COINSA Future Created by“In-Body Hospital”
Contents
2

Special feature“In-Body Hospital” isnʼt a dream- Expectations towards Japanʼs future leaders, COINS

Hiroshi KOMIYAMA (Chairman, COI Stream Governing Committee)

4

Talking about COINSCOINS - A New Open Innovation Platform

Kazunori KATAOKA, Hiromichi KIMURA, Yuzuru MATSUDA

8

Getting to know COINS

Six approaches toward the realization of“In-Body Hospital”

10 COINSʼ hub

Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM)
supports COINSʼ cutting-edge research

14 Activity Report・COINS 2nd International Symposium

Open Innovation Platform for a Smart Health Society

・Topics
・Retreat Camp・5th Group MeetingSpecial feature

In-Body Hospital
isn t a dream−Expectations towards
Japans future leaders, COINS

Hiroshi KOMIYAMACOI Makes a Successful
Example of Implementing
Innovation in Society
In order for Japan to survive future international
competition and to achieve economic revival, it is necessary
for revolutionary innovation to be continuously created. The
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, andTechnology’s‘Radical Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Program (COI STREAM)’is a collaborative research anddevelopment support program integrating different fields andis aimed at practical application right from the basic research
stage for the purpose of developing an innovation platform forthe creation of radical innovation in Japan. Currently, with 3
established major visions, 18 centers are being supported
nationwide beginning with COINS (Center of Open Innovation
Network for Smart Health). The requirements for a center
are twofold; defining the shape and way of life of society
derived from future needs and the establishment of a 10-year
research and development theme based on this, and theimplementation of a research and industry-academic
cooperation system that removes the walls between theexisting areas and organizations. At about the time thisprogram is completed, it is hoped that Japan will build afoundation as a globally renowned nation for innovation. My
own view is that we are working on the management of aprogram with a sense of mission.
Producing social value by a combination with social system
reform and not just renewal of science and technology
innovation is the essence of‘innovation’as described by J. A.
Schumpeter’s‘new bonds.’The foundation of advanced
science and technology in Japanese academia has produced 16
Nobel prize winners as we enter the 21st century and isclearly second only to the US. Many problems remain,

2 | NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016

Chairman,
COI Stream Governing Committeehowever, in the practical application and social implementation

casting.

of the study results. For example, in industry-academic

With smart nanomachines that are the research seeds ofcooperation which should primarily be a place for creation ofProf. Kataoka, the research leader, and nano-sized micelles

innovation according to research results, the wall between
organizations formed by a division of roles such as
academia = research and development and business = social
implementation has become an obstruction to the creation of
innovation.
Silicon Valley solves many problems that hinder social
implementation and will lead to one of the world’s leadinginnovation platforms. More specifically, people with ideas andresearch results can easily obtain the human and financial
support necessary to try social implementation, theregulations and organizations are flexible and the point that a
re-challenge is easy even in failure is a feature of Silicon
Valley. The wall between the above organizations is probably
also present in Silicon Valley but problems are thought to beunlikely to surface because of the above advantages andbecause renewal of businesses and personnel are ongoing.
The creation of innovation in Silicon Valley is a good
example showing that renewal and changes in the social
system in science and technology are working well with eachother but it is not practical to introduce these into Japan withits differences in history and culture. Therefore, while COI
takes up a good portion of the existing innovation platform, it
is exploring a solution to move forward in Japan. If Japanpositively embraces advanced technology and culture andalso the many existing problems, I think an environment
beyond Silicon Valley can be achieved. A successful example
of innovation must first be created in society and this is thetarget for COI. Therefore, a structured team will beorganized in COI and a system for problem accumulation andsolving such as for regulations impairing analysis andencapsulating a named drug coursing through the body,“InBody Hospital”aims at early detection and treatment of, forexample, major diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
before the individual is aware of them.
If“In-Body Hospital”is realized, patients are healthy untilright up to their death. Like an incredible story, nanomachines
loaded with anticancer agents are already at the practicalstage and the realization of revolutionary new drugs with few
side effects has come to the fore.
“In-Body Hospital”will also soon be realized. I think many
products and services will emerge in the steps up to therealization of“In-Body Hospital.”If ventures and new
businesses appear thick and fast, a way through will likely
open up in the conservative Japanese mind. Prof. Kimura, theproject leader, is playing a major role and, as Prof. Kimura has
management experience in global businesses and has operated
venture capital management businesses, he is expected tobring about certain success.
For some time, I have said that Japan should aim at being a‘problem-solving developed country.’
The challenges facing
Japan now will, before long, be problems facing the world. In
developed countries, although materially rich, demand willplateau and economic growth will continue to slow down. For
the continuation of civilization, Japan must present strategies
to overcome problems and requires the attitude to lead theworld.
Quality of life is then sought. Henceforth, an era aimed at anaffluent society in terms of quality rather than quantity willarise. In Japan at the moment, an ecosystem giving rise to a
virtuous circle of industrial creation is needed and we hopethat COINS becomes the major driving force.
The Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM) wascompleted in April last year as a core institute of COINS. An
institution was set up that combined spatial design directed at
Under One Roof and Open Innovation with equipment thatcan be used from organic synthesis to clinical studies in one
go.
Kawasaki City Tonomachi KING SKYFRONT, where
iCONM is located, is full of businesses and research institutes
and has already begun to function as an international strategic
special zone in order to create new industries from researchand development at the world’s highest level. It will be easy tobuild a national and international network as it is close to
Haneda airport and there is a sense that a stage to accelerate
the realization of a hospital inside the body is in place.
Although previously referred to as Silicon Valley and an
example of an earlier innovation platform, the land in
Kawasaki based around iCONM will become“Bio Valley”andit is strongly hoped that COINS will be the driving force.

innovation used to find key success factors is being maintained.
A lot is expected of COINS to quickly produce a successful
example.

