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ARO Alliance for Southeast & East Asia

AUG2024

A R i S E NEWSLETTER
A s i a nc l i n i c a lt r i a lp l a t f o r mMessage from the Chief
Representative of ARISE
Hideyo Miyazaki
Dr Hideyo Miyazaki is a urologist graduated from Tokyo
University. He finished his post-doctoral training at the Universityof California before joining the National Center for Global
Health and Medicine where he has been appointed as thehead of the Department of Urology and Deputy Director forone year, before he takes his current position.

As of 1 July 2024, I assumed the position ofDirector at the Center Hospital of the National
Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM),
Chief Repr esentative of ARISE, and at thesame time was entrusted with the role of Chief
Representative for ARISE. I am also leading theAMED Clinical Research and Clinical Trial Promotion
Project, which focuses on building a clinical researchand trial network for infectious diseases in Asia.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder ofthe need for a unified global approach in researchand development to respond promptly to themedical needs of the population. To achieve thisgoal, the National Center for Global Health andMedicine, in collaboration with major research
institutions in Asia, launched the ARO Alliance forSoutheast and East Asia (ARISE) in 2021.
ARISE aspires to be a leading network forclinical research and trials on infectious diseases,emphasizing the promotion of high-quality trials
throughout Asia.

In light with the forthcoming establishment ofthe Japan Institute of Health Security (JIHS) inApril 2025, following the merger of the National
Center for Global Health and Medicine with theNational Institute for Infectious