numerous
excellent results and traditionally well-known, especially forsignal transduction. Thus, we enhance our approach in molecularbiological view, and focus on developing therapies based on
pathologenesis.

To all energetic young doctors who aspire to be a “Physician
Scientist”, we are welcoming you! Why don’t you close on thesecrets of “Skin” together?

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Group studies diagnosis andtherapies for developmental disorder such as autism spectrum
disorder through the neuropsychological ﬁeld. Another signiﬁcant research area includes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
in children as many children developed the disorder after they
were exposed to the Hanshin Awaji great earthquake disasterthat devastated our community.
Geriatric Psychiatry Group mainly studies dementia, such as
Alzheimer’s disease. Many clinical trials for the development of
new therapeutics of dementia have been conducted in our
department. Recently we study dementia using the latest equipment such as Positron emission tomography (PET).
Clinical Research Group conducts research on the eﬀectiveness ofrehabilitation in acute phase of schizophrenia in accordance withclinical cases.
Clinical training of residents and medical students is emphasizedin our division. Special training programs of psychiatry arearranged to teach biological and psychological aspects of mental
disorders in an aim to oﬀer suitable medical cares for patients.

Our Division contributes to surveys conducted with the dataobtained in our ﬁeld, the Department of Clinical Laboratory at
Kobe University Hospital, as well as to basic research for developing novel screening tests. In our Hospital, a diverse range of
disease cases have accumulated, and patients come here seeking
consultations, and high-quality medical aid. The staﬀ of ourDivision pursue intense studies in close collaboration with theprofessionals of each clinical department for updated andoptimal screenings, provided in the Department of ClinicalLaboratory at our Hospital. Thus far, we have delivered signiﬁcantachievements through many collaborative studies with the
Departments of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Gastroenterology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Nephrology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, Medical Oncology/Hematology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic
Surgery, and Breast Surgery.
Recently, we are focusing on gene-related testing, and considerable achievements have been obtained in genetic diagnosis forcongenital thrombosis and in molecular diagnosis for hematopoietic tumors. On another front, the development of novel
screenings, we strive for pathological diagnosis with microRNAfor rheumatoid arthritis, a rapid test with mass spectrograph for
drug-resistant bacteria, metabolome pathological analysis forcollagen diseases, genetic diagnosis for myeloid muscularatrophy, and the discovery of molecular markers for malignant
melanoma. Our Division further advances the development of
tests, contributing to active investigations into drug discovery
with microRNA for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Our division also pushforward the basic research in collaboration with NIH to establish
newly developed therapy for autoimmune diseases and arteriosclerosis.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

In the ﬁeld of therapeutic research, we focus on the translational
research through the cross talk of basic research and clinicalscience: an translational research on skin malignant tumor including malignant melanoma is under investigation and as a “meccaof photo-medicine”, we strive for basic and clinical researches onphotobiology, expecting our activities feedback the beneﬁts tothe patients.

Molecular Psychiatry Group studies molecular pathophysiology
of mental disorders. Methodologies of molecular genetics areused for our research on schizophrenia or suicidal behavior.
Recently, stem cell technologies are also applied for our biological models of mental disorders.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

✉ : rsasaki@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
The Division Radiation Oncology expands original research ﬁelds,
especially translational researches integrating clinical radiation
oncology, medical physics, and basic radiation research.
Recently, radiation oncology has developed in its accuracy, andthe therapeutic methods have developed into less-invasive androbust. Two treatment technologies: Intensity ModulatedRadiotherapy (IMRT) and Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) aremain streams. Especially, our university has been known one of
the high-volume centers in Japan using both methods for headand neck malignancies. Next, we have developed a novel
treatment strategies using bioabsorbable spacer, called
space-making radiation therapy. With the bioabsorbable spacer,
curative treatment regimens could be possibly performed inpatients who are declared to be only palliative policy. Kobe
University has been recognized as a world leader of this strategy.
With IMRT, dose intensity can be adapted intricately according to
the shape of focal area. It is capable to decrease the dose level forthe neighboring organs of focal area to suppress adverse eﬀects,
and to increase the dose level for focal area. SRT is a radiotherapy
requiring a high dose radiation in a brief time with converging
beams in multi-angles. It is employed mainly for isolated or a few
lesions in lungs, liver, or brain. We have been developing
image-guided brachytherapy using magnetic resonanceimaging. And, we also develop therapies with using particle
therapies.
Our policy is to cure every curable disease with less invasive
methods, and we challenge to explore novel strategies against
uncurable diseases. To achieve them, multidisciplinary team must
be necessary, and all members should be one team against“cancer.”

Cooperative
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Cooperative
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Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Ichiro Sora, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsRyohei Sasaki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

33

34

Research Fields Internal Related

Metabolomics Research

Medical Infomatics

Palliative Medicine

History

History

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Evidence-based
Laboratory
Medicine（Sysmex）

Research Fields Internal Related<Endowed Chairs>

For the development of medicine, improvements in clinicalassessment are requisite. And today, in our society where theﬁnely precise and personalized medicine is also required, theestablishment of assessment method and the identiﬁcation of
biomarkers, through which the risks of diseases can be detected
rapidly and easily stratiﬁed, are the highlighted issues, fairly
needed not only for the disease control but also with the
viewpoint of medical economy.
Our laboratory strives for the discovery of novel biomarkers andthe development of clinical assessments with targeting cancers
and lifestyle-related diseases which account for the majority of
cause of death in Japan. Recently, we have discovered the novel
candidate marker for cardiac failure through the analysis of blood
metabolite proﬁle using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Then, to seek its diagnostic meaning, we are validating what
pathological conditions are reﬂected there, turning back frombedside to bench.

✉ : myoshida@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

In recent years, a great deal of information has been collected andstored in the form of digital information in the medical ﬁeld. This
information is expected to improve the quality, safety andeﬃciency of medical care, provide feedback to patients, improve
patient services, and contribute to clinical research and education.
However, the data handled in the medical ﬁeld varies widely interms of source, timing, and phenotype, and it is not always
possible to create a system that organically manages the data andenables its eﬃcient use. In addition, the use of electronic information in clinical research and regional medical cooperation mustbe further strengthened. It is also important to establish an
infrastructure to manage these information safely and to utilize itin times of disaster, while taking privacy into consideration. The
main theme of our department is to take a practical approach tothese problems through the development of various systems
with the medical information department of the hospital.
On the other hand, the revised Personal Information Protection
Law has strengthened the protection of personal information andexpanded the scope of protected information. The Act and theguidelines and guidelines created by the ministries and agencies,
the standards and certiﬁcation system that are useful for personal
information protection, and the concepts and techniques of
medical information handling and information security are
required. We are also working to develop human resources withan understanding of information systems and data protection
related to medicine and health.
In addition, we are also engaged in a wide range of research
integrating clinical medicine, experimental medicine, andcomputer science, including research on the accessibility of
medical information provision, molecular simulation, and theanalysis of Chinese medicine (acupuncture and moxibustion)cures using informatics/experimental medicine, in a group led by
Associate Professor Takaoka.

Division of Metabolomics Research was founded in April, 2010, forthe purpose of establishment of ‘Metabolomics’ technology,
which is to analyze a variety of metabolites comprehensively, andfurthermore application of ‘Metabolomics’ technology to humanresearch. Metabolomics, which is one of omics technology, is new‘-ome science’ positioned as one of the post-genomic sciences,and is considered as potent technology to elucidate the functionsof unknown genes and so on, and application of metabolomics tolife science, medical science and clinical practice is expected.
Omics is the technology to investigate the alterations in biological molecules for evaluation of life phenomenon totally, andgenomics, which is the comprehensive analysis of genes, andproteomics, which the comprehensive analysis of proteins, arewidely known as omics. Metabolomics targets the metabolomethat is entire metabolites existed in the body. By using metabolomics, we probably can understand the invisible and close life
phenomenon, and metabolomics must be applicable to investigation of the pathological conditions, the side eﬀects ofmedicines and so on.
In Division of Metabolomics Research, we work in research anddevelopment for practical application of metabolomics involved
in life science, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry andinformation science in collaboration with researchers of various
research ﬁelds such as faculty of agriculture, engineering,
nutrition, pharmaceutical sciences. We advance the metabolite
proﬁling evaluation and the high-resolution character analysis
by collecting and integrating the metabolome information infood, cell, experimental animal and human samples, and also stepup eﬀorts on the novel biomarker discovery study for ultra-early
disease diagnosis, toxicity prediction and therapeutic eﬀect
prediction and the other studies, leading to application of our
ﬁndings to the clinical practice.

Yoshiyuki Kizawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor（Hironobu Minami, M.D., Ph.D.Professor）
Palliative medicine is a multidisciplinary approach to specialized
medical care for people with serious illness. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress,and mental stress of a serious illness̶whatever the diagnosis. In
short, The speciality of palliative care is the "management ofsuﬀering" and "Death and Dying" for the patient and families who
faced life threatening illness/condition.
In Kobe university, the department of Palliative Medicine wasestablished in 2012. We provided palliative care mainly for cancer
patients and their families from the time of diagnosis, not only forin the terminal stage but also in any place and at any stage of
diseases depends on their suﬀering. In addition, not only incancer care, heart disease, is also actively involved in palliative
care of the respiratory disease, non-cancer diseases including
neuromuscular disease.
In the research, we do research activities for improving QOL ofpatients and their families such as; 1) Multi-center, large-scaleobservational study on symptom management in end-of-life
care, 2) study on the establishment of the provision system ofeﬀective palliative care, 3) research on Advance Care Capitalplanning, 4) study on the establishment of evaluation methods ofthe various distressing symptoms including pain, 5) study ofdecision-making in end-of-life care including withdraw/withhold
life sustaining treatment life sustaining treatment.
In the education of graduate school, we educate the student who
can contribute to cancer care in the community as a specialist in
palliative medicine. We required at least 2 years on the job
training for specialist palliative care including inpatient consultation of the university hospital, inpatient hospice palliative careunits and palliative home care clinics (more than 6 months
training is recommended in each setting).

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan
Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

In clinical practice regarding high-density lipoprotein (HDL), themeasurement of contained cholesterol is the only existing
eﬀective method to evaluate HDL. We are trying to develop novel
functional assessment with a perspective of lipoprotein particles.
Furthermore, we verify the clinical signiﬁcances on the existingassessment methods through collecting data from the prospective clinical trials and in clinical epidemiology. We explore thesuitable methods for use, with also concerning the medical
economic eﬀects, and the novel indexes which further clarify risks
by combining the existing method with others.

Eiichi Maeda, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Cooperative
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Cooperative
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The Division of Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine wasestablished in 2004, under the principle, ”Our mission is todevelop collaboratively the novel assessment method practicallyuseful and to elucidate scientiﬁcally the eﬀectiveness of assessment”.

Masaru Yoshida M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsRyuji Toh, M.D., Ph.D. Associate
Professor（Ken-ichi Hirata, M.D., Ph.D. Professor）

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

35

36

Research Fields Internal Related

iPS Cell Applications

History

History

Pharmaceutics

Research Fields Internal Related

Organizational
Chart

OrganizationalChart✉ : yakuken@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

The Division of iPS Cell Applications was established in April 2013.
“induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS)” signiﬁes a cell line generated
from somatic cells by introducing a small number of factors undera speciﬁc culture condition. It is considered that iPS cells could
become a powerful tool in many medical ﬁelds, such as drug
discovery, pathogenesis research, and regenerative medicine,etc. due to its capability in inﬁnite proliferation inside laboratory
and in diﬀerentiation into the various kinds of cells all for
constructing human body. Therefore, Kobe University opened
our “Division of iPS Cell Applications” as a base site for promoting
research and development in iPS cell-applied medicine.

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The Division of Pharmaceutics along with Department of Pharmacy in Kobe University Hospital deals with the research and education ﬁeld tightly linked to the pharmacist activities. Our mission isto provide education and to conduct researches for the appropriate use of medication. We render our programs not only to the
medical students, but also to the students of the Faculty of Health
Science and outside pharmacy school students.
We especially focus on the pharmacokinetic research. Pharmacokinetics is a science to elucidate drug behaviors from drug’s
entry into the body through its having eﬀect on. Pharmacokinetic
and pharmacodynamic information for the dosage adjustment in
the special population, such as pediatric or aged patients andpatients with liver or renal dysfunction, is limited. Therefore, we
conduct modeling and simulation approaches such as population pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic analysis using drugconcentrations and/or drug response data in the clinical settings,
in order to feedback scientiﬁc optimal dosage regimens to thesepatients.
We are also engaged in the research related to the mechanisms ofdevelopment of Parkinson's disease and establishment of a novel
therapeutic strategy, and the research related to the mechanismsof various adverse events induced by molecular targetinganti-cancer drugs and establishment of a mechanism-based
prophylactic strategy.

Our laboratory aims to truly utilize iPS cells for clinical medicine.
To accomplish this mission, we promote an approach for integral
development of two main pillars: “Improving infrastructure in
research and development” and “Fostering human resources”.
Our laboratory has conducted many collaborative researcheswith other clinical divisions, aiming at another comprehension for
novel disease mechanisms and the drug discovery based on thisunderstanding. They are executed and controlled under twoteaching staﬀs expertized with numerous experiences in iPS cells
research. The graduate students from various divisions as well as
postdocs pursue those researches with acquiring the methodology themselves in parallel.
We have been targeting the diseases in various organs such asdigestive organs, respiratory organs, nerve, skin and male andfemale reproductive systems and so on.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

We hope that the development of our researches results in the
optimization and individualization of medication use.