I hope this will become a driving
force for creating a mutually
beneficial cycle to improve qualityof life and to create new industries.
COINS, with one of the major visions,“Secure sustainability
as a country advanced in its aging population and declining
birth rate: Smart Life Care, Ageless Society,”has set a future
vision aimed at‘smart life care society’that can achieveautonomous health in daily life free from disease andtreatment without being conscious of the effort, cost anddistance needed for medical treatment.’
For the realization ofthis vision, an extreme sense of creation of innovation is being
felt in the concept of“In-Body Hospital”deduced from back

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Talking about
COINS

COINS - A New Open
Innovation Platform
It has been two years since the Center of Open Innovation Network for Smart Health (COINS)
commenced operations as a part of the Center of Innovation Science and Technology based
Radical Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program (COI STREAM). Project leader Hiromichi
Kimura and research leader Kazunori Kataoka welcomed Dr. Yuzuru Matsuda, visionary leaderof COI STREAM s Vision 1 : Secure sustainability as a country advanced in its aging populationand declining birth rate : Smart Life Care, Ageless Society and chairman of the Kato Memorial
Bioscience Foundation. They talked about the origins and future vision of COINS. Here are somehighlights of the three-man talk that lasted over two hours.

Kazunori KATAOKA

Hiromichi KIMURA

Yuzuru MATSUDA

Professor, Department of Materials Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering / Center for
Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate
School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

Professor, Pharmaco-Business Innovation,
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
The University of Tokyo

Chairman, Kato Memorial Bioscience Foundation
Visionary Leader of COI STREAM Vision 1

Director General, KAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF
INDUSTRY PROMOTION Innovation Center of
NanoMedicine (iCONM), COINS Research Leader

Received a PhD in engineering at Graduate School ofEngineering, The University of Tokyo in 1979. After
serving as an assistant at the Tokyo Women s Medical
University and a professor at the Tokyo University of
Science, he took his current position in 1998. Between
2001 and 2004, he took up the additional post as
Director of the Biomaterials Center, National Institute forMaterials Science. From 2004, he also began serving as
a professor at Center for Disease Biology and Integrative
Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The Universityof Tokyo. Since then he has held various posts suchas Project Leader of the University of Tokyo Center for
NanoBio Integration, Project Leader of the Global COE
Medical System Innovation through Multidisciplinary
Integration, and principal investigator of the FIRST
program Development of Innovative Diagnostic andTherapeutic Systems Based on Nanobiotechnology.
From 2013, he began supervising research under the
COI program. His areas of expertise include developmentof drug delivery systems (DDS) through macromolecular
nanotechnology and material design for regenerative
medicine.

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COINS Project Leader, KAWASAKIINSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION
Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM)

Received a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at Graduate
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University ofTokyo in 1979, and received an MBA at Graduate Schoolof Business, Stanford University in 1985. He has held
various positions, at Kyowa Hakko Kogyo in 1979, J.P.
Morgan in 1986, Amersham Pharmacia Biotech in 1997,and served as President and Representative Director of
Monsanto Japan Ltd. from 1998 to 2000. He foundedLife Science Management in 2000, and is currently
serving as CEO and Partner of Fast Track Initiative,
Inc. since 2004. He is also a co-sponsor of the FIRST
program Development of Innovative Diagnostic andTherapeutic Systems Based on Nanobiotechnology,
Executive Director of the Japan Association of Corporate
Executives, and Vice Chairman of the Japan Stanford
Association. He specializes in the ﬁelds of life science,
pharmaceutical management theory, and medical
management.

Received a PhD in agricultural sciences at Graduate
School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The Universityof Tokyo in 1977, and then joined Kyowa Hakko Kogyo.
Having served as a principal investigator at the Tokyo
laboratory, he rose through the ranks as Directorof the Medical General Research Center in 19 9 9,
Executive Oﬃcer in 2000, Managing Director in 2002,
and President and Representative Director in 2003.
Following the merger with Kirin Pharma in 2008, he
was made President of Kyowa Hakko Kirin, and served
as corporate advisor from 2012 to 2014. In 2012, hebecame chairman of the Kato Memorial Bioscience
Foundation. After joining the Japan Association of
Corporate Executives in 2003, he has held posts on
various important committees, such as the Committee
for 100 Million Inhabitants in Japan, the Committee for
Promoting Measures against the Declining Population,and the Strategic Project for Improving Innovation andCompetitive Power.

The concept of “In-Body Hospital”
born from the backcasting
approach of COI STREAM
How was the COINS's concept of In-Body Hospitalconceived when selected for COI STREAM ?
Matsuda: The COI STREAM program envisions how
society and people should look 10 years in the future. In
the program, which is run by MEXT and the Japanese
Science and Technology Agency (JST), three visions forreaching this goal are set, including Vision 1: “Securesustainability as a country advanced in its aging
population and declining birth rate,” where COINS is
included (p. 2).
The most prominent feature of COI STREAM is theuse of a way of thinking known as backcasting, a planning
method that starts by defining a desirable future, andthen identifying what should be done in the present inorder to realize that future, and putting that into practice.
The COI STREAM program requires that all departments envision the shape of society 10 years from now,
and always keep in mind what needs to be done now.
Kimura: This is where our concept of “In-Body Hospital”
comes in. With our platform of open innovation leading thereform into a smart life care society, we came up with thisconcept as our vision of a “desirable future” (Fig. 1).
If one of the goals of humanity is to live long andhealthy, disease is a big problem. If we are able tocompletely solve this problem, then we would no longer
need hospitals. Having to go to the hospital when you getsick is an old medical model, and a truly rich society is
one structured so that people can be healthy even withoutworrying about their health. With home healthcare andwearable devices rapidly evolving, we think that thelogical endpoint will be a “hospital of smart nanomachinesinside the body.” Before reaching this point, however, we
are ﬁrst aiming to eliminate diseases with a heavy social