Cooperative
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Takashi Aoi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsIkuko Yano, Ph.D.
Professor

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures. And, we have been constructing wide-ranged technologicalinfrastructures, corresponded to the research needs emerged invarious clinical ﬁelds. Furthermore, we expand the investigations
linked to the innovative development in cancer therapy focusing
on cancer stem cells by utilizing artiﬁcially induced cancer stem
cell-like cells, patient-derived cancer cells and organoids derived
from the both types of cells.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

37

38

Research Fields Surgery

Research Fields Surgery

Hepato-BiliaryPancreatic
Surgery

Breast and Endocrine
Surgery

Cardiovascular Surgery

History

History

Gastrointestinal Surgery

Organizational
Chart

OrganizationalChart✉ : ichige@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

After the restructuring of department of Surgery, the division of
Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery was established in 2007. Our
division performs more than 400 surgical operations per year
including organ transplantations, surgical resections forhepato-biliary-pancreatic cancers and original treatments foradvanced cancer using unique techniques.

The Division of Gastro-intestinal Surgery conducts clinical andbasic researches on overall gastrointestinal tracts mainly inesophagus, stomach, and the large intestine.

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Since 2005, we have treated approx. 500 cases of esophagus
carcinoma, approx. 800 of gastric carcinoma, and approx. 1100 ofcolorectal carcinoma. From these accumulated huge data, we
extract new clinical questions and work to solve them.
We actively introduce laparoscopic minimum invasive surgery
and robot-assisted surgery, and are working on verifying theirutilities. To extend the possibility of our leading-edge therapies,
we are developing new image analyzing technology and surgery
supporting system by using Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS).
As for multimodal therapy, we closely collaborate with the
Department of Radiology and the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, and aggressively innovate chemoradiotherapy for rectal carcinoma and preoperative chemotherapy for
gastric carcinoma. We are verifying the results and investigating
to develop a more eﬀective treatment. We also participate inmany nationwide research groups and multicenter collaborations.

As for education for the students and residents, we oﬀer anenvironment where they can study intriguingly, designing the
integrated programs from systematic lecture, bedside observation through actual practice. We aim to foster them to be “individuals who autonomously learn and mature.”

Our research themes:
Basic research1) Spinal cord ischemia with a mouse model of spinal cordischemia-reperfusion injury2) Onset mechanism of aortic dissection using a mouse model ofaortic dissection3) In vivo hydrodynamic analysis of aortic root component andpulmonary artery conduit using simulation circuit
Clinical research
1) Morphological analysis of aortic root with 3D holographic
display2) Development of artiﬁcial intelligence diagnosis software ofaortic dissection3) Morphological analysis of aortic wall in aortic dissection withSPring-8 (Super Photon ring-8 GeV)
4) Multicenter clinical study on acute aortic dissection
5) Preoperative respiratory rehabilitation on cardiac and aortic
surgery40

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

39

3. Innovative medical equipment and technology
Our division have spent the past two decade developing innovative medical equipment and technologies in the ﬁeld of surgery,oncology, and transplantation. SMPT with surgical spacer
placement and particle therapy are developed to treat primarily
intractable malignant tumor in abdominal and pelvic cavities.
PIHP are developed for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Until now, more than 400 patients with refractory cancers weretreated by either SMPT or PIHP. In addition, our division develops
many surgical instruments and technologies such as absorbablemagnesium ally clip for operation, absorbable spacer for SMPT
and real-time biliary navigation technique to contribute to safer
and higher quality of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery.

The history of cardiovascular surgery goes back only about 60
years. The passion and eﬀort of our predecessors’ earnest hopes
to cure the sick patients have continued over half a century, andthey have brought us stable surgical outcomes in the present day.
Their aspirations at that time was the same level of passion as thatof the pioneers who had dreamt of landing rockets on the moon.
Cardiac surgery, which entailed many risks in the past, has
improved greatly through support from a variety of developments in the ﬁeld of technology. The establishment of cardiopulmonary bypass, the development of cardioplegia which can stop
the heart safely, improvements of organ safety including cerebral
protection, the establishment of heart transplantation, thedevelopment of a more reﬁned mechanical heart, and theestablishment of the safety method of cardiac surgery for premature infants, the introduction of minimally invasive surgery suchas endovascular stent graft repair … these technical advances are
all remarkable.
Our Division of Cardiovascular Surgery is devoted to not only theclinical research but also the basic research to achieve the further
improvement of our current outcomes. The basic research as wellas the clinical research should be reﬂected reﬂected in practicalclinical results and should be contributed to society. We aim toelucidate unclear pathologies in clinical sites and to develop
cutting-edge medical technologies such as medical engineering,tissue-engineering, and organ/tissue transplantation. We hope to
improve our surgical outcomes, and that this will lead to higher
QOL for patients in the long-term.
To this end, to achieve this goal, the passion is vital in young
people. We welcome as many young people as possible who areinterested in our division.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

We work with other departments of surgery, coordinating“hands-on seminars” and workshops to train basic surgical skills.
Through seminars, participants’ questions and levels in proﬁciency are clariﬁed and linked to create more sophisticated programs.
We also welcome overseas students, which gives signiﬁcantchances for laboratory members and residents to cultivate theirglobal senses.

2. Transplantation
We have performed 91 living donor and 22 deceased donor livertransplantations, and 12 deceased donor pancreas transplantations until April 2020, with excellent postoperative clinical course.
In addition, our basic research on islet transplantation in mousemodel facilitates advances in the outcome in human islet
transplantation with type 1 diabetes.

In 2017, Dr. Tanino was appointed as a Associate Professor, andsince August 2018 he has been serving as Vice President of theInternational Clinical Cancer Research Center (ICCRC) and Professor. From 2017, the number of faculties of our department are 2,
it is not changed. The number of members of our department has
increased from one graduate student and zero doctors to two
graduate students and four doctors, and the number of members
at the Kobe University Breast Surgery has increased from 23 to 40.
Breast surgery is mainly performed in ICCRC, and Dr. Baba is incharge. At a main hospital of Kobe University, Dr. Kunihisa is incharge of surgery for patients with complications and drug
therapy of breast cancer, as the head of the department. Dr. Miki
specializes in teaching medical students, international students,
residents, and specialists. In 2017, there were 78 cases of primarybreast cancer surgery, but in the half year until June 2020, there
were XX cases.
We are doing collaborating research of the early diagnosis ofbreast cancer using microwave mammography and tears(TearExo), and the development of radiosensitizer. Centered on
research on triple-negative breast cancer, we are conducting
multicenter clinical trials, and have started joint research on new
drug development with companies. Since April 2020, Dr.
Inubushi, PhD has been in charge of research, supervising graduate school.
In our department, each division is responsible for excellent
breast cancer treatment, early detection and development of
new treatments, and training of the next generation of medical
personnel, and we are working together to form an organizational structure that enhances the collective power. Not only from thelatter term training, but also from doctors who have studied inother hospitals and departments, we aim to unite and provide
excellent medical care.

Kenji Okada, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

In basic research, we deal with gastro intestinal surgery andrelated areas: Researches with iPS cells, Development of tumor
immunotherapy, and Induction of cancer stem cells, with varied
approaches, in our own accord or with other basic researchdivisions.

1. Kobe treatment strategy for hepato-biliary-pancreatic diseases
We have oﬀered highly sophisticated and original surgical care, inthe hepato-biliary-pancreatic diseases. We have proposed
innovative strategies for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in
combination with currently existing and our original modalities,
such as percutaneous isolated hepatic perfusion (PIHP) andSpace-making particle therapy (SMPT). We also introduce laparoscopic surgeries proactively in hepato-biliary-pancreatic ﬁeld,
including complex hepatectomies and pancreatectomies. For
pancreatic cancer, we perform highly diﬃcult and radical operation such as vascular resection to get curability. We also pursue
resectability by conversion surgery with particle radiotherapy andstrong chemotherapy. Many clinical trials are ongoing toestablish future standard in the ﬁeld of hepato-biliary-pancreaticsurgery. For biliary cancer, developing new drug and new
protocol of adjuvant chemotherapy from Kobe is performed tobetter clinical outcome.

Hirokazu Tanino, M.D., Ph.D.
Project Professor（Takumi Fukumoto, M.D., Ph.D.Professor）

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Takumi Fukumoto, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsYoshihiro Kakeji, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Research Fields Surgery

Pediatric Surgery

International Clinical Cancer Research and Promotion
International
Medical cooperation
and Promotion✉ : junbi@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
This division was newly opened at April, 2017. The divisionconsists of 4 sections (International Clinical Cancer Researchand Promotion Section, Development and Application ofAdvanced Medical Technology Section, Advanced Cancer
Research and Treatment Section, and International Medical
Cooperation and Promotion Section). The main mission of thedivision is to develop the advanced surgical technology, including new laparoscopic surgical procedures or robotic surgical
technology, and to promote research of new diagnostic markers
and innovative surgical treatment strategy for variable cancers.
These researches will be done at International Clinical Cancer
Research Center (ICCRC) at Port Island in Kobe city. We will also
do researches regarding practice of international medical
cooperation with KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC).
Kobe Future Medical Plan started at April, 2020.

Advanced Cancer
Research and Treatment

Hirokazu Tanino, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

The research currently underway is as follows;
1. Immune response study of surgical invasion in preterm mouse
peritonitis model
2. Studies on the eﬀects of synbiotics on lower respiratory tract
infections
3. Analysis of mechanism of esophageal atresia/stenosis inchildren and development of management
4. Gene analysis of intestinal peristalsis disease in children
5. Elucidation of onset mechanism of congenital hepatobiliary
disease and development of treatment
6. Development of new diagnostic imaging and new treatment
method for pediatric airway stenosis
7. Development of a surgical education system using 8K images
8. Development of surgical training equipment

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan
Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Our division develops the research based on clinical insights.
Particularly, with aiming to solve the problems of lung cancer
therapy, we carry out studies with clinical data and samples. In
patients with early lung cancer, not a few relapse have been
observed after the complete resection. We expect to discovermolecular biological index which will sort the high-risk group of
relapse, and link it to the discovery of molecular target for postoperative adjunctive therapy to prevent relapse. Currently, we arefocusing on several neoplasm genes and proteins from theviewpoint of the formation of wetting and/or metastasis in earlycancer. An immediate feedback onto the clinical sites cannot be
expected, however, we willingly contribute our eﬀorts eventhough a little to the future of lung cancer therapy.

Raizo Yamaguchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Concerning clinical practice, number of surgeries under generalanesthesia is constantly increased. Especially, the degree ofincrease in cases with primary lung cancer is remarkable. Reﬂecting the acceleration of aging in the society, such increase will be
deﬁnitely broadened in the future. Also, our laboratory is
engaged in arthroscopic surgery for various respiratory diseases.
For instance, the proportion of the patients with primary lungcancer suitable for arthroscopic surgery for its complete resection
in all patients and conducting surgeries have been increasing up
to 90 %. It shows a rise of therapeutic use. In this way, we takeadvantage of the development and introduction of minimallyinvasive operation, which will decrease the burden on patients, toone of our pillars in clinical practice and research activities. As wellas improving minimally invasive operation, establishingmultimodal therapy for malignant diseases is also our big
mission. We are seeking best medicine for patients, based on
accurate pathological observations and with combining anticancer agents, radiotherapy, and surgery, through the conferenceson pulmonary medicine running over the years.

The Division of Pediatric Surgery was established in April 2007.
Since then, we contribute to providing pediatric surgical care,adopting widely varying viewpoints. Our Division aims to makeprogress in both basic/clinical research and clinical practice.
Clinically, we work together ﬁve hospitals certiﬁed by theJapanese Society of Pediatric Surgery and specialized training forpediatric surgery allows us to gain a great deal of clinical experience.
Regarding research, we study pediatric surgical diseases fromboth basic science and clinical medicine, and pursue research
themes through industry-academia/medical engineering collaboration and surgical education. We consider that it is important tonurture researchers who can pursue research, and haveestablished a research environment. We provide graduate school
students with opportunities to think on their own in a variety ofsituations, and provide guidance to improve their scientiﬁcthinking.

Tetsuo Ajiki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor（Director, International Clinical Cancer Research Center）

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsThe Division of Thoracic Surgery was established on December
1st, 2012 with the chair professor assigned, and started in aiming
at the progress both in basic/clinical research and clinicalpractice.

Yuko Bito, M.D., Ph. D.
Associate Professor（Takumi Fukumoto, M.D., Ph. D. Professor）

Organizational
Chart

Development andApplication of Advanced
Medical Technology＜Endowed Chair＞

Organizational
Chart

Yoshimasa Maniwa, M.D., Ph.D. FCCP
Professor

History

HistoryThoracic surgery

Research Fields Surgery

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

41

42

Research Fields Surgery

Neurosurgery

Ophthalmology＜Endowed Chair＞

Otolaryngology-Headand Neck
Surgery

History

History

Minimally Invasive
Surgery

Research Fields Surgery Related

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Makoto Nakamura, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : nouge@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
The Division of Neurosurgery is engaged widely in surgicaltherapy through to basic research in central nervous systemdiseases such as cerebrovascular disease, brain tumor, head
injury, functional disorder, and spine/spinal cord diseases.
In order to improve patient’s QOL, we try in the clinical ﬁeld toestablish diagnostic imaging techniques, multimodal therapy formalignant brain tumor, to improve treatment techniques ofneurovascular intervention, and of deep brain stimulation.
Algorithm of the optimum treatment procedure of patients withcarotid stenosis were currently developed in our laboratory
through clinical studies combining carotid echo, MRI, andcerebral blood ﬂow measurement. Expecting the application tosurgical education, we are also developing the method of
constructing 3-dementional real head model with brain andvasculature from precise MRI data.

✉ : ganka@med.kobe-u.ac.jp✉ : nibu@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

The Division of Ophthalmology provides a leading-edge medical
service that utilizes recent innovative imaging technologies andconducts a minimally invasive vitreous and glaucoma surgery.
In glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmology clinic, we evaluate thestructure-function relationship using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and automated visual ﬁeld tests including microperimetry. We are also working on a novel skin-electrical stimulation
treatment for Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)..
In vitreo-retinal clinic, we have found usefulness of en face slab
OCT imaging as a novel modality for the assessment of diabetic
retinal neurodegeneration because it can detect subtle changesof nerve ﬁber reﬂectivity. Our animal experimental data suggestthat this changes might reﬂect extracellular matrix remodellingand nerve ﬁber loss within the inner retina. We have also presented three-dimensional ﬂuorescein angiography-guided pars plana
vitrectomy as a novel approach that fully utilizes the advantagesof digital assisted vitrectomy and a promising option for thetreatment of ischemic retinal diseases. Furthermore, we areachieving excellent surgical outcomes for intractable macularedema and retinal detachment.
Regarding age-related macular degeneration and central serous
chorioretinopathy, we have elucidated by genome-wide association studies that a speciﬁc genetic background is associated withfavourable response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
therapy and/or photodynamic therapy.
Our laboratory works include a study for the role of aquaporin 9, atransporter of energy substrate lactate, in optic nerve degeneration and a study for drug screening for LHON using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells.
The residency training program in Ophthalmology is designed toencourage resident physicians to obtain basic skills to practicecompetently in diagnosis and management of ocular diseases.

The Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery covers
various areas and diseases such as neuro-otology diseases including sensorineural hearing loss, vestibular disorder, and facial
paralysis, inﬂammatory or functional disorders at middle ear,nose/paranasal sinus, oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx, and head andneck tumor.

Another attractive feature of our division is that we care for the
diseases which directly inﬂuences onto the patient’s quality oflife. Concerning the existing and future aging society on a global
scale, the functions of sensory organs and locomotorium,
mastication/swallowing, and voice/language functions areindispensable for our qualiﬁed lives. We deal with three of ﬁve
senses which link to each sensory function, that is, to hear(audition), to smell (olfaction), and to taste (gustation), and thesense of balance (equilibrium) which is essential for walking. We
provide medical cares for the disorders in swallowing function,
which is necessary to take delicious things, and cares for thedisorders in voice/language functions, which are to enjoy conversation with family and friends. Therefore, the Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery might be said a clinical department which plays a pivotal role for assuring patient’s quality oflife.
As for our research activities, we devote to the researches according to clinical cares, such as the development of head and neckcarcinoma therapy with a patient’s quality of life fully considered,and the development of diagnosis and therapy for dysphagia,
etc., Further, we make eﬀorts in studies on genes of head andneck carcinoma, regeneration of olfactory epithelium, mechanism of olfactory perception, and sensorineural hearing loss, etc.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortationທͫ͜͹৖߻ͺͬ͞ΔΝ࢘༽͢ͱ͚ͫ͠͏ɽ

43

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Grounded in our fundamental policy “Bedside to bench, bench to
bedside”, we dedicate eﬀort to connect the integration of theresearch with the clinical information and samples obtained fromour clinical sites and the studies using cultured cells or animalmodels to the improvements in diagnoses and therapies fornervous system diseases and to the resolution of various
problems emerged in our clinical sites.

Our laboratory is involved in fairly extensive range of areas fromthe primary cares for common cold, otitis media, epistaxis, allergic
rhinitis, or dizziness and vertigo, that most of ordinary people
often experience to have, through the highly-speciﬁc cares suchas hearing improvement surgery, endoscopic surgery fornose/paranasal sinus disease, voice improvement surgery, andhead and neck carcinoma.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

In the University Hospital, 3.0T (super-high-magnetic-ﬁeld)
surgical MRI system was introduced in 2015, and the pioneering
clinical research on minimally invasive surgery is ongoing topreserve brain function while removing tumor completely.
Further developments are expected in the continuous study withthis intraoperative MRI on drawing of neural pathways withtractography and the research on tumor-speciﬁc tracers. We alsoenhance basic research towards the discovery of novel biomarkers and the developments of new therapy, through mass
spectroscopy or molecular analyses of clinical samples from thepatients with malignant brain tumor or ischemic cardiovasculardisease or animal models. Our laboratory has achieved many
results in the researches of molecular targeting therapy formalignant brain tumor, analysis on microRNA, the analysis on
interleukin of malignant lymphoma, and the metabolic analysis ofischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Ken-ichi Nibu, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

The division of Minimally Invasive Surgery was founded in 2015.
We aim to conduct the clinical research and to develop the new
medical devices in the minimal invasive surgery, and to standerize the minimally invasive surgery to local medical institutions.
In gastroenterological surgery, the introduction of laparoscopic
surgery is widespread with the rise of medical devices. We are
actively involved in the spread of safety education of laparoscopic
surgery by holding the training seminars several times a year withthe division of gastrointestinal surgery and the division ofhepato-bilialy-pancreatic surgery. We are also actively engaged in
the development of new devices in laparoscopic surgery.
In cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, we actively introduce
thoracoscopic minimum invasive surgery, endovascular aortic
aneurysm and peripheral vascular repair, and hybrid procedures,
and are working on verifying their utilities. To extend the possibility of our leading-edge therapies, we are searching the criteria of
patients selection for treatment options to obtain the best
outcomes. In basic research, we deal with cardiovascular andthoracic surgery and related areas: Researches with physiology ofaortic root, development of valve prosthesis material, andInduction of small caliber vascular conduits, with varied
approaches, in our own accord or with other basic researchdivisions.
Four staﬀ members are deployed in this division. We are going tostrengthen the skill and improve the quality of the minimallyinvasive surgery, and spread the information to the world fromKobe.

Takashi Sasayama, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsMasahiro Kido, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor（Yoshihiro Kakeji, M.D., Ph.D.Professor）

44

Research Fields Surgery Related

Research Fields Surgery Related

Rehabilitation Medicine<Endowed Chairs>

Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery

History

History

Orthopaedic Surgery

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Orthopaedic Surgery

Yoshitada Sakai, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : matsunt@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Spine Surgery＜Endowed Chair＞

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

45

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the
University Hospital mainly provide rehabilitation service for thein-patients. As for musculoskeletal disorder, we actively perform
our program for the patient replaced artiﬁcial joint or after sports
injury, collaborated with the Divison of Orthopaedics. Furthermore, we opened cardiac rehabilitation room in 2014, to dedicate
cardiac rehabilitation services together with the Division of
Cardiovascular Medicine and the Division of Cardiovascular
Surgery. And, we oﬀer guidance on prosthesis and daily lives forpatients with rheumatoid arthritis, xeroderma pigmentosum, arare disease, or nervous diseases from the rehabilitation expertise’viewpoint. Concerning the rehabilitation for patients withcarcinoma, we currently develop leading-edge therapies basedon our enormous number of cases in various disease types. We
are willing to work out for improving cancer patients’ ADL (activities of daily living) and QOL (quality of life), with attending cancer
boards on bone metastasis or conferences on palliative care.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

The Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery of Kobe University, was established in 2018 with the ﬁnancial support ofSurgical Spine, Inc. Our division aims to educate spine surgeons and to develop basic and clinical research in the spine surgery ﬁeld.
In the clinical ﬁeld, we treat comprehensive spinal disorders, including congenital anomalies and spinal tumors. We positively employ newtechniques and facilities to provide the latest treatments. We also organize the Cancer Board, consisting of various doctors, oncologists, radiologists, and orthopedic surgeons, to perform multidisciplinary treatments for bone/spinal metastases, which are a growing problem in an
aging society.
In the research ﬁeld, we were previously involved in basic research into intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. We developed an in vivo/ex vivo
animal model reﬂecting human IVD degeneration and will put our strength into regenerative medicine in the future. We also developed asustained-release anti-cancer drug and a new non-metal spinal implant, reducing the artifact around the metal spinal implant. We are now
preparing to produce a brand-new local therapy for spinal metastases.
We also put our strength into medical education for medical students andresidents. To train spine surgeons with the ability to diagnose complicatedpathomechanisms and the surgical skills to treat spinal disorders, we educate
lecturers of Diagnostics and practical training, allowing surgeons to perform thesurgical technique of inserting a pedicle screw using a porcine spine. We train
graduate students to become experts who expand their activities in international
communities. We have a study-abroad program through which graduates
receive excellent opportunities to develop their research abroad, such as in the
United States.

In basic research, we investigate into the inﬂuences of thetranscutaneous application of carbon dioxide, a sort of physicalmedicines, and its eﬀects on muscle, ﬂesh, nerve, and bone. We
started to collaborate with the Section of Orthopaedics in clinical
trials for post poliomyelitis syndrome and lower limb fracture. We
further collaborate with the Faculty of Engineering of our University and the School of Engineering, the University of Hyogo for the
researches on rehabilitation evaluation and therapeutic instruments. We also collaborate with some pediatric medical andwelfare institutions and some recovery-phase rehabilitation
hospitals.

✉ : oral@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
The department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine focuses on the researches about
tumor, cyst, injury, infection, and congenital anomaly in the oral
and maxillofacial regions. We endeavor to develop novel
techniques of diagnosis and treatment including reconstructive
surgery, temporomandibular diseases, dental implant, and laser
therapy. Speciﬁcally, our department has reported the numerous
researches as follows: the risk factors of oral cancer metastasis
and perioperative complications, the etiology of osteoradionecrosis of the jaws, the usefulness of perioperative oral interventions for patients with hematological malignancy, cardiovasculardiseases, and esophageal or lung cancers, the dental implant
insertion into the transferred bone ﬂap, the temporomandibularosteoarthritis, and the potential role of the novel imaging
technique (four-dimensional computed tomography) in the oral
and maxillofacial regions. As basic medical researches, we
conduct the following projects: the role of vascular and lymphatic
endothelial cells in the wound healing, the eﬀect of carbon
dioxide, and the plasma metabolomics analysis. Our department
tries to cultivate clinical scientists who have suﬃcient experienceof clinical and basic medical research and can conduct translational researches.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Kobe University was founded in 1954. Hence, we provide medical cares in various viewpoints. Our
division consists of many physicians, each expertise in diseases such as Spine, Sports Medicine/Joint preservation, Joint reconstruction/Arthroplasty, Upper extremity, Musculoskeletal tumor, Trauma, and Rheumatism. All are proactively engaged in clinical practice, education, andresearch in their areas.
In clinical practice, the expert physicians oﬀer the medical cares with the highest standards in their areas. We expect to improve ourtreatments with applying state-of-the-art diagnostic devices and therapeutic instruments.
Regarding research, we are involved in basic and clinical researches of the expertise area. We put our strength into establishing novel therapy
in orthopaedic ﬁeld and regenerative medicine using iPS cells and some other stem cells. Further, we explore basic researches towards novel
drug discovery for each disease, elucidate characteristic pathologies of those, and develop diagnostic science and novel surgical technique.
As part of our translational research, we conduct clinical studies/trials upon our basic research results. We present our results and new perception through academic conferences and journals not only inside Japan but also over the world.
Recently, the eﬀectiveness of therapy with pseud-arthrosis for bone fracture with peripheral blood stem cells and of the cartilage regenerative
medicine applying autologous chondrocyte (cartilage cells) implantation are validated through the multicenter clinical trial with Translation
Research Center for Medical Innovation (TRI).
In education, we make eﬀorts to foster the physicians who provide the best cares for the patients. For faculty students, we give the programs
targeting students’ comprehension of each pathology of disease through to therapy at actual clinical site, instructed by expertise physiciansof each area. For graduate students, we train them to become experts who expand the activities in international communities. We implement
the study-abroad program through which the graduates receive good opportunities in developing their research abroad such as the UnitedStates and European countries.

The Division of Rehabilitation Medicine was founded in 2012. The
rehabilitation medicine we specialize in is wide-ranged. We
devote eﬀort to the clinical researches on rehabilitations formusculoskeletal disorder, sports injury, cerebrovascular accident(CVA), neuro muscular disease, cardiac macroangiopathy, andcarcinoma. We actively work for the rehabilitation for cancer
patients, which has recently come to be focused along with theremarkable increasing of the aﬀected and publish our results inmany reports.

Masaya Akashi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsRyosuke Kuroda, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

46

Research Fields Surgery Related

Obstetrics andGynecology

History

History

Urology

Research Fields Surgery Related

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Urology
The Division of Urology dedicates to medical care for diseases of urinary tract and male reproductive system, mainly applying surgical
techniques. Our division was established in 1962, spinning oﬀ from the Division of Dermatology and Urology, and has satisfactorily developed
until today under Prof. Johgetsu, Prof. Ishigami, Prof. Kamidono, and the present, chair, Prof. Fujisawa.

In research activities, our laboratory mainly targets malignant tumor, andrology, renal transplantation, and infectious diseases, but focuses onmost areas of urology, including voiding function, sexual function and clinical anatomy.
Recently, we achieved the inhibitory eﬀects of PD-L1expression on growth and sensitivity
to molecular-targeted drugs, directed diﬀerentiation of human induced pluripotent stem
(IPS) cells into mature stratiﬁed bladder urothelium, and further development of medical
device in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering. We have actively presented theﬁndings on our research in many international conferences and published them in the
top scientiﬁc journals.
Concerning our educational programs, we elaborately coordinate the programs inorder-made manner to suit faculty students, residents, graduate students, and younger
physicians, aiming to ﬁnd and foster fully qualiﬁed human resources as an urologist and aperson.

The Department of Gynecologic Advanced Medical Technology
and Research, in cooperation with the Department of Obstetrics
and Reproductive Medicine, conducts a wide range of medicalcare, research, and education on gynecological diseases, andpromotes and develops minimally invasive surgery including
robot-assisted surgery.
In the clinical ﬁeld, in addition to gynecological oncology, various
gynecologic disease such as congenital genital abnormalities,
infectious diseases, hormone secretion abnormalities and menopausal disorders. We also have a medical care system to provide
advanced medical care that is less invasive, safer, and morereliable curativeness treatment for the young and the elderly
patients. With the aim of functional preservation and minimallyinvasiveness in gynecologic tumors such as uterine myomas,
endometriosis, and ovarian tumors, cervical cancer, endometrial
cancer, and ovarian cancer, the gynecological oncologist withlicense of the laparoscopic surgery perform the minimallyinvasive surgery and robot-assisted surgery for the patients withgynecologic tumors. For advanced cancer, we perform extended
surgery cooperated with general surgery and renal urology. And,
we use the new molecular targeting drugs and gene diagnosis,
and we also treat anticancer drugs and radiation for the advanced
cancer patients. We are actively joining the nationwide clinicalresearch studies, and are striving to provide the introduction of
new treatments as soon as possible. In addition, we perform theconization for cervical intraepithelial lesion for one-night surgery
at ICCRC.
In the ﬁeld of basic research, we are focusing on the regulation of
the invasion and metastasis of gynecologic cancer and the microenvironment of the gynecologic cancer cooperated with basic
laboratories in Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine.
In terms of education, it is important to learn about the current
evidence and limits through case study meetings, gynecologicalreview, pathology conferences, and radiation conferences.
Furthermore, we will actively hold laparoscopic surgery SurgicalTraining using cadavar and laparoscopic surgery training
seminars using pigs so that we can become the leading medical
center for robotic surgery in the ﬁeld of gynecology. We areendeavoring
to
instruct and nurture
young doctors byfocusingontheacquiring gynecologic oncologists andcertiﬁed endoscopic
surgeons.