burden, such as cancer, using smart nanomachines.
Kataoka: You would always have ahospital nearby. In fact, you would becarrying it with you, inside your body.
However, since it would be diﬃcult to
introduce all manner of devices into a
healthy human body, we will open theway to realize this concept by using
nanotechnology to diagnose and treat
diseases, or offer faster, affordable
treatment that would not require
hospitalization or quitting oneʼs job(Fig. 2).
Kimura: The cutting-edge technology we strive for should
not be overly expensive, but would be available to a lot of
people in large amounts and at a low cost. We are putting
molecules together into machines, which will cost just a
couple of yen each.
Matsuda: After all, the whole point of innovation is toprovide something that is as cheap as possible, available toeveryone, and which also gives great satisfaction.
Kimura: We have held several meetings where we
repeatedly went over the goal of “In-Body Hospital”
using the backcasting approach. We started with ourgoal, without any means for achieving it. Of course, nothaving any means is a problem. On the other hand, atuniversities, where you may have the means, theconcept of working toward a goal is easily lost. COI
STREAM became a wake-up call to the importance ofapproaching a goal that cannot be found in a university.
Matsuda: Thatʼs right. It has been about three years
since COI STREAM started. Right now, Iʼm visiting the
involved research institutes and heartily telling them touse backcasting again to check how their current
situation ﬁts the vision of the future they are working
towards.

Fig.1“In-Body Hospital”
is a futuristic technology that eﬀectively
suppresses diseases of heavy social
burden, allowing people to live naturally
healthy lives, without the need for humanlabor to maintain their health.
The answer that COINS has come up with is thedevelopment of smart nanomachines, which patrol
inside the body 24 hours, detect signs of disease,perform treatment, and immediately communicates
information to the outside of the body. In order todevelop these dream machines, a number of worldleading nanomedicine research institutionss andcompanies are coming together to conduct joint
research that breaks through the barrier between
industry, academia and government.

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Companies, Universities andResearch institutions can come andgo as they please
COI STREAM puts a lot of effort into collaboration
between industry and academia.
Matsuda: With COI STREAM, we want to create aplatform to support a continuous flow where industryacademia collaboration leads to the creation of new startup companies, launching new technology and service
enterprises. One feature that sets this program apart isthat universities, research institutes and companies arefree to join whenever they want, and then leave if they
do not feel that there is anything in it for them. Thisapproach is quite radical compared to ordinary national
projects that on principle follow an initial plan.
Kimura: In the real world, during
the time it takes to reach thegoal, you keep running into one
unexpected problem after another.
This is doubly true if that goal ishighly innovative. To face thatkind of challenge, there is a needfor a dynamic organizational
management that allows people
from both the industrial sector
and academia who can contributeto achieving the goal to assemble, and then leave once
their contribution is finished, to be replaced with newmembers. In the COI STREAM program, budget andprogress management of the project is discussed with agoverning committee, and work proceeds while receiving
advice from a visionary group. This support system isvery reassuring.
Matsuda: If you think of the speed of commercialization,
it is probably best to let companies take over once you
have made some progress. That way, you can avoid
wasting tax money, and can put innovations into practicequicker.
Fig.2

Kataoka: In COINS, the topics of starting businesses andproduction are always close at hand. In the autumn of lastyear, a sonodynamic therapy method being researched at
COINS, which combines a focused ultrasound machinewith a drug delivery system, was selected by the Japan
Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)
as a project under the Research on Development of New
Medical Devices program. Investigator-initiated clinical
trials will soon be underway.

Conducting research using
the central facility iCONM
Out of the seven COI programs under Vision 1,
what distinguishing features does COINS have?
Matsuda: Vision 1 has a well-balanced selection ofresearch themes, combining monitoring of physical datasuch as diet and exercise and disease risk assessment
before getting sick with information and communication
technology (ICT) like remote medicine. COINS has been
assigned the most challenging and time-consuming task.
With its advantageous location near Haneda airport, andsupport from the city of Kawasaki, expectations on
COINS as an open innovation platform are high.
Kimura: It takes only 10 minutes by taxi from Haneda
airport. The bridge over the Tama River is scheduled tobe completed by 2020, providing a direct connection from
Kawasaki KING SKYFRONT to Haneda airport. That
will make things even more convenient. Another characteristic of COINS is that several universities andcompanies are participating. We are making the best
possible use of the Innovation Center of NanoMedicine(iCONM), where COINS resides, to let a wide variety ofpeople gather, discuss, and share new ideas under one
roof.
Kataoka: iCONM consists of four floors, each with its
own functions: The first floor has micromachining
facilities and clean rooms, the second ﬂoor has facilities

The vision and mission of COINS （See p.8 ‒ 9 for details）

6 | NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016

for material evaluation and organic synthesis, the third
floor has laboratories for cell and genetic experiments,
and the fourth ﬂoor has animal laboratories. Since thesefacilities follow different regulations, it is actually quiterare to have them concentrated in one building like this.
Even in large companies, it is quite common that for
example organic synthesis plants and genetic engineeringlabs are in different locations, and that the researchers
are separate from each other. In order to create close
bonds between people and technology, iCONM is
designed like a big apartment complex with a concierge,
aggregating multiple functions in one building. This is
beneﬁcial for start-up companies wishing to reduce initialcosts, since they do not have to employ new people foreach stage of the R&D process, but can simply conduct
joint research with other tenant organizations at iCONM.
Matsuda: The National Institute of Health Sciences,
responsible for regulations of life sciences, is alsotransferring to KING SKYFRONT. Housing and opticalcompanies, which until now had little involvement withlife sciences, are also gathering here. With thiscombination of different industry types, regulations andlaws will also be revised. If Japan is to become a rolemodel for the world in how to deal with the declining
birthrate and aging population, we hope to build up
iCONM into a platform to enable a prolific stream ofinnovations.