48

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

47

Our ongoing research themes are as follows:- Prevention/therapy for feto-maternal infection caused byCytomegalovirus or Toxoplasma- Pathophysiological mechanisms of recurrent pregnancy loss
and quest for the cures- Natural immunity during conception and fetal development- Lipid dynamics in placenta and villi- Pathophysiological mechanisms of antiphospholipid syndrome
and the management of pregnancy with antiphospholipid
syndrome- Development of novel diagnostic methods for autoimmune
diseases by using measurements of autoantibodies against
MHC classII / misfolded protein complexes- Creating a novel scoring system for Prediction of adherent
placenta with placenta previa- Mechanisms responsible for excessive trophoblast invasion into
the myometrium in adherent placenta.
- Coagulation and hemostasis in perinatal and perioperative
periods- A novel therapy for congenital abnormality of the genitalia- Co-Lab Research themes with Gynecological advanced
medicine- Fertility preservation in women with gynecological cancer- Quest for a novel tumor suppressor in endometrial cancer- Clinical eﬃcacy of eﬀusion
cytology and histology for
gynecologic malignancies

Gynecologic Advanced Medical
Technology and Research

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Recently, medical equipment and the surgical technique in endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery have been remarkable developed, and its
usefulness is increasingly growing. The mission of Advanced Medical Technology and Development for Urology is ﬁrstly, to function as acentral core of research, and secondly, to improve the techniques of minimally invasive surgical therapy such as laparoscopic surgery for
urologic diseases, and thirdly, to cultivate and educate human resources.
It is indispensable for the development of urology to advance the surgical skills and medical technology, so we focus on the industry-university
joint research to make improvement and development of medical equipment.
Now we are developing a domestic system for robotic surgery and bioabsorbable
metallic devices.
It is important to found a training system and develop human resources specialized in endoscopic surgery. The training of laparoscopic surgery to animals andeducation with surgical simulator have implemented in this division. Additionally,in the clinical setting, to carry out the program that can be acquired advanced
technology in steps, and to operate with surgical technique evaluated by supervisor, which contribute to obtain the endoscopic surgical skill certiﬁcation.
In the future, taking advantage of the rich experience of urological endoscopic
therapy, as education center, we cooperate with local hospitals to improve thelevel of regional medical technology.

Our motto is “Brightly, joyfully, consistently, and deﬁnitely
toward a goal”. The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
supports women throughout their lifelong journey from puberty
through childbearing age to menopause and beyond. We arecommitted to educating health care providers and investigatorsand conducting research to advance knowledge in our ﬁeld in
addition to providing quality health care services. Our objective isto discover and develop groundbreaking medicine for thetreatment-resistant diseases in obstetrics and gynecology bylinking the ﬁndings from clinical and basic research.
Our program (operated together with Gynecological advanced
medicine ﬁeld) combines exceptional clinical training in
reproductive immunology, high-risk obstetrics, gynecologic
oncology, and women’s health care with a wide array of opportunities in basic science, clinical and translational research. We
collaborate and cooperate with overseas (Stanford university,
Pittsburgh university) and domestic (Molecular and Cellular
Signaling, Clinical Virology, System Neuroscience, Immunology
Frontier Research Center) laboratories.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Advanced Medical Technology and Development for Urology＜Endowed Chair＞

Obstetrics and Reproductive medicine

Yoshito Terai, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

In clinical practice, we have achieved many excellent results in a wide variety of areas, including neobladder creation after radical cystectomy,
various approches of laparoscopic surgeries, and kidney transplantation, through our huge eﬀorts of developing and popularizing highly-sophisticated advanced surgeries. Our latest venture is putting together the whole our team to the development of robot-assisted surgery, andwe were promoted to an impregnable position as a top-leading educational institution of this ﬁeld in Japan. Furthermore, in December 2020,
we introduced the ﬁrst domestically produced surgical robot (hinotori) that our department cooperated in the development, and the ﬁrst
surgery was also successful. Further than surgeries, we oﬀer advanced medical care such as drug therapy for malignant tumor, male infertility
and urinary tract infection, upon our background with one of the largest number of clinical cases in Japan. Our eﬀorts and results are now
appreciated in the highest regard.

Hideto Yamada, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsMasato Fujisawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Research Fields Surgery Related

Anesthesiology

Disaster and Emergency
Medicine

History

History

Plastic Surgery

Research Fields Surgery Related

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Satoshi Mizobuchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor✉ : plastic@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

The aim of anesthesia is to protect organisms from surgical stress.
Since such a stress induces physiological changes in variousorgans of patient, our research targets all organs and their bio
transformations.
While anesthetized body loses homeostasis, there is a limited
stimulus except for surgical stress. During providing anesthesia,
we can ﬁnd the dynamic inﬂuence of surgical stress to the humanbody in real time, so we can observe patients’ physiologicalchanges and a consequence of treatment in a very short period.
One of our objectives is to elucidate the mechanisms of such bio
transformations through basic researches and clinical research.
We are intended to elucidate the impact of surgical stress to theliving organism from the viewpoints both of clinical and basic
research, expecting to improve perioperative management. We
further investigate in the intensive care medicine, and the pain
medicine. We expect to assess the pathology of these patients inboth cellular and clinical aspects.
To be more precise, we are engaged in the research on theinﬂuence of intraoperative ﬂuid administration on postoperative
organ failure, the perioperative glycemic control in the diabetes
mellitus patients, and the research to assess the factors associated with the risk of the postoperative delirium and the acutekidney injury. In pain medicine, we are progressing research on
the therapy for refractory pain and epidemiological research on
the cognitive function of the patients with refractory pain.

The division has strengthened cooperation with the Division of General Internal Medicine since September 2017. In addition, in 2018, thedivision began seconding doctors of the Department of Surgery related to our division to strengthen its treatment system. Two, six and seven new emergency physicians and emergency specialists
in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, joined to our division. Finally, the establishment of an
Emergency and Critical Care center was approved by Hyogo Prefecture in July 2019.
The annual number of ambulances increased from 2,100 in 2018 to 2,800 in 2019. The number ofsurgeries, mainly on orthopedic trauma, gradually increased to 10-15 cases per month after theestablishment of the Emergency and Critical Care Center. The new word including 4 beds specialized for emergency and critically ill patients will be launched in July, 2020. As a core emergency
medical institution in Kobe City, our division is training the next generation of emergency medical
personnel.

Innovative Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, has been
established by the Hyogo Prefecture. It is an endowed chair of the Kobe University Hospital and Hyogo Prefectural
Hospitals. Our research and education centers are located at Kobe University Hospital and Hyogo Prefectural Hospitals. Conducting research on the regional collaborative emergency medical system based on clinical research, andproviding a wide range of advanced medical care, education and research.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

Research on medical science and eﬀective emergency
system in the community
Our department conducts research on the community-based emergency medical system and conducts awide range of advanced medical treatment, education
and research. The Department of Disaster and Emergency Medicine is conducting various basic and clinicalstudies.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Main Activities
Establishment of a center for emergency medicine in Hyogo Prefecture and recruitment of emergency physiciansThis course aims to consolidate emergency medical care in regional medical facilities, mainly in the Hyogo Prefectural Hospitals, to create a larger. The aim is to form an emergency archive.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Innovative Emergency and Critical Care Medicine＜Endowed Chair＞

Shigeaki Inoue,
M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

49✉ : kobeqq@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Our division was established as the ﬁrst research center for disaster medicine in Japan after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake 1994. Our
division is engaged in education and research of medical students and residents, especially on emergency medical care for patients withsevere injuries. Research is actively proceeded in Innovative Emergency and Critical Care Medicine which has been established in our division
by Hyogo Prefecture. In addition, we have dispatched doctors and nurses to the scene of accidents by helicopter to provide medical care fromthe scene. In the event of a disaster or a major accident, DMATs are dispatched ti the scene of the disaster, etc. The department implements
lifesaving activities in cooperation with ﬁre departments and other institutions to train emergency physicians with an international perspective.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

The Division of Plastic Surgery was established in 1997. Subsequently, the section handling cosmetic surgery was established in
2007, as the ﬁrst clinical department in Japanese national universities. Our division is engaged in clinical/basic research in theareas of reconstructive surgery, wound healing and aesthetic
medicine, etc.
In the ﬁeld of reconstructive surgery, we perform reconstructionof function and tissue defefct after resection of malignant tumor
or trauma. We are contributing to the improvement of life
prognosis and postoperative QOL by supporting the surgery ofeach department. In terms of research, we are conducting
research on the development of blood vessels and nerve tissues
as regenerative materials, a molecular biological approach toelucidating the pathology of vascular malformation, and physiology of microvessels.
In the wound healing, we act as a coordinator of multidisciplinary
treatment for intractable wounds. For example, in the treatmentof chronic wounds associated with lifestyle-related diseases suchas the diabetes foot ulcer, how to prevent the amputation oflower limb or how to minimize the part to be amputated is not
only the issue of patients’ whole-body image, but also directly
related to the preservation of their walking function and theirsubsequent exercise therapy and indirectly linked to the patients’vital prognosis. Therefore, we are engaged in medical and educational activites regardless of professions or departments. We arealso conducting basis research on the functional response of thelargest organ, the skin, to environmental stimuli, especially inlight reception.
In the aesthetic surgery, we aim to develop correct aesthetic
medicine based on science, and provide safe treatment andinformation. We also actively support the treatment of various
complications arise during self-pay care fee treatment.
Through such research and clinical practice, we educate not only
the related physicians, but also the healthcare professionals. We
aim to contribute back to regional medicine and human race byfostering human resources.

Jouji Kotani, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Disaster and Emergency Medicine

ResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsResearchResearch
FieldsFieldsHiroto Terashi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

50

Cooperative Graduate Program

Takashi Tsuji, Ph.D. Visiting Professor
This division is one of Aﬃliated Graduate Programs with RIKEN
Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) at Kobe. BDR isan international research institute that aims to investigate basic
researches including animal life-cycles, scales and temporal
dynamics based on developmental biology. The research projectsof the aﬃliated laboratories are as follows:

Virus Infection

The aims of this laboratory are to understand the host immunity
controlled by the gut environment such as commensal bacteria
and diets and to apply the basic ﬁndings to the development ofvaccines, medicines, and functional foods. We further establishedprotein-engineering- and antibody-based technologies for thevaccine design and diagnostics to various pathogens, especiallyfood poisoning one. We also identiﬁed unique molecules derived
from commensal and pathogenic bacteria for the antigen
delivery and adjuvant. As dietary materials, we have particularly
focused on oils and vitamins both basic and translational
researches. Our multi-omics analysis allowed the investigation of
their immunological functions and the consequent identiﬁcationof biologically active metabolites for the control of allergic andinﬂammatory diseases. These researches will lead to provide
cutting-edge information for human health and diseases and todevelop prospective vaccines, medicines, and functional foods.

Regulatory Science

Takashi Kumasaka, Ph.D. Visiting Professor

Yumiko Imai, Ph.D. Visiting Professor

Mami Ho, M.D., Ph.D. Visiting Professor

Director, Protein Crystal Analysis Division,
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute

Director of Vaccine and Adjuvant Research Center,
Project Leader of the Laboratory of Regulation for
Intractable Infectious Diseases of National Instituteof Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition(NIBIOHN)

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)
Senior Scientist for Clinical Medicine Oﬃce of Medical Devices

Naoto Yagi, Ph.D. Visiting Professor

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)
Director Oﬃce of Generic Drugs

Advanced Therapeutic
Target discovery
Toshio Imai,Ph.D. Visiting Professor
President&CEO,Chief Scientiﬁc Oﬃcer,KAN
Research Institute,Inc.
In Advanced Therapeutic Target discovery<Cooperative Graduate Program>, we will continue to create opportunities toconnect people of diverse ideas and backgrounds to discover
new therapeutic concepts and seeds of novel drugs throughacademia-industry partnerships with KAN Research Institute, Inc.
Organelles and cells consist of protein that are translated fromDNA̶the blueprint of life̶and function as the cornerstone oflife. Based on the knowledge of homeostatic mechanisms inorganisms, we focus on living cells to reveal the mechanisms
about disturbance of homeostasis, a key factor in diseasedevelopment and pathologic conditions.
This unique “Integrative Cell Biology for Medicine” research is
conducted by integrating the knowledge of key fundamental
sciences such as immunology, neurobiology, and cancer biology,
which is our most competitive advantage in that it enables us toapply the knowledge and technologies of one area to others andto observe one pathological condition from diﬀerent disciplinary
perspectives.

52

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

Japan promotes the development of innovative medical supplies
and medical devices for becoming the leader of the biomedical
industry in the world. With such a background, it is required that
medical university should tackle "regulatory science" aiming at
investigating about regulations for pharmaceuticals. In thisdivision, it aims human resource development having the knowledge of regulatory science in cooperation with Pharmaceuticals
and Medical Devices Agency.
(1) Knowledge acquisition about regulation required in order topromote the research and development in medical supplies,
medical device.
(2) Research which contributes to optimization of test method
required for regulatory approval of new medical supplies,
medical devices, etc.
(3) Research which contributes to standardization of the criterionof judgment of approval reviews for new medical supplies andmedical devices, etc.
(4) Research which contributes to construction of more eﬀective
safety measures for medical supplies, medical devices, etc.

The Section of Exploratory and Advanced Search in Cardiology
shares in the academic mission to achieve excellence in patientcare, research and teaching. The Section provides its clinicalcardiology and cardiovascular research and training program
which is based on the site of the Hyogo Brain and Heart Center at
Himeji. The center encompasses the diverse research and clinicalactivities of Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine andprovides graduate students with a full spectrum of clinical cardiovascular care and great opportunities for research and training.
The patients in the center represent a wide variety of common
and rare cardiovascular diseases and provide graduate students
with important experiences to all areas of clinical cardiology.
Graduate students will develop their basic and clinical knowledge, procedural skills, clinical judgment, professionalism andinterpersonal skills required as a specialist in cardiovasculardiseases and academic cardiologist who will become a next
generation leader.

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

SPring-8, the world's largest third-generation synchrotron
radiation facility, provides the most powerful synchrotron
radiation currently available. Its ultra-brilliant X-rays give
researchers exciting opportunities for advanced research inbroad ﬁelds of science and technology. In life science, theresearch targets and analytical methods are distributed asfollows; protein structures (macromolecular crystallography or
solution scattering), molecular structure and function of proteins
and lipids under physiological conditions, particularly in vivo
(X-ray scattering), ﬁne structures of lung and bone (high-resolution X-ray computer tomography), imaging of respiratory andcirculatory organs (X-ray refraction contrast imaging), andelement mapping in cells (X-ray ﬂuorescence). SPring-8 is operated and maintained by Japan Synchrotron Radiation ResearchInstitute (JASRI), which has established aﬃliated graduate
program relationship with Kobe University Graduate School of
Medicine since April in 2000. We are contributing to developmentof the above X-ray methods and their applications in medicine.

Infectious Diseases/Immunology The Department of Infectious
Diseases and Viruses was established in April 2017 as a collaborative graduate school with the National Institute for Medical
Science, Health and Nutrition. In recent years, H5N1 and H7N9
avian inﬂuenza, coronavirus-induced SARS and MARS, andrespiratory virus infections such as the new coronavirus(2019-nCoV) that recently occurred in the ﬁrst year of Reiwa arebecoming social problems. These viral infections may become
severe and fatal, especially in the elderly and in humans withdiabetes, chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease,malignant tumor, etc. Severely ill humans will receive treatment
such as artiﬁcial respiration in the intensive care unit (ICU), but
eﬀective treatment methods leading to lifesaving have not been
established. In this department, we focus on virus-host interaction, especially host nuclear system, and combine techniquessuch as immunology, virology, chromosomal research, RNA
research, mouse genetics, information biology, and chemical
biology. Therefore, I am studying the formation mechanism ofsevere pathological conditions of viral infections in humans.

Mitsue Hirota, Ph.D.Visiting Professor

Vice President and Director of Cardiology, Hyogo
Brain and Heart Center at Himeji

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Coordinator, Spectroscopy and Imaging Division,
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute51

Infectious Disease Research Division of Hyogo Prefectural
Institute of Public Health performs the laboratory diagnoses
about the various microbes to neutralize the health hazard
caused by the infectious diseases. For example, we engaged indisclosing the ﬁrst-female AIDS patient in Japan at 1987, elucidation of the infection source and route about collective occurrenceof fulminant hepatitis B patient attributed to hemodialysis in
1999, incursion survey about the novel inﬂuenza in 2009, and soon. We currently contribute to the control measures of novel
coronavirus by the laboratory diagnosis with PCR method, which
has not shown the sign of control. Our study is grounded on thelegal-based survey and prepare for the coming public healthproblems in the future by analysis of the pathogenic factor andgenetic character of etiological agents.

Director of Vaccine and Adjuvant Research Center,
Leader of Vaccine Materials Project,
National Institutes of Biomedical
Innovation,Health and Nutrition(NIBIOHN)

Hiroya Kawai, M.D.,Visiting Professor

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Ultrastructural Biology

Visiting Professor
Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Public Health Science,
Infectious Disease Research Division

Jun Kunisawa, Ph.D. Visiting Professor

Exploratory and Advanced
Search in Cardiology

Research
FieldsResearch
Fields1) Laboratory for Developmental Epigenetics aims to understandthe mechanism and signiﬁcance of the changes in higher-order organization of the chromosomes during early embryonicdevelopment by applying state-of-the-art technologies, such
as Hi-C.
2) Laboratory for Organ Regeneration studies on the mechanisms of organogenesis and morphogenesis, and aim todevelop novel technologies for organ regenerative therapies.
3) Laboratory for Physiological Genetics investigates fundamental mechanisms about response to disruption of homeostasis,such as injury and cancer, amenable to reverse genetics,
imaging and optogenetics.
4) Laboratory for Comparative Connectomics studies dynamics
of neural circuits during life stage transition by using mouse
genetics and viral manipulation tools.

Masatsugu Chikahira, DVM., Ph.D.
Professor

Infection and
Immunology(Immunology)

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research,
Laboratory for Organ Regeneration, Team Leader

Infectious Disease Field
ResearchHistory

History

Developmental Biology andRegenerative Medicine

Cooperative Graduate Program

Cooperative Graduate Program

Tomoaki Okimoto, M.D. , Ph.D.
Visiting Professor
Director, Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center

Hyogo prefecture ‒ Hyogo Mental Health Center,
Director

Nakao Hideto, M.D., Ph.D.Professer
Visiting Professor
Director, Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s
Hospital

Kosaka Yoshiyuki M.D., Ph.D.Professer
Visiting Professor
Vice‐principal,
Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s Hospital

Yoshifumi Sugita, M.D., Ph.D. Visiting Professor
Chief Medical Oﬃcer and Chief of Urology,
Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children's Hospital

Yoshihiro Ohshima, M.D., Ph.D.Visiting Professor
Vice President and Director of The Center for Pediatric Cardiology,
Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s Hospital

Shinichi Satsuma, M.D., Ph.D. Visiting Professor
Vice President and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children's Hospital
Reconstructive surgery for the congenital urogenital anomaly is
the main issue in the Department of Pediatric Urology. Researchon voiding function after urethroplasty, reduced port surgery,and biomarkers in congenital hydronephrosis is ongoing.
Our division is an expertise surgical unit of the Center for Pediatric
Cardiology. We especially strive for developing novel surgicaltreatment strategies and operative procedures for high risk
neonate. In clinical research, we focus on artiﬁcial heart/lung andtheir biogenic reaction. In basic research, we conduct three-dimensional analyses with applying synchrotron radiation-based
X-ray phase-contrast tomography in SPring-8.
In the Department of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, we havebeen devoted to various congenital musculoskeletal disorders.
We have studied clinically the new methods or strategies oftreatment especially on DDH and congenital clubfoot. We havealso researched basically the epidemiology or pathology aboutsome congenital diseases.

At the collaborative graduate school, theuniversity and research institutes havesigned a collaborative agreement, andresearchers from other institutions areinvited as visiting faculty members to
conduct education and research that goesbeyond the conventional framework.

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children's Hospital, established in 1970
as the second pediatric facility in Japan, is a highly advanced
pediatric medical center to encompass the four areas of pediatricemergency/critical, perinatal maternal, oncologic, and cardiac
medical center. Kobe Children's Hospital, compromising one of
the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, has established acooperation system of graduate schools with Kobe University
Graduate School of medicine since 2013. The Clinical ResearchCenter in Kobe Children’s Hospital consists of 3 divisions: Pediatric Advanced Medical Research Division, Pediatric Advanced
Surgery Division, and Clinical Research Support Division. By
mutual cooperation from members of various divisions, its
medical research activities are organized and promoted. Our
activities are not only facilitating translational researches in thepediatric ﬁelds for the development of novel pathophysiology
and of medical technology but also training physicians withresearch minds.

Advanced Pediatric Surgery

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

53

Advanced PediatricMedical Science

Division of Rehabilitation Science has carried out various clinicalpractice and research towards the end of improvement andcompensation of function for elderly and people with disabilities.
We are currently conducting the research focusing on Robotics inthe rehabilitation ﬁeld. Leading examples are, micro-processor
controlled prosthesis for lower limb amputee, myoelectric
prosthesis (hand) for upper limb amputee, Robot suit HAL○R for
spinal cord injury patients with incomplete paralysis, and Robotic
Stride Assistance System for patient undergoing total hip arthroplasty. These are all new and innovative challenge in Japan.
These works can not be done without consisting the teamapproach system with multiple professions. Our goal is to provide
a platform for the rehabilitation method and new technology(including Robotics) to the human being who needs its beneﬁcials.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

We conduct the clinical research based on clinical work in Hyogo
prefecture - Hyogo Mental Health Center and the basic researchcollaborating with the Department of Psychiatry. Our course
includes; (1) research for trauma and abuse in children andadolescents, (2) advanced research for alcoholism treatment, (3)clinical research for psychiatric emergency, (4) research for severe
behavioral disorder (challenging behavior) in autism spectrum
disorder with intellectual disability. We assess the symptoms ofthese psychiatric disorders and focus on the neurobiologicallycharacterized endophenotypes to investigate the biologicalmechanism of the psychiatric disorders. We require to work
passionately on the clinical psychiatry to cultivate the intension
for research and to complete the academic degree.

Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation has
established aﬃliated graduate program relationship with Kobe
University Graduate School of Medicine since April in 2020.
We have demonstrated that the neuronal regeneration after
stroke can be achieved by therapeutic angiogenesis using hematopoietic stem cell. Our clinical trial of autologous hematopoietic
stem cell transplantation for stroke patients showed favorable
trends in acceleration of functional recovery. Furthermore, wehave recently ﬁgured out the mechanism of how hematopoietic
stem cell activates angiogenesis at ischemic tissue. As shown inthe ﬁgure, transplanted hematopoietic stem cells transfer small
molecules, such as glucose, to endothelial cells via gap junction
followed by activated Hif-1α and suppressed autophagy atendothelial cells. Based on these ﬁndings, R&D projects of novel
therapy for stroke and dementia are ongoing.

Hyogo Prefectural Central
Rehabilitation Hospital,Director

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Kiwamu Tanaka Visiting Professor

Department of Regenerative Medical ResearchInstitute of Biomedical Research and Innovation
Foundation for Biomedical Research andInnovation at Kobe
Professor

Yasushi Hashimoto, M.D., Ph.D.
Visiting Professor

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsAdvanced Research forClinical Psychiatry

Akihiko Taguchi,Ph.D.
Visiting Professor

Rehabilitation Science

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

In this department, we are conducting educational and research
activities focusing on particle beam therapy at the Prefectural
Particle Beam Medical Center in Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture.
The Prefectural Particle Radiation Medical Center was establishedin 2001 as the world's ﬁrst facility capable of performing two
types of particle beam therapy, proton beam therapy and heavy
particle beam therapy, and accumulated more than 9,000 treatedcases by March 2019. I came. In particular, with the aim of improving the treatment results for “refractory cancer”, we are actively
engaged in the treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcoma, headand neck cancer, liver cancer, bile duct cancer, pancreatic cancer,lung cancer, etc. We are conducting research aiming to improvetreatment results while providing treatment.
In 2017, based on the track record at the prefectural particle beam
medical center, we opened the attached Kobe Proton Beam
Center as the ﬁrst proton beam treatment facility focusing onpediatric cancer nationwide in Port City, Kobe City. It is the mostpediatric proton therapy facility in Japan.

System Biology of
Diseases

History

History

Ion Beam Therapy

Cooperative Graduate Program54

Education and Research Centers,and Library

Education and Research Centers,and Library

Institute for Experimental Animals is an animal center forsupporting researches of biomedical science and life
science using laboratory animals. Technical services of thisinstitute are available to all researchers belonging to Kobe
University. This institute was established in 1963, and after
two times of relocations, moved to Research Building-D.
This building is four stories high, and total ﬂoor space is
4,092 square meters. In this institute, laboratory animals
such as mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, pigs are raised in appropriate environment for each species.
The mission of our institute is set forth in ”Regulations ofInstitute for Experimental Animals, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine,, Article 2” as “The said Institute forExperimental Animals is, for the purpose of executing
animal studies fully concerned with scientiﬁc basis andanimal welfare, aimed to breed laboratory animals inwell-prepared environment with a centralized control
system and perform medical education and researches oflaboratory animals and animal studies.” Our institute playsa pivotal role for supporting the researches of biomedical
science and life science through 1) appropriate rearing
management of laboratory animals, 2) improvements of the system with which proper animal studies can be conducted, 3) fostering the staﬀs
involved in animal studies, and 4) experimental support using reproductive and developmental biotechnology. Because the genetically
modiﬁed mice are becoming the tool which are indispensable to a biomedical science and life science in late years, we are devoting to
expanding the above fourth support especially for mice from 2019.

Overview

Since its establishment, the Center has been devoted to leading-edge advanced
medicine, and to contributing to meeting global needs. We aim to execute domestic
and international, multi- disciplinary research on infectious diseases, to study for thedevelopment of diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of infectious diseases, and tocarry out further international deployment of infectious disease investigations, having been reorganized and renamed the International
Center for Medical Research and Treatment (ICMRT), and the Center for Infectious Diseases for the further improvements.
Meanwhile, through our activities including the Core Universities Academic Exchange Programs in ASIA: A big collaborative project (1993 to2002）which was conducted by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), we widely operate international collaborative researchwith ASEAN countries including Indonesia. Based upon these achievements, we performed the Construction Project of International Collaborative Research Core in Indonesia (2007 to 2009), and the Research Project on Helicobacter pylori Infection in Asian Countries (2006 to 2009),
part of a larger project, Founding Research Centers for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, under the auspices of the Ministry ofEdu- cation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, as well as the Project for Strengthening of Malaria Control in Solomon Islands
under the auspices of JICA, (2006 to 2009).
Furthermore, we were engaged in national policy projects such as the Japan Initiative for
Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (J-GRID), Kobe-Indonesia Collaborative Research Center, and the Science and Technology
Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS). Regarding the project “Collaborative Research on Emerging and Re-emerging
Infectious Diseases in Indonesia”, our cooperative activities with Airlangga University in Indonesia will be carried out from April 2015, supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

Research Fields and Areas

Concepts for the Future

Airlangga University Institute of Tropical Disease

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

1. In the Kobe area, we aim to carry on the tradition of research activities of our Center, which has promoted international collaborative studies
with Asian countries. To develop it further, we will strengthen our research and education system in Asia.
2. We expect to further develop the Kobe-Indonesia Collaborative Research Center for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases (in theInstitute of Tropical Disease, Airlangga University), already established in Indonesia.
3. We aim to expand the prominence of the power of synthesis and quality assurance, and to be recognized as a destination for the world, sosaying, “Visit Kobe University, if any inquiry in infectious diseases arises”. We also seek to become a center of infectious disease researchdomestically and internationally in the future.
4. We expect to strongly develop a system of cross- sectional collaborative research.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

1. Core research ﬁelds (Basic)
Clinical Virology, Infectious Disease Control, Infectious Disease Pathology
2. Dual research ﬁelds (Clinical)
Infectious Disease Therapeutics
3. Cooperative Graduate Programs
Infectious Disease Field Research, Infection and Immunology

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Our team consists of a director, an associate professor, 4 technical personnel, 16 adjunct staﬀs, and other expert staﬀs. Our ongoing activities
are as follows:
1) Appropriate rearing management of laboratory animals
With maintaining hygienic condition to avoid infectious diseases and taking into account animal's physiologic, physical, and behavioral
needs, we devote to the appropriate care of animals, following basic policies ‘3Rs’ of animal welfare (Reduction: of the number of laboratory
animals for use, Replacement: to alternative way from animal study, and Reﬁnement: of the study procedure)2) Improving the implementation system of the animal studies
We strive for collecting latest information about domestic and international movements which are related to the animal experimentcorresponding enough to the animal welfare and the associated legal issues, and support activities of the institutional animals care and use
committee for using animals in studies.
3) Fostering the staﬀs involved in animal studies
We devote our eﬀorts to provide education and information on adequate use of animals in studies through delivering lectures andworkshops on using animals in studies.
4) Experimental support using reproductive and developmental biotechnology
Our ongoing technical services are as followsa) Cryopreservation of sperm and embryos, for strain preservation of the genetically modiﬁed animals.
b) Rederivation of the genetically modiﬁed animals, from cryopreserved sperm or embryos.
c) Large scale production of the genetically modiﬁed animals in necessary numbers, through in vitro fertilization and subsequent embryotransplantation.
d) Production of the genetically modiﬁed animals with speciﬁc pathogen free level, through in vitro fertilization and subsequent embryotransplantation.
e) Creation of novel genetically modiﬁed animals with genome editing techniques.

Director:
Yasuko Mori, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsYuka Morioka, Ph.D.
Associate Professor（Director：Akira Suzuki, M.D., Ph.D. Professor）

The International Center for Medical Research (ICMR), the precursor of the Center for
Infectious Diseases, an aﬃliated institute of the Graduate School of Medicine at Kobe
University was established based upon the background achievements in medical
research international exchange between our School/Graduate School of Medicine
and the research institutes in Asian Countries, corresponding to the proposition by
the Council of Science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture in
1999. It has succeeded in its mission to act in the following roles: as a “Center ofResearch and Learning in Asia” (proposed in the 1999 policy report by the Council of
Science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture); an example of“New Developments in Science and Technology Policy: Responding to National andSocietal Needs”; and as the “Education and Research Core for Various Fields ofInfectious Diseases and Tropical Diseases”(proposed in the “Council for Medicine and Medical Services in the 21st Century: the
4th Report”).

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Center for Infectious Diseases（CID）

History

History

Institute for Experimental Animals

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

55

56

Education and Research Centers,and Library

Education and Research Centers,and Library

The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry was establishedin 2008. Our speciﬁc aim is biomedical application of mass
spectrometry, which contributes to understanding biologicalphenomena and investigating the etiology and pathophysiology of diseases and the development of diagnostic methods andtreatment strategies. Our center is strategically located at thegraduate school of medicine, so that the Center can have close
collaborative relationships not only with basic research groups
in our graduate school, but also with clinical research groups in
our university hospital.
Comprehensive proﬁling of proteins and metabolites, namely
proteome and metabolome, are closely related to biologicalphysiology and pathophysiology. Speciﬁc proteins and metabolites may work as enzymes and substrates for energy production. Other metabolites may have distinct biological activities
which can directly regulate cellular functions. Mass spectrometry has made possible unbiased, comprehensive, and sensitive
analyses of such proteins and metabolites, and using thismethod, we aim to establish systems biology based on physiology-related and disease-related proﬁles of proteome andmetabolome.
The Center has been a core facility for mass spectrometry
dedicated to medical and biological sciences, and has been
studying on a wide range of basic and clinical medical researchﬁelds, including cancer, atherosclerosis, metabolic disorders,
lifestyle diseases, and neurological disorders. The Center not
only performs its own researches, but also provides contract
mass spectrometry analyses for researchers inside and outside
our university on a collaborative basis.

Director：
Akira Suzuki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Kayoko Nokihara
Assistant Staﬀ

■Overview
To meet a broad spectrum of needs from multiple disciplines, the Joint Research Facility has a variety of precision experimental apparatuses,
such as those for capillary DNA sequencing, NMR, X-ray diﬀraction, chemiluminescence image acquisition, real-time PCR, confocal andmulti-photon microscopies, laser-captured microdissection, imaging cytometer, ﬂow cytometer and cell sorter, multi-mode acquisitions for
multi-well plates, X-ray irradiation and others. The Facility maintains and continuously upgrades these apparatuses, so that multiple users
employ these apparatuses for their researches with minimal time and eﬀort. The Facility arranges training courses including lectures andhands-on training on a regular basis, so that the users can learn the features and correct usages of experimental apparatuses according to theirinterests as well as the most updated information about the technologies using these apparatuses. Based on opinions and requests from theusers as well as the information collected by the Facility, the Facility evaluates the current
values of existing apparatuses, and renews them or introduces new apparatuses, if necessary. Besides the advanced apparatuses, the Joint Research Facility also maintains conventional laboratory apparatuses, such as those for ultrapure water production, liquid nitrogengeneration, spectral photometer, high-speed centrifuge and ultracentrifuge, autoclave,
deep freezer and others, by which the Facility can support newly appointed faculties to set
up their researches smoothly.

Head: Professor, Tomoyuki Furuyashiki
Research staﬀ:
Associate professor, Masakazu Shinohara
Assistant professor, Ken-ichi Yoshino
Research fellow, Naoya Hatano
Research technician, Naomi Hayasaka
Research technician, Noriko Kimura
Research technician, Kaori Tanaka■Overview
Speciﬁc research aim (1): Bioactive lipid mediators in inﬂammation and resolution.
Recently it has been revealed that bioactive lipid-derived small molecule metabolites, namely lipid mediators, play critical roles in maintenance of homeostasis, including inﬂammation and its resolution, tissue repair and regeneration, and brain functions. However, these lipid
mediators are structurally unstable and biosynthesized only at nmol ~ pmol/L range on demand, exert stereoselective actions, and are
degraded to inactive metabolites. To analyze these mediators quantitatively and comprehensively, advanced technologies are necessary formass spectrometry and its preprocessing. We employ an automated system for solid phase extraction to extract lipid mediator-enrichedfraction, and perform sophisticated quantitative, wide-targeted lipid mediator proﬁling with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-mass
spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). We have been conducting basic and clinical researches about bioactive lipid mediators especially those related toinﬂammation and its resolution.

57

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

Websitehttp://www.med.kobe-u.ac.jp/icms/icms/index.html
Contact information
078-382-5355(TEL) 078-382-5356(FAX)

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Contract analysis:
The Center has seven apparatuses composed of three diﬀerent kinds of mass spectrometry, and performs contract analyses for diverse
medical research ﬁelds. Regarding proteome analyses (Drs. Ken-ichi Yoshino and Naoya Hatano), the Centers provide the sensitive protein
identiﬁcation service and the analysis for post transcriptional modiﬁcations of a target protein using LC/MS/MS system. Regarding metabolome analyses (Dr. Masakazu Shinohara), we perform wide-targeted, semi-quantitative GC/MS analysis for hydrophilic metabolites and quantitative GC/MS analysis for fatty acids. Wide-targeted lipid mediator proﬁling with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) is
also provided to analyze bioactive small molecules derived from arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids.

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Speciﬁc research aim (2): Distinct metabolism in cancer cells.
Whereas normal cells produce their energy, namely ATP, mostly through oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, cancer cells depend on
distinct metabolism, aerobic glycolysis to produce their ATP (the Warburg eﬀect). Our working hypothesis is that the distinct metabolism incancer cells could confer their characteristics, such as motility and invasiveness. We mainly focus on hydrophilic metabolites, and employ
gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system with in-house developed data-integration software.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

■Objective

Medical and biological sciences are an academic discipline to examine biologicalphenomena and their abnormalities at multiple hierarchical levels from molecular,
cellular, tissue-organ, and whole body levels, and are related to various diseases including malignant tumors, metabolic diseases, mental and neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, allergic and autoimmune diseases, and infections. Remarkable progress inmedical and biological sciences in these decades has been realized through the development of experimental technologies and apparatuses. Now advanced techniques andprecision apparatuses are indispensable to perform qualiﬁed medical and biologicalresearches. In the post-genomic era, a style of research has dramatically changed fromtechnology-based single-discipline approaches to hypothesis-driven multidisciplinary
approaches which integrate various technologies. Furthermore, since the developmentof experimental apparatuses has been accelerated every year, researchers need to keenly
survey emerging technologies and to actively and continuously introduce new technologies and apparatuses, if necessary. Given such research environments, it becomes
nearly impractical for each principal investigator to independently set up all the apparatuses for her/his research. The Joint Research Facility maintains a broad range ofstate-of-art experimental apparatuses necessary to perform cutting-edge medical andbiological sciences for shared use, and provides scientists with the information regarding
new experimental technologies. Through these activities, the Joint Research Facility aims
to promote medical and biological researches in Kobe University as well as other universities and research facilities.

Research
FieldsResearch
Fields■Objective

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry

History

HistoryCore Equipment Facility

58

Education and Research Centers,and Library

Education and Research Centers,and Library

Kobe University School of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine
aim to nurture professional physicians and medical researchers who caninternationally contribute to medicine and the medical sciences.
Therefore, the Next Generation International Center (NIC) wasestablished in 2017 in order to promote international exchange more
actively. NIC aims to contribute to qualitative improvement of medical
education and research environment by supporting international
exchange of medical students, researchers, and faculty members ofKobe University Medical School and Graduate School of Medicine.

Director：
Yasuhiro Minami,M.D., Ph.D.
Professor■Outline of activities
1. Regarding the formulation of basic policy of international exchange
2. Regarding the academic exchange agreements
3. Exchange students
4. Acceptance of international students
5. Exchange researchers
6. Other things about the operation of the center■Activities
1. Conclude memorandum of understanding between universities andagreement for student exchange.
2. Accept guests’ courtesy visits.
3. Coordinate elective program for the medical school students.
4. Coordinate elective programs for the overseas students from partner
universities.
5. Support the international research exchange.

Director:
Prof. Ikuo Shoji, MD, PhD.
Vice Director:
Prof. Seiji Kawano, MD, PhD.
Prof. Toshiaki Sakisaka, MD, PhD.
Prof. Yoshihiro Kakeji, MD, PhD.
Prof. Yasuhiro Minami, MD, PhD.
Prof. Tomoyuki Furuyashiki, MD, PhD.
Prof. Yuzo Kodama, MD, PhD.
Prof. Yasuko Mori, MD, PhD.
Prof. Hideki Enomoto, MD, PhD.
Prof. Masakazu Shinohara, MD, PhD.
Prof. Yoshihiro Nishimura, MD, PhD.
Prof. Ryohei Sasaki, MD, PhD.
Prof. Ryosuke Kuroda, MD, PhD.
Prof. Masanori Kameoka, PhD.

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

■Objective

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsWe have newly opened our core facility, the “Kobe University-Research Centerfor Cell Signaling Medical Innovation (CSMI)” on April 1, 2016 by integrating
and developing our previous facilities, called ‘Center for Education andResearch in Membrane Biology Medicine’ and ‘Medical Innovation Center’. The
CSMI is aiming to further deepen our medical research for cell signaling, on thebasis of our excellent research career and infrastructure for basic medical
research in this ﬁeld. The CSMI is going to promote systematically the medical
innovations such as drug discovery, clinical diagnostic drugs, and the development of medical devices, by incorporating the ﬁndings obtained by the basic
research (Seeds) into the joint research cooperating with the Center for ClinicalResearch, Kobe University Hospital, other facilities of our University (including
Graduate School of Health Sciences and of Science Technology and Innovation,
and Biosignal Research Center) or external research institutes (including RIKEN)
and enterprises.
The CSMI promotes advanced medical research on 6 areas, i.e. “Cancer”, “Metabolic Syndrome”, “Mental Disorder/ Mental Health”, “Immune Disorder/ Inﬂammation”, “Drug Discovery” and “Regenerative Medicine”, and accelerates
collaboration between them. Through these research activities, we are going todiscover novel signaling pathways and to elucidate etiology and pathology ofvarious diseases caused by the aberration of signaling molecules. We are also
aiming to identify the “Seeds” for drug discovery, to develop super-early
diagnosis and innovative therapeutic methods, and to establish disease
prevention approaches and methods in order to provide a safe and securesocial environment.
The CSMI is also going to establish “Global Research Organization for Identiﬁcation of New Therapeutic Targets and Drug Discovery” through our international
cooperation with “Institute for Targeted Therapies (IT2)”, a newly establishedinstitute in University of Washington, Seattle, U.S.A. and Nordic Center for
Molecular Medicine (NCMM) in University of Oslo, Norway. This Global Organization will be expected to promote our international medical researches on cellsignaling and drug discovery, leading to social and international contributions
in medicine and medical cares, and to contribute the training of young
researchers with a global perspective for the next generation.
As a part of the activities of the CSMI, we have held the international joint
symposium with University of Washington and University of Oslo (IT2 andNCMM) and joint symposium with RIKEN (BDR) to promote close cooperationand .collaborative research, and have disseminated the obtained ﬁndings andinformation in Japan and overseas.

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Next Generation International Center (NIC)

History

History

Center for Cell Signaling and Medical Innovation (CSMI)

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

59

60

Neuroscience Network in Kobe

Education and Research Centers,and Library

OutlineIn 2014, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine founded a neuroscience study group called the Neuroscience Network in Kobe (NSN inKobe) to promote and encourage its neuroscience studies. Basic and clinical neuroscientists at Kobe University have regularly got together inthis study group and have strengthened their neuroscience studies through extensive discussions and multidisciplinary interactions. This
study group aims to integrate and develop cell signaling and neuroscience studies that have been fostered at Kobe University. It also attempts
to create a new trend of neuroscience and contribute to top-level neuroscience studies as well as those applicable for therapeutic and drug
developments through regular and active exchanges with experts from outside.
To achieve these aims, the NSN in Kobe has annually held the Neuroscience Network in Kobe Symposia. We have invited internationallyleading scientists as guest speakers in these symposia and exchanged with them cutting edge knowledge of neuroscience and the opinions
on its applications for drug development. Thus, these symposia pave the way for facilitating neuroscience studies and providing their future
perspectives.

Organizational
Chart

The Library for Medical Sciences, Kobe University Library is located in the
Administration Building which is located on the south side of Kobe University Hospital. The library occupies three ﬂoors from the basement to the second
level of the building. Kobe University Library consists of a General Libraryand 9 subject-speciﬁc branches. Among them, our Library functions as a
special library for medical sciences, holding 154,955 books and 3,046
journals. The number of visitors exceeds 97,979 annually (as of March 31,
2020 ).

Library collection
Our library collection includes mainly academic journals on the medical sciences and has
recently begun digitalization of academic information with a focus on services of digital documents. The Library has subscriptions to approximately 75 major e-journals in the medical sciences. We also provide links to approximately 36,000 e-journals included in the pack- ages (Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Springer, Oxford, Cambridge, Nature, etc.) that Kobe University Library subscribes to. All University constituent members
can exclusively get free access from their laboratories and homes. The Library is enriched with databases such as ”Web of Science” to get article
information and ”UpToDate” to support clinical practices using Evidence Based Medicine. The rising price of e-journals and the ﬁnancial
condition of the university present a growing challenge. With the kind consideration and support of the School of Medicine, the Graduate
School of Medicine, and University Hospital, we under- write their research and clinical services.

User service

Conclusion

The 1st symposium “From Molecules to Diseases ‒ Neuroscience researches linking benches and clinics” (Fri, February 6, 2015)
Fumio Matsuzaki (RIKEN), Hideki Enomoto (Kobe Univ), Takeshi Imai (RIKEN),
Haruhiko Bito (Univ Tokyo), Dai Watanabe (Kyoto Univ), Tomoyuki Furuyashiki (Kobe Univ),
Mariko Taniguchi-Ikeda (Kobe Univ), Toru Takumi (RIKEN), Hiroyuki Nawa (Niigata Univ)
The 2nd symposium “Molecular network perspectives of higher brain functions and their deﬁcits” (Fri, February 19, 2016)
Mineko Kengaku (Kyoto Univ), Michisuke Yuzaki (Keio Univ),
Masaki Fukata (Natl Inst Physiol Sci), Naoaki Saito (Kobe Univ),
Koji Yamanaka (Nagoya Univ), Tetsuya Suhara (Natl Inst Radiol Sci)
The 3rd symposium “Glial physiology and pathology” (Friday, February 17, 2017)
Shigenobu Kanba (Kyushu Univ), Hiroaki Wake (Kobe Univ), Ko Matsui (Tohoku Univ),
Schuichi Koizumi (Yamanashi Univ), Rieko Muramatsu (Osaka Univ), Takeshi Ikeuchi (Niigata Univ)
The 4th symposium “Ever-changing brain” (Friday, February 16, 2018)
Masanobu Kano (Univ Tokyo), Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama (OIST),
Hidenori Yamasue (Hamamatsu Univ Med), Hisatomo Kowa (Kobe Univ),
Taisuke Tomita (Univ Tokyo), Tetsuaki Arai (Tsukuba Univ)
The 5th symposium “Toward links between microscopic structures and neuroscience” (Friday, February 15, 2019)
Shuya Fukai (Univ Tokyo), Takayuki Uchihashi (Nagoya Univ), Ryo Nitta (Kobe Univ),
Yoshiyuki Kubota (Natl Inst Physiol Sci), Yuki Sugiura (Keio Univ), Takeshi Imai (Kyushu Univ)
The 6th symposium “Neural circuit functions of higher brain functions and dysfunctions in human” (Friday, February 21, 2020)
Kenji Maeda (Otsuka Pharmaceuticals), Yukio Nishimura (Tokyo Met Inst Med Sci),
Atsushi Nambu (Natl Inst Physiol Sci), Takuya Hayashi (RIKEN),
Keiichi Kitajo (Natl Inst Physiol Sci), Takashi Hanakawa (Kyoto Univ), Riki Matsumoto (Kobe Univ)

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

While keeping true to the original concept of our facility, ”the library open for all visitors” in the future, not only for our University’s constituent
members such as medical students, residents, and physicians of the University Hospital, but also more widely for people in the medical
business and medical experts, we expect to improve as a community-based library of medical science resources. We welcome your visit to our
Library.

Summary of the past symposia (Aﬃliations are at the time of symposia)

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Concerning user access, our Library has implemented the special service of 24-hour opening since 1997, which greatly contributes to researchand learning support for our members. Our Library is devoted to maintaining a secure environment, introducing the Library ID Card system atthe entrance since 1999, ﬁrst among the branch libraries of our University. The Library is equipped with 17 Information Science and Technology Center terminals for students, and 5 library PCs for searching the books and journals. As for reading rooms, we provide a bright and relaxedplace for learning, and many students use the rooms until midnight especially before periodic exams or the national exam for medical practitioners.

Co-organizers

Ichiro Sora (Division of Psychaitry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine)
Hideki Enomoto (Division of Neural Diﬀerentiation and Regeneration, ibid.)
Tomoyuki Furuyashiki (Division of Pharmacology, ibid.)
Riki Matsumoto (Division of Neurology, ibid.)
Takashi Sasayama (Division of Neurosurgery, ibid.)
Toru Takumi (Division of Physiology, ibid.) (alphabetical order)
Mitsuharu Endo (Division of Cell Physiology, ibid.)
Yoji Murata (Division of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, ibid.)
Yoshihisa Tachibana (Division of System Neuroscience, ibid.) (alphabetical order)

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

The development of library is one of the pivotal factors in enhancing ouruniversity.
What makes the Library notable both in quantity and quality today began
during theconstruction of the Library of Kobe Medical College more than 50 years ago. In 1961, with the purpose and pledge of establishing the “Ideal
Library for Medical Science”, a $100,000 donation was made from the China Medical Board of New York, and con- struction started, being
completed on July 7, 1962. While the size of the library was not great, the advanced features, rare at the time, such as centralization ofbooksand journals previously stocked in the laboratories and the open shelf system were introduced. The library stood out as a building withstate-of-the-art functions and a characteristic façade. Later, the Library collection became enriched with a large quantity of donated books
from the China Medical Board of New York and the Japanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft. On March 31, 1965, following the promotion of Kobe
Medical College to national status, the library was reorganized into a branch library of Kobe University Library. The existing building was newly
constructed as a combined facility (administration building) with the School of Medicine in October 1996. On April 1, 2004, associated with thenational universities’ conversion into independent corporate entities, the library was transformed and relaunched as the Library for Medical
Sciences, Kobe University Library.

Chairperson
Organizers

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsHistory

Director:
Hideki Enomoto M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Organizational
Chart

Neuroscience Network

History

History

Library for Medical Sciences, Kobe University Library

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

61

62

Kobe Vison for the Healthcare of Tomorrow

Kobe Vison for the Healthcare of Tomorrow

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart
Research
FieldsDevelopment and Application ofAdvanced Medical Technology Section
Raizo Yamaguchi, M.D., Ph.D.

Research
FieldsIn April 2020, the Cabinet Oﬃce approved the local university/regional industry revitalization grant business on thedevelopment of robotic assisted surgical system in Japan that
Kobe City applied for. This grant business consists of four R&D
projects and one human resource development project. Kobe
University Hospital’s International Clinical Cancer ResearchCenter (ICCRC) is in charge of the main researchers and persons
responsible for each project. Kobe University is required toactively participate in the Kobe Vison for the Healthcare ofTomorrow, and is expected to contribute to the developmentof Kobe City and the local economy.
The promotion meeting is presided over by the mayor of Kobe,
Kobe University is in charge of core researchers and managers
of each business, and start-up companies in Kobe participate.
○reference
Kobe Vison for the Healthcare of Tomorrow (Kobe City HP)
https://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/documents/37664/pamphlet_english.pdf

History

History

Kobe Vison for the Healthcare of Tomorrow

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

KobeVison
Kobe
Futurefor theFacts & Fiqures
HealthcarePlan
Medicalof Tomorrow

KobeVison
Kobe
Futurefor theFacts & Fiqures
HealthcarePlan
Medicalof Tomorrow

surgical robot (hinotori)

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation
International Clinical Cancer Research Center（ICCRC）

63

64

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Graduate School of Medicine

Category

International Exchanges of Researchers and Students (2020)

School of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine

University HospitalInternational Clinical Cancer Reserch Center

Professor

34

7

1

Associate Professor

29

8

－

Lecturer

18

28

－

44

54

－

Research Assistant

1

－

－

Designated Teaching Staﬀ

69

44

4

Designated Assistant Professor

－

53

－

Administrative Staﬀ

149

54

7

Medical Service(1):Medical Technologist

1

231

10

Medical Service(2):Nurse

－

948

43

Total

345

1,427

65

●
●

●

●

●
●

●

●
●

●
●
●
●
●

●

●
●

●
●

(As of May.1,2020)

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Number of Students:●●

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsAssistant Professor●

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

Teaching
Staﬀ(As of May. 1, 2020)

School of Medicine
Category/Year

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

Total

Fixed Number of Places

112

117

117

117

117

117

697

Number of Enrollees

112

125

129

107

122

117

712

Igaku Kenkyu-ka

Invited Researchers from Overseas (2019)

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

Fixed Number of Places

100

100

100

100

3400

Number of Enrollees

112

111

107

190

520

1st

2nd

Total

Fixed Number of Places

25

25

50

Number of Enrollees

16

23

39

Students(2018-2020)

InvitedResearchers
from Overseas

35
Facts & Fiqures

30
25
20

■Postgraduate■Undergraduate

2019

Personallysponsored

Governmentsponsored

Personallysponsored

Governmentsponsored

Personallysponsored

2018

65

Medical Students from Overseas (2019)◆2 to 4 week Short Programs

2020■PG Research Students■UG Research Students

Indonesia 22

International
Students◆1 to 4-week Short Programs

Country of Origin

Host Countries
Austraria 2

Indonesia 11

Phiripines 3
Malaysia 3

54

Faculty 6th year Students Studying Abroad (2019)

Singapore 4

France 3

30

Malaysia 1
Germany 2
China 1

MedicalStudents
from Overseas

Taiwan 2

India 3

Taiwan 3
China 18

Indonesia 9

Philipines 2

Thailand 6

Thailand 7

42

Faculty 6th year
Students Studying
AbroadDirections andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

10

Governmentsponsored15

Kenya 1
Tanzania 1

Germany 1

Facts & Fiqures

Morocco 1
Tunisia 1
Myanmar 1
Turkey 1
France 1
Bangladesh 2
Egypt 2Visiting
Researchers
from Overseas

Indonesia 1

Iran 1Country of Origin

40

2

8

Malaysia 1

Philipines 1

International Students (2020)

USA 1

Austraria 1

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

International

Country of Origin
Korea 2

Graduate School of Medicine:Division of Biomedical Sciences(Master's)Category/Year

Visiting Researchers from Overseas (2019)

Country of Origin
Egypt 1

Graduate School of Medicine(PhD)
Category/Year

History

History

Number of Academic Staﬀ:

USA 9

Singapore 466Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures

Academic Exchange Agreements: Grarduate School of Medicine School of Medicine
Conclusion
Date

InterInterFaculty/ Student
University Graduate Exchange
School

○Accumulated Total 2019: PhD (Course): 2,970 PhD (Papers): 2,166 Master's:466
200○

Dong-A University School of Medicine

2015.04.03

Asia

ThailandFaculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University

2013.02.20

○

○

Asia

ThailandFaculty of MedicineRamathibodi Hospital Mahidol University

2013.05.31

○

○

Asia

ThailandFaculty of Tropical Medicine Mahidol University

2013.04.10

○

○

Asia

ThailandFaculty of Public Health Mahidol University

2015.04.07

○

○

Asia

Philippines

College of Medicine University of the Philippines Manila

2014.06.13

○

Asia

Singapore

Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine National University of Singapore

2014.01.30

○

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine University of Indonesia

2012.02.07

○

○

60

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine Gadjah Mada University

2014.12.01

○

○

40

Asia

China

China Medical University

2002.06.25

○

○

North
America20

USA

University of Hawaii Jhon A. Burns School of Medicine

2019,09.23

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine Universitas Airlangga

2018.09.04

Asia

Malaysia

International Medical University

2019.12.17

○

Asia

Viet Nam

Hanoi Medical University

2016.08.01

○

North
America

USA

University of Washington School of Medicine

2011.05.12

Asia

ThailandFaculty of Medicine Chiang Mai University

Asia

Bangladesh Chittagong Medical College

Asia

ThailandEurope

180
160
140
120
100

○

○

○

2015.12.10○○

Chiang Mai University Faculty of Nursing

2018.04.20○○

Belgium

Université catholique de Louvain, Health Sciences

2015.11.30

○

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine Andalas University

2013.10.08

○

Asia

TaiwanTaipei Medical University College of Medicine and College of Nursing 2015.05.20