COINS as a place todevelop human resources
COINS is expected to facilitate interaction between
researchers from many different backgrounds.
Kataoka: COINS will also be a good case study in termsof developing human resources. As of now, we have over
100 researchers, about half of which are graduate orundergraduate students. They will gain experience thatwould not be possible at a single university or company,
and will also learn valuable skills for shaping their career,like the backcasting approach.
Kimura: By sharing an ultimate goal with their projectcompanions and keeping the social implementation*1 oftheir research in mind, the young researchers can gain
new perspectives on role delegation and cooperation withpeople in other ﬁelds. They will get training in intellectual
property, raising funds, networking with legal experts,
and management skills. By familiarizing themselves withthese things while they are young, they will be moreproductive as project leaders in the future.
Kataoka: This is why we at COINS are putting a lot ofeﬀort into our yearly training retreat, where the young
researchers donʼt just give a presentation on theirresearch, but also do backcasting together. When we ﬁrst

told them to think of a goal, and then come up with ideas
for reaching that goal, the young researchers were a bit
puzzled, but once they make a habit of this, I am surethat they will come up with some amazing ideas.
Matsuda: Something I want young
resea rchers to understand is t heimportance of acquiring patents andhaving your papers published in major
publications. This is something I learned
when starting up an in-house venture,and is called the 3 Pʼs: Platform, Patent,
and Paper. These are essential for the
success of a start-up company.
Kataoka: For a researcher, writing apaper is an important milestone of oneʼs
research. Patents serve as security forcommercializing the technology you have developed, andis indispensable in gaining the trust of the public.
Kimura: Patents and papers are also important criteria
from the investorsʼ point of view. Here at iCONM, weemploy patent experts, and make it easy to consult withpatent attorneys. We are planning to devise patent
strategies with a robust system as a business entity.
Matsuda: I think both researchers and managers have agreater chance of success if they are ﬁrmly aware of the
purpose of their research and the PDCA cycle*2 from ayoung age. In this sense, iCONM provides a good place
for young researchers to study, with the chance ofconducting joint research and collaboration with partners
overseas, and learn management skills.
Kimura: We would like to show people that putting yourﬁeld of expertise to use in management is a valid career
path. COINS is a place where you can study the realsociety, with a diverse blend of engineering, life science,
management, humanities and social sciences.
Kataoka: Indeed, there is no point in separating scienceand humanities to make society better. What I wish is foryoung people to embrace high-soaring goals, acquire
unique skills and knowledge, and realize their fullpotential.
（ Interviewer : Ayumi KOJIMA, science writer ）Terminology＊1Social implementation＊2

PDCA cycle

To apply and develop one s research results to solve social problems.
A management concept for continuous improvement of processes andquality, consisting of a repetition of four sequential steps: Plan, Do,
Check, Act.

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Getting to know
COINS

8 | NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016

Six approaches toward the“In-Body Hospital”

Targeting cancer, dementia and other ailments that tend to develop
with human aging, COINS has six approaches (or themes) for therealization of In-Body Hospital.

COINS MISSION

realization of

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COINSʼ HubiCONM supports
COINSʼ cutting-edge research

The Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM) was adopted by
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology s(MEXT) Improvement of international science innovation bases using
local resources via industry-university collaboration, and started
operation in Apr. 2015. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities andexperiment apparatus that allows for carrying out R&D related toorganic synthesis, ﬁne processing and preclinical studies, it is a oneof-a-kind research center that aims to promote open innovation
through industry-university-government and medical-engineeringcollaboration.

iCONMʼs VisioniCONM aims to:・Become the hub of Keihin-area Health Kombinat;
・Be the civic pride of Kawasaki;・Continuously create
new medical technology realizing human dream;・Become the worldʼs most innovative research center.

Latest facilities
at the core of nano medical research
iCONM is equipped with the latest analysis devices such as organic synthesis
functions, biochemical experiment functions, a bio hazard countermeasurechamber, an industrial clean room, precision processing, a bio-clean room, labs for
conducting experiments on SPF animals, MRI facilities for animals, NMR, scanning
type electron microscope and in vivo confocal microscope. A research center withthese integrated facilities is extremely rare worldwide - this has become a hub of
R&D towards the realization of In-Body Hospital.

Biosystems experiments area

10 | NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016

Synthesis system experiments area

Material evaluation area
(Non-biosample analysis area)

Clean room area (Class 1000)

The worldʼs first research systemthat realizes “In-Body Hospital”
For the realization of In-Body Hospital, it is essential to promote cross-ﬁeld integration and collaboration,and move forward to create sustainable innovation. It is crucial to have a place where world-class ideas,
technology and human resources can come together for the aim of social implementation, and a system that supports this eﬀort.
As a core center of COINS, iCONM has the following characteristics.

worldʼs first open
01 Theinnovation system thattakes advantage of an
excellent location

There are various companies and research
institutions, from life sciences to iron and steel
industries, near iCONM. The conditions forvarious people and ideas to gather are met,since Haneda International Airport is in close
proximity, providing easy access in and out ofJapan. In order to maximize the environment
and to continuously create high social value,
the KAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRYPR O M OT I O N manages the facilit y, andharmonizes the public nature of municipalities
and the autonomy of research institutions
by introducing the concept of corporate
governance to R&D management.

“under the one roof”
02 Being
accelerates innovation
With the concept of under the one roof,
iCONM tries to establish the shared use of
research equipment, research spaces anddry laboratories to promote active interaction
among researchers. Researchers from COINSparticipating institutions constantly challenge
one another in open innovation, and social
implementation is expected to accelerate via
new breakthroughs.

Research System Under the One RoofKAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION
Kawasaki City

Kanagawa Pref.

Medical Industry Innovation InstituteJapan Radioisotope Association

RIKEN

Central Institute for Experimental Animals

National Institute of Radiological Sciences

National Cancer CenterTokyo Medical and Dental University

Keio University

Tokyo Women's Medical University

Tokyo Institute of Technology

The University of TokyoFujiﬁlm Corporation

Kowa Company Ltd.

Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.

NOF Corporation

Nikon Corporation

NanoCarrier Co., Ltd.

Teijin Limited

Shimadzu Corporation

JSR Life Sciences Corporation

Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.

Magnet Areas
These communication areas are located on the second, third and fourth
floors in the center of the building, and are called Magnet Areas.
These areas are designed for researchers to increase the numberof opportunities to engage with each other, to share information andexchange fruitful ideas through coﬀee breaks and meetings.

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Message for iCONM
From iCONM

Junichiro SONE

Hiroaki KINOH

Director,
KAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF
INDUSTRY PROMOTION

Principal Research Scientist,
Innovation Center for NanoMedicine“Sending Messages From
Kawasaki to the World”
Cutting-edge Research Facilities

Establishment of Innovation Centerof NanoMedicine - Expectations andGoals for the New Facility

Last April, Innovation Center of NanoMedicine(iCONM) began its operation. As a core center of thelife-science and environment field at KING SKYFONT,
the KAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION
developed, and now manages the facility. Taking advantage of the theme of“Monozukuri-city”Kawasaki, via
facilitating industry-academic government collaboration,
it is our project that led to the promotion of academic
research and creation of new industries to implement
the research outcomes of iCONM, which realize
diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as intractable
cancer and Alzheimer s disease in society.
With the kind understanding, cooperation andvaluable support of our related members, including
hometown Tonomachi, we will do our utmost to“sendmessages from Kawasaki to the world”and maintainthis research environment, including the smoothadministration of the various facilities.

Before the opening of iCONM in Jul. 2015, I moved
into the center with a few staff members and worked
together to lay down a foundation for research, andmoreover to create a circumstance where further
research would be able to move forward. As a research
center, iCONM is regarded as a new social experiment.
We aim to benefit society with budding drug discoveries by developing innovative nano-therapeutic
agents, and subsequently setting up new venturecompanies effectively at this center. To make thispossible, the center is an innovative and one-of-a-kind(nowhere in the world does this exist) facility, looking
ahead to the construction of a social system for social
implementation where creation of nano devices, organic
chemistry synthetic and disease model experiments
can be conducted in the same building.
Molding research into shape requires patience,
however I will make an effort so that our research
will be good news for people who are suffering fromcancer and Alzheimer’s disease, by promptly turning
new ideas into commercial realities in this blessed
environment.

KING SKYFRONT : Tonomachiʼs International Strategic HubiCONM is situated at KING SKYFRONT,
a designated national strategic specialzone. The approximately 40 -hectaresite is located to the southwest of
Haneda International Airport, on the
opposite shore of the Tama River. Theinternational strategic hub s formation isin full progress, and new industries arebeing created through R&D at the highest
level in the fields of life sciences andenvironment.
The area was named KING SKYFRONTin Mar. 2011- the King is an acronym of
Kawasaki INnovation Gateway andTonomachi ( Tono referring to theJapanese word king ) - and will lead inJapans progress as a nation, and contributeto global sustainable development.

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Message
From participating companies

Wataru KUROSAWA

Hirofumi SHIONO

Chief Scientist,
Institution for Innovation Frontier ResearchCenter, AJINOMOTO CO.,INC.,

Section Manager,1st Development Section
1st Development Department Medical Business
Development Division, Nikon Corporation

Expectations of COINS and iCONM
as a Corporate Researcher

It all started from the opening,
and will move ahead in a ﬁrm
collaboration

It was Prof. Kataoka’s lecture at a certain conference
that encouraged me to participate in the COINS project.
“In-Body Hospital,”which COINS aims to implement,
seems to be a dream world. However, I begin to wonder
whether it might be feasible, and I want to make that
happen.
To accelerate research development, I am dispatchedto research at iCONM as well. The reason why I
research at iCONM, even though our research center islocated only 20 minutes away, ref lects my great
expectations of the new open innovation system. It has
beneficial effects that allow the researchers of industryacademia-government to do their research, and discuss
face-to-face under one roof in the same spirit.
The participating companies have major roles to playin COINS as well, which is aimed at social implementation, and are strongly urged to make a social
contribution through converting research outcomes intobusiness. It is challenging and I feel that I have a
responsibility to work here as a corporate researcher. I
will try my best to work for social implementation
through trial and error.

We moved into iCONM under the agreement to be“under the one roof”as the concept. Our company
develops and sells optical products such as cameras,
microscopes, semiconductor production equipment, andnow just before commemorating our 100-year anniversary of the company, we have started to expand ourbusiness into the field of medical care.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to express thepotential of nano medicine by collaborating with Prof.
Takanori Ichiki of The University of Tokyo for sometime. At first, I felt awkward and had some anxieties
regarding“open innovation,”however when I heard of
the director general’s concept of“It all started fromthe opening, and will move ahead in a firm collaboration,”my working stance became clearer and now I
am content working here at iCONM. From within, thisenvironment is excellent for“a person who wants to do”
and/or“a person who wants to create,”and I amaware that this center is suitable for“monozukuri”inintegrated areas of science, biology and engineering.
In future, I will continue to positively cooperate with
iCONM towards the realization of its vision.

Forefront technology
to the world

KI NG S K Y FRONT is positioned in the
Keihin Seaside area, where the Keihininternational trade port is also located, near
Haneda International Airport. It is connectedwith major highway network systems suchas the Metropolitan Expressway, Tomei
E xpressway, Tokyo Bay Aqua Line andN atio n al R o ute 1, a n d is a c c ele rating
collaboration between Japan with the rest of
the world.

NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016

| 13

ACTIVITY REPORTCOINS 2nd International Symposium“Open Innovation Platform for Smart Health Society”
The COINS 2nd International Symposium was held at Ito International
Research Center on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015 under the theme Open
Innovation Platform for Smart Health Society. There were three oral
sessions, respectively titled Integration of Research & Technologies,
Innovation Ecosystem in Kawasaki and Global Innovation Ecosystem. A
total of 10 speakers gave fascinating presentations and proposals, and theparticipants joined in active discussion. For the poster session, there were
23 presentations given mainly by young researchers and audience
participation was high.
The panel discussion comprised of four invited panelists, led by moderator
Prof. Kimura, PL, and joined by Prof. Kataoka, RL. The symposium attracted
over 250 participants and was a fruitful opportunity for the COINS members
to reaffirm their determination in promoting research development, andrealize the social implementation of its outcome.

Panelist

Panelist

Panelist

Research Leader, COINS, KAWASAKIINSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering/ Graduate School of Medicine
The University of TokyoJapan Science andTechnology Agency (JST)Senior Fellow

Project Professor,
Translational Research Initiative,
The University of Tokyo

Kazunori KATAOKA

Takeo ARIMOTO

Masuhiro KATO

Mr.Assaf Barnea

Dr.Leonidas Karapiperis

Mr.Dong Wu

Dr.Muthiah ManoharanDr.Sai Kiang Lim

Panelist

Panelist

Moderator

Director,
TERUMO Corporation

President,
Nagase Corporation

Project Leader, COINS, KAWASAKIINSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION
Project Professor, Graduate School of
Pharmaceutical Sciences,
The University of Tokyo

Koji NAKAO

Akiyuki NAGASE

Hiromichi KIMURA

Panel Discussion

Topics 2015.4 〜 2015.12
4.3.2015 【News articles】The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun"Quest for Advanced Research"
Research Leader Prof. Kataoka's research was introduced. "UTokyo, developes gene
capsule - deliver to cancer tissue by exposing light"

4.30.2015 【Lecture】Prof. Kataoka was awarded from School of Pharmacy, Universityof Wisconsin-Madison to have 2015 Louis W. Busse Lectures on April 30 and May 1,
2015. (PDF)

4.9.2015 【News articles】Project Leader Prof. Kimura's Inter view Published:"Discussion of Industry Collaboration at General Meeting of Japanese Association of
Medical Sciences, Hope for Convenience Stores and Express Parcel Delivery Services"

5.4.2015 【Award】Prof. Kataoka received Gutenberg Research Award 2015 (article
on Jan. 26, 2015) and the award ceremony was held on May 4 at University of Mainz
where he presented his award lecture. The Gutenberg Award is a highly prestigious
award that is given to outstanding scientists from the field of material sciences every
year. Please visit the website below (English) for more details regarding the contents of
his award-winning research and the awards ceremony.
・Gutenberg Research Award 2015 goes to polymer chemist Kazunori Kataoka andtheologian Kwok Pui Lan
・Gutenberg Research College welcomes new members and bestows the 2015
Gutenberg Research Award

4.10.2015 【News articles】Research Leader Prof. Kataoka's research was introduced.
"Bank conveyance of mRNA to nanoparticle"
4.14.2015 【News articles】Prof. Kataoka will appear on the news program of TV(BS Nippon TV) at 10pm (Japanese time) on April 14, 2015, explaining the recent
achievements of his research on nanomachines (polymeric micelles).
4.15.2015 【News articles】Theme5 Leader Prof. Nishiyama's Interview published.
Prof. Nishiyama hopes to add value to existing chemical compounds using polymer
technlology.

5.9.2015 【News article】KING SKYF R ONT will be featured on TV Kawasaki(tvk)'s"Love Kawasaki" on Saturday May 9, 2015. iCONM will be introduced on the program
during Prof. Kataoka's interview. iCONM will be featured for the first time on terrestrial
broadcasting, so please watch it.

4.17.2015 【Video】Prof. Kataoka was featured in a Kawasaki SkyFront i-Newsletter
special video interview. The research concept of iCONM and what we are expecting ofKING SKYFORNT are addressed. Please visit our website.

6.3.2015 【News article】Prof. Kataoka and his group's achievements in nanomedicine
for cancer treatment was highlighted on "Scientific American."4.23.2015 【Events】COINS seminar #8 was held at iCONM on Thursday, April 23.
Lecturer: Dr. Axel H. E. Müller Title: "Self-Organized Multicompartment Nanostructures
Inspired by the Cell: Basic Findings and Biomedical Applications"

6.4.2015 【News article】Research project on "Polymer Nanomachine" has been
carried on "METI Journal" (PDF:Japanese) published from Ministry of Economics,
Technology, and Industry, Japan"

4.30.2015 Associate Prof. Horacio Cabral and Assistant Prof. Yutaka Miura held apress conference on Kataoka lab's "Systemic Targeting of Lymph Node Metastasis
through the Blood Vascular System by Using Size-Controlled Nanocarriers" on
Tuesday, Apr. 30. Please go to the following website. Research is ongoing to develop
nanomachines for practical use.
・Polymeric micelles for targeting lymph node metastasis (UTokyo Research)
・Press Release on May 1, 2015 in School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

6.10.2015 【Press release】The University of Tokyo (Prof. Kataoka), Tokyo Instituteof Technology (Prof. Nobuhiro Nishiyama), National Institute of Radiological Sciences(Team Reader, Ichio Aoki) and COINS held a press conference on Wednesday, June 10
on MI PENG, Principal Investigator of Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM) the
paper, "Hybrid calcium phosphate-polymeric micelles incorporating gadolinium chelates
for imaging-guided gadolinium neutron capture tumor therapy," ACS Nano

14 | NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016

Activity Report
6.19.2015 【Activity report】4th COINS General meeting was held on Friday, June 19.
6.27.2015 【News article】Research of the Kataoka Lab. was introduced in NHK TV
program "Ohayo Nippon" on Saturday, June 27. The title was "Targeting Cancer Cells
alone - Development of Nano-scaled capsule. The same topic was reported in the NHK
NEWS web as "Targeting Cancer Cells - Development of Nano-scaled capsule" on thesame day.
6.29.2015 【Activity Report】COINS Semiar #9 was held on Monday, June 29 at
iCONM.
7.8.2015 【Press release】Tuesday,June 23. Research of Prof. Kataoka was introduced
in web page of Advanced Medicine Promotion Organization（AMPO）-movie7.13.2015 【Activity Report】The Opening Ceremony of the iCONM was held on
Monday, July 13.
【News Article】The Opening Ceremony scene was broadcasted on Monday, July 13
on TVK "tvk news ." It was also appeared in the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Kanagawa
Shimbun and Kanakoro Kanagawa Shimbun News (web.) on Tuesday, July 14.
7.21.2015 The theme leader Prof. Nishiyama's reserch was introduced in Nikkei Sango
Shimbun on Tuesday, July 21 as an Innovator of Japan. Its title was "A New approach
on Drug Deliery System by Prof. Nobuhiro Nishiyama, Tokyo Institute of Technology Detection of Cancer → Treatment in one day (An Innovator of Japan)"
7.30.2015 【News article】RL Prof. Kataoka's research was introduced in "How to live
in security and safety" corner in Mainichi Evening Paper on Thursday, July 30. The title
was "Anticancer Delivery System - Nanomachines - reduce the risk of side-effects andenhance its effect.
8.4.2015 【Activity Report】"K ING SK YF R ONT Summer Science Event 2015"
organizeda by Kawasaki City was held on Tuesday, August 4.
【News Article】Article about "KING SKYFRONT Summer Science Event 2015" wasappeared in Asahi Shimbun (P.29) and Kanagawa Shimbun (P.19)
8.7.2015 【News article】The Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM) was
introduced in Asahi Shimbun (P.28) on Friday, August 7. The Headline was "Nano
Medical Center starts its operation - Innovation Center of Kawasaki"
8.13.2015 【News article】News about Gutenberg Research Award given to Prof.
Kataoka was published in August 4, 2015 Issue of Angewandte Chmie International
Edition, the official scientific journal of German Chemical Society.
8.19.2015 【Newspaper】Innovation Center of Nanomedicine (iCONM) was featured in"A corner of analyze advance research center" in Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun on Aug. 19(Wed.), 2015. The title is "Innovation Center of Nanomedicine Application of capsule Industry-academic-gervernment collaboration."
8.21.1.2015 【Report】The paper entitled "Induction of secondary structure throughmicellization of an oppositely charged pair of homochiral block- and homopolypeptides
in an aqueous medium" from our lab that was published in Macromolecular Rapid
Communications, was featured in MaterialsView.
MaterialsView: Understanding higher-ordered structures in polypeptides
8.24.2015 【Award】Prof. Kataoka received "Advanced Materials Award 2015" fromInternational Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM). Award ceremony and award
lecture were held at Stockholm, Sweden on August 24, 2015.
8.26.2015 【Report】"Nano Capsule" being developed by Kataoka lab. was introducedin "A corner of future technology (P.74 - P.76)" in a weekly economic periodical Nikkei
Business Aug. 10 and 17 issue. The title is "Drug Delivery System (DDS) hits cancer
with nano capsule."
8.26.2015 【Report】"Nanomachines" being developed by Kataoka lab. was introducedin "A corner of the life expectancy increases up to 1000 years of age" (P. 37) in amonthly international communication periodical SAPIO September issue. The title is"Cancer treatment - Deliver drug directly by targeting cancer cell alone - Power ofsmart nanomachines of a virus size."
8.27-28.2015 【Activity Report】Japan Science and Technology/Agency Fair 2015
"Exhibition of Future Industries with Technology" was organized by JST and held on
Thursday, Augut 27 and Friday, August 28 at West 3 Hall Tokyo Big Sight.
9.01.2015 【Activity Report】Dr. Akira Tsugita, Director for Community Support,
Science and Technology Policy Bureau, MEXT visited COINS and iCONM on Tuesday,
September 1.
9.04.2015 【Newspaper】Nanocapsule developed by Prof. Kataoka's research group
was featured on P.20 Nihon Keizai Shimbun on Friday, September 4. The title was"Cancer treatment, clinical trial, drug delivery by nano capsule, targetting cancer withengineering and medical integration."
9.5.2015 【Newspaper】Paclitaxel-loaded polymeric micelle achieved successful results
in clinical trials, and has been decided to proceed into application for approval in thefiscal year of 2015.(NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW September 5, 2015 2:00 am)
10.2-3.2015 【Activity report】Friday, October 2 ‒ Saturday, October 3: COINS retreat
camp was held.

10.05、08.2015 【News article】Interview article on Nanomachine appeared in
HORIEMON.COM. It is a talk between Prof. Kataoka and Mr. Takafumi Horie.
10/5："Nano capsule autonomously patrol in the body to diagnose and treat before
even we notice." "Nano medicine at present and future Part 1" by Prof. Kataoka, The
University of Tokyo
10/8："Nano capsule autonomously patrol in the body to diagnose and treat before
even we notice." "Nano medicine at present and future Part 2" by Prof. Kataoka, The
University of Tokyo
10.09.2015 【News article】Interview article of Prof. Kataoka, Director General of
iCONM on Nanomachine was futured in imidas in October 9.
imidas Jiji Opinon：Realiation of "Drug delivery System" which pinpoints cancer is nearat hand! The savior of cancer treatment
10.10.2015 【Activity report】On Saturday, October 10, students of Kasumigaoka HighSchool of Fukuoka Prefecture visited Ichiki Laboratory/The University of Tokyo.
10.16.2015 【News article】Prof. Kimura, COINS Project Leader's article was apearedin the sience portal site of JST in October 16, 2015.
Title was "Creating Innovation Hub<9>COINS (Center of Open Innovation Network for
Smart Health) COI towards Smart life care society 〜 aiming「hospital inside the body」
10.27.2015 The paper entitled "Hybrid calcium phosphate-polymeric micelles
incorporating gadolinium chelates for imaging-guided gadolinium neutron capture tumor
therapy" from our lab that was published in ACS Nano, was featured in Phys.org.
Phys.org： Gadolinium-based particles show and treat tumours
10.30.2015 【Report】Article about " Nanomachine" that has been developed at
Kataoka laboratory was carried out on a website of AKIR AMENAI-GANCHIRYONETWORK, Front-line therapy for cancer and support for fighting disease - Information
for recurrence and metastasis cancer therapy.
Title【Front-line therapy】Targeting cancer cells alone with "polymeric micelle"
anticancer agent.
10.31.2015 【News Report】Research results of National Cancer Center was printed inboth Nikkei Shimbun evening paper and in Electronic Edition on October 31, 2015.
11.05.2015 【News Report】Press Tour was organized by Kawasaki city on November 5,
2015. iCONM and COINS were introduced.
・11/20 Kagaku Shimbun
・11/24 Economist (vol. 12/1/2015) Economist view
・11/25 Nikkan Gendai
・11/26 Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun etc.
11.06.2015 【News Report】Article of Nanomachine which has been developed at
Kataoka Lab. was published on the website of Dowwe Matelux LLC. Title is Visiting
Kawasaki National Strategic Special Zone - Nanomachine that the world is looking at!
11.06.2015 【Activity Report】A group of observers from Janssen Pharmaceuticals
visited COINS on Friday, November 6.
11.15.2015 【News Report】Assistant Prof. Yasutaka Anraku, The University of Tokyo
appeared on「Mirai no Kigen」TBS on November 15, 2015 and made a commentary on
cancer treatment using Nano capsule.

11.24.2015 【Activity Report】COINS 2nd International Symposium was held on
Tuesday, November 24.
11.27.2015 【Activity Report】COINS Seminar #10 & #11 were held on Friday,
November 27 at iCONM.
11.30.2015 【Award】Associate Prof. Keiji Itaka received the best poster award at 3rd
International mRNA Health Conference. The presentation title is "A disease-modifying
strategy for osteoarthritis treatment by introducing mRNA encoding cartilage-anabolictranscription factor."
11.30.2015 【News Report】Article of Interview with Prof. Kataoka was published in"athome TIME," At Home Co., Ltd. The title was【Meet the Professor series: passion for
academia】"Deliver anticancer drugs by Nano size vehicle"
12.04.2015 【News Report】Prof. Nishiyama, Tokyo Institute of Technology appearedon Fuji Television program "Viking" on December 4, 2015 and made a commentary on
Nanomachines.
12.04.2015 【Activity Report】COINS Semiar #12 was held on Friday, December 4 at
The University of Tokyo.
12.07.2015 【Activity Report】COINS Semiar #13 was held on Monday, December 7 at
iCONM.
12.14.2015 【News Report】Interview article on Nanomachines, which has beendeveloped at Kataoka lab, was published in Phronesis.
Title is "Nanomachines create a hospital inside the body."
Phronesis: issued on December 2015.14（Issue in December 2105）："Future Work Style"contents
12.16.2015 【News article】The National Cancer Research Center Ochiya laboratory's
researcher, Yuji Yoshioka was introdnced by the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, in December
16, 2015.
The title is a "Researcher to open up ： Mark molecular search of cancer disease."

NanoSky VOL.01 MARCH 2016| 15

Activity Report
Retreat CampA retreat camp, held under the theme How to create a mostinnovative center in the world, took place at Shonan Village
Center on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The term
retreat can be deﬁ ned as returning to basics, both in mind
and body, in a relaxed environment, so for the gatheredresearchers who devote themselves to their research, it was an
excellent opportunity for them to share tasks such as social
implementation and come up with solutions together, while
deepening their exchanges with and challenging other project
members.
On the first day, Mr. Yuzo Toda,
Managing Director, Fujiﬁlm Corporation
gave a talk titled Corporate R&D
s t ra te g y a n d in d u s t r y - u nive r sit yc o o p e ratio n - o u r ex p e ct atio n s of
COINS/iCONM, and our company s
Yuzo TODA,eﬀorts.
Executive Managing Director

On the second day, Mr. Ryo Kubota,
CEO, Acucela Inc. gave a talk titled
Build a business from scratch thatchanges the world - Towards the realization of a broad-minded society ofgreat diversity. He shared the idea of
Ryo KUBOTA, CEO
how to start up a new business alone
with the aim of changing the world.
It was a great opportunity to learn about how research activities
conducted via industry-university cooperation should be in the future,
as well as how to set up new businesses, start-ups and the future
direction of social implementation. During the discussion segment,
the participants separated into groups and discussed the issue ofWhat COINS expects from iCONM, and proposed iCONM smission. The retreat, including the reception, was a great opportunity
for the participants to deepen understanding beyond their own subthemes, age, profession and respective research areas.

5th Group Meeting
The 5th Group Meeting was held in themain conference room at the Life Science &Environment Research Center (LiSE) on Friday,
Jan. 22, 2016. The meeting is held every six
months and invites all participating institutions
to present their research progress.
As there will be a mid-term evaluation of
Phase 1 to Phase 2 of the COI program in thenext FY year (FY2016), the presentations wererelated to the following: (1) To what degree has
the research progressed? Including forecasts.
(2) How close to social implementation has there se a rc h c o m e to, in clu ding intelle ctu al
property management? (3) How will you movef o r w a r d n ex t y e a r ? T h e r e w a s a p a n e l
discussion based on the topics above, witheach theme leader as moderator.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the future
roadmap was confirmed, and there was anactive yet candid exchange of opinions acrosseach theme.
Additionally, Mr. Satoshi Ogawa, Lawyer, TMI
Associates, gave a talk with the title Dealing
with conﬂicts of interest at an open innovation
center, related to the social implementation ofresearch outcomes. There were also poster
sessions of the research results, where there
was active discussion regarding the 30 posters
that were showcased that day.
Ultimately, it was a fruitful and meaningful
group meeting for the members of COINS, which
will shift into Phase 2 this April, to strengthen
their solidarity towards the realization of InBody Hospital.

Lecture by Mr. Satoshi OGAWA, Lawyer

Poster session

Editorʼs note
We created the NanoSky publication to feature the ongoing eﬀorts related to the implementation of the idea of In-Body
Hospital. First, we thought we should answer the question What is COINS? The members of the editorial team put ourheads together to ﬁnd the most simple and straightforward ways to communicate our vision to a new readership. FY2016 will
see this project, which has started in 2013, move into its second stage. COINS will continue to engage in a wide range ofactivities towards the social implementation of its research outcomes and issue the newsletter that all of you wait inanticipation.
chief editor: Takashi SUGIMOTO

1

Edited by NanoSky Editorial Board (Kana KANEKAWA,
Mayumi KAWASAKI, Takashi SUGIMOTO and Atsuko MATSUEDA)
Writer: Ayumi KOJIMA
Photograph: Aki TANAKA
Design: Studio L Co., Ltd.
Copyright: KAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION

Vol.

Published by KAWASAKI INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY PROMOTION,
Center of Open Innovation Network for Smart Health (COINS)
Research and Promotion Institute3-25-14, Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Pref. JAPANTEL: +81 44 589 5785 / FAX: +81 44 589 5789
http://coins.kawasaki-net.ne.jp/