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran

2014.08.04

North
America

USA

University of Pittsburgh

2009.06.25

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University

2014.11.07

○

Asia

China

The Aﬃiated Hospital of Qingdao University

2015.03.16○

EuropeGermany

Asklepios Medical School, Semmelweis University

2015.06.01

○

Asia

Philippines

St. Luke's Medical Center

2015.10.12

○

Asia

TaiwanCollege of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medial University

2016.03.09

○

○

Asia

ThailandFaculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University

2016.10.18

○

○

Asia

Nepal

2017.02.17

○

North
America

CanadaTribhuvan University Institute of Medicine
Campbell Family institute for Breast Cancer Research,
University Health Network

2018.07.18

○

Asia

Indonesia

Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University

2019.02.11

○

Asia

China

School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong

2018.12.19

○

North
America

CanadaRoyal Institution for the advancenment of Learning/
McGill University

2019.10.15

○

Asia

CambodiaInternational University

2019.10.08

○

Asia

Lao

Faculty of Medical Technology, University of Health Sciences

2020.02.13○

EuropeSlovakia

Comenius University

2020.03.20

○

○

○

○

○
○
○

○

2019

2017

2015

2013

2011

2009

2007

2005

2003

2001

1999

1997

1995

1993

1991

1989

1987

1985

1983

1981

Aspects of Research Performance◆

Major Achievements of the Graduate School of Medicine
2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

1181（931）

1201（943）

1188（979）

1362（945）

130(129)

［101］

［116］

［117］

［135］

［10］

Number of Authors

146

151

144

91

18

Number of Research Publications

3012

3129

2922

2930

10

Number of Monograghs［Number of international collaborative paperst of all of the above］

Figures in parentheses: Number of peer-reviewed monographs.
*Source of citation counts: Thomson & Reuter, Inc., InCitesTM (Date of Citation Counting: July 2020)◆○○（Date of Citation Counting: May 2020)
Patents and Inventions developed at the Graduate School of Medicine
2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Number of Patent Applications(Domestic)

22

18

12

8

2

Number of Patent Applications(PCT)

0

7

7

5

1

Number of Patent Applications(Respective countries)

4

10

8

16

0

Number of Patent Registrations(Domestic)

3

5

3

4

0

Number of Patent Registrations(Overseasc)

11

7

6

7

0

Number of Inventions

29

16

12

11

3

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation○■Master’s

Facts & Fiqures

Facts & Fiqures2013.06.05■PhD（Paper）

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

○

○

1979

■PhD（Course）

○

○

1977

0
○

1975

○

1973

〇

1971

80

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Korea

Research
FieldsResearch
FieldsAsia

1969

Faculty/ Graduate School/ University/ Institute

Organizational
Chart

Organizational
Chart

67

Country/
Region1967

Area

Number of Degrees Awarded

History

History(As of April.1,2020)68

Directions and Transportration
交通アクセス

Directions and Transportration
交通アクセス
地図内の必要な名称、または不要なものを教えてください。

Access from Airports○Access from Osaka International Airport(ITAMI)
Take Osaka Monorail from “Osaka Airport” station and get off at “Hotarugaike” station (time required: 3 min). Change to Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line and get off
at "Juso" station (time required: 15 min). Change to Hankyu Kobe Main Line and get off at " Kosoku-Kobe" station (time required: 25 min).

・By BusTake ofthe Limousine
Bus bound Schoolfor "Kobe Sannomiya"from KansaiInternational(time required: 65 min). At "Sannomiya" station, change to Kobe
Dean
the Graduateof Medicine
andSchoolAirportof Medicine
Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line and get off at "Okurayama" station (2nd stop, time required: 3 min).
Kobe
WhenUniversity
using a limousine bus, go out of the passenger terminal building to buy a ticket for "Kobe Sannomiya" at the ticket counter; board the bus at No. 6 bus

Shin-Kobe

Okurayama
Kosoku- Kobe

Hankyu Kobe Main Line

Juso

Osaka

JR Kobe Line

continuous education from undergraduate to graduate level. We strive to cultivate outstanding doctors and medical○Access from Kobe Airport

Nanba

Port Island LineTake Port Island
Line
from
“Kobe
Airport” station
off at “Sannomiya”
station(time
required: treatment
17 min). Change
Kobe Municipal
Seishin-Yamate
researchers
who
will
be
responsible
forandthegetfutureof medicine
andmedicalin toJapanand theSubway
world,and ourLine and get off at "Okurayama" station (time required: 3 min).

graduates
possess a rich humanity and strong ethics combined with specialized knowledge and techniques, inAccess from Stations on Shinkansen line

TennojiInternational Clinical Cancer Research Center（ICCRC）

Iryo Center○Access from “Shin-Kobe” station
collaboration
with Hyogo Prefecture have enabled us to enhance medical care in underpopulated areas of theTake Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line from “Shin-Kobe” station and get off at "Okurayama" station (time required: 5 min).

prefecture by training enthusiastic medical practitioners. Recently, we have also been furthering our cultivation of key

Izumisano

Access from the nearest stations to Kusunoki Campus○Access from
JR "Kobe" station
medicalresearchers
by establishing the Medical Scientist Training program and the MD-PhD program.

Kusunoki Campus

School and Graduate School of Medicine are engaged in international academic exchange through our International
To the nearest stations

To Hirano

Access from Airports
Collaborative
Research Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases in Indonesia, and our collaborations

Kobe Bunka HallTo Gakuentoshi・Myodani

International Medical Device Alliance（IMDA）

Kusunoki-cho, 6

no

mi

ya

Minatogawa
ShrineSan
KOBE Rapid Transit Railway

To Hankyu
Sannomiya

Kosoku Kobe Station（ Basement Level）
Tamon-dori, 6

Bus Terminal

On foot: about 5 minutes

1 69

The Japanese Museum of Anesthesiology

n
tio
Sta

Taxi Stand

To
A

kas

hi

cooperation and international cooperation, in order to further develop the School of Medicine, Graduate School of
Medicine, Kobe University Hospital, and Kobe University.

International Clinical Cancer
Research Center（ICCRC）

Ko

Access from the nearest stations to International Clinical Cancer Research Center（ICCRC）

To Hanshin
Sannomiya

Iryo Center Station

Kobe City Medical Center General Hospitalquality of education, research and medical care. Under the leadership of Kobe University’s President, I will strive to○Access from
Portstrengthen
Island Line "Iryo Center"stationpromoteandinterdisciplinary
research, industry-academia-government cooperation, regional

Port Island Line

Oku

Kobe City Subway

Directions andTransortation

Directions andTransortation

Take Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line from “Shin-Kobe” station and get off at "Sannomiya" station (time required: 2 min). Change to Port Island Line
Graduate
School of Medicine’s basic medical divisions, clinical divisions and the University Hospital in terms of thefrom "Sannomiya" station and get off at "Iryo Center" station (time required: 12 min).

nnom
To Sa
tion
a Sta
rayam

Kobe

Shin-

iya・

Take JR (Japan Railways) from “Shin-Osaka” station and get off at "Sannomiya" station (time required: 25 min). Change to Port Island Line from "Sannomiya"disasters
and climate change.
station and get off at "Iryo Center" station (time required: 12 min).

Thanksto your continued support and cooperation, we are improving the uniﬁed strengths of the School and○Access from “Shin-Kobe” station

Kusunoki Campus

To

Accesscanfrom
Stations
on Shinkansen
line
which
deal
with thevarious imminentenvironmental changes, such as the next infectious disease outbreak,○Access from “Shin-Osaka” station

Daigaku-Byoinmae Bus stop

Facts & Fiqures

Take Port Island Line from “Kobe Airport” station and get off at "Iryo Center" station (time required: 7 min).

societal and global levels. This role will be absolutely indispensable in building resilient societies, a resilient world,

Minami Koen Station

Kobe Municipal Bus

Facts & Fiqures

coronavirus
crisisAirport
has been an opportunity for the vital role of medicine and medical care to be re-recognized on both○Access from Kobe

To Sannnomiya

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

Kobe Future
Medical Plan

○Access from Kansai International Airport(KIX)
producingeminent graduates who are highly international. Furthermore, we will strengthen our cooperation with・By Railway
Take JR (Japan Railways) Kansai Airport Line from "Kansai Airport" station and get off at "Osaka" station (time required: 1 hour). Change to JR Kobe Line and get
regional
medical organizations, research institutes and industries in Hyogo Prefecture, such as those in Kobe City,
off at "Sannomiya" station (time required: 25 min). Change to Port Island Line from "Sannomiya" station and get off at "Iryo Center" station (time required: 12
min).
playinga central role in community medicine and furthering regional innovation in medicine and medical treatment.
When taking a train from "Kansai Airport," go up to the second floor of the passenger terminal building and go through the passage to the concourse.
・By Bus
TheTakenovel
coronavirus crisis that began in early 2020 has had a huge impact on education, research and medical care
the Limousine Bus bound for "Kobe Sannomiya" from Kansai International Airport (time required: 65 min). At "Sannomiya" station, change to Port IslandLine from "Sannomiya" station and get off at "Iryo Center" station (time required: 12 min).
at theSchool of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Kobe University Hospital. Thanks to everyone’s support
When using a limousine bus, go out of the passenger terminal building to buy a ticket for "Kobe Sannomiya" at the ticket counter; board the bus at No. 6 bus
stop.
andKATEhard
work,
we havebeenable to conduct safe and secure education, medical care and research under these
AirportLimousine
web sitehttps://www.kate.co.jp/
・By MK "Skygateshuttle" Omnibus
circumstancesthedigitalandtoremotemethods. We
are andalsoHyogo-ku
currently
establishingan
It is a service that throughdelivers frompromoting
Kansai Airport totheuseplaceofof visit.
The fares
Chuo-ku, Higashinada-ku,
Nada-ku,in Kobeare 2500 yen (one-way
charge per person), and reservations are required in advance.
educationsystem web
for sitethe http://www.mktaxi-japan.com/
corona/post-corona eras that will feature hybrid classes and blended classes. The current
MK "Skygateshuttle"N

st○Access from Osaka International Airport(ITAMI)
Take
Osaka Monorailfrom as“Osakastation ofandWashington
get off at “Hotarugaike”(timeUniversity
required: 3 min).
to Hankyu Takarazuka
Line and get off
withinstitutions
such
theAirport”
University(USA)stationand theof Change
Oslo (Norway).
We aimMain
to increaseat "Juso" station (time required: 15 min). Change to Hankyu Kobe Main Line and get off at "Sannomiya" station (time required: 25 min). Change to Port Island Line“Sannomiya” stationand get off at "Iryomedical
Center" station(time required:
12 min).
ourfrom
contribution
to international
researchand treatment
through various initiatives while focusing on

International Clinical Cancer
Research Center（ICCRC）

N

We

International Clinical Cancer Research Center（ICCRC）

Kansai International Airpoｒt

JR-methods and treatments based on an in-depth understanding of various diseases’ pathology. In addition, both theHinenoKobe Airpot

By taxi: about 5 minutes
Kobe
City Bus: TakeNo. 9 toof
"Daigaku-Byoin-Mae"
At By
the
Graduate
SchoolMedicine, we bus
arestop.
promoting cutting-edge, fundamental medical research and clinical○Access from Kobe Kosoku Railway/ Hankyu/ Hanshin " Kosoku-Kobe" station
On foot: about
15 ﬁelds
minutes of medicine, medical treatment and life sciences based on our collaborations with researchresearchin the○Access from Kobe Municipal Subway "Okurayama" station
On foot: about
5 minutes
institutions
bothdomestically and abroad. We aim to bring about distinctive innovation by conducting research (suchas research into new drugs and the development of medical devices) with the goal of producing new diagnosis

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

Cooperative
Education and Research Neuroscience
Graduate Program Centers,and Library
Network in Kobe

○Access from “Shin-Osaka” station
addition
to a scientiﬁc perspective and international awareness. Also, our special regional ties developed throughTake JR (Japan Railways) from “Shin-Osaka” station and get off at "Kobe" station (time required: 30 min).

Shin-Osaka

Umeda

Sannomiya

Kobe

Osaka MonorailResearch
FieldsResearch
Fieldsstop.
KATE Airport Limousine web site https://www.kate.co.jp/
・By MK "Skygateshuttle" Omnibus
It is a service that delivers from Kansai Airport to the place of visit. The fares to Chuo-ku, Higashinada-ku, Nada-ku, and Hyogo-ku in Kobe are 2500 yen (one-way
per person),and reservations
are requiredin advance.
Thecharge
Facultyand Graduate
Schoolof Kobe
University’s School of Medicine provide students with a comprehensive,
MK "Skygateshuttle" web site http://www.mktaxi-japan.com/

Sanyo Shinkansen LinebeOrganizational
Chart

off at "Kobe" station (time required: 30 min).

Divisionof aCell
Physiology
When taking
train from
"Kansai Airport," go up to the second floor of the passenger terminal building and go through the passage to the concourse.

Kusunoki Campus

Kyoto

Organizational
Chart

Line
amate
hin-Y
y Seisubwa
ipal S
Munic
Kobe○Access from Kansai International Airport(KIX)

・By Railway
Professor
MINAMI Yasuhiro, M.D., Ph.D.
Take JR (Japan Railways) Kansai Airport Line from "Kansai Airport" station and get off at "Osaka" station (time required: 1 hour). Change to JR Kobe Line and get

Hotarugaike
Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line

Osaka International Airport

History

History

Kusunoki Campus
Messagefrom the Dean
To the nearest stations

To Kobe Airport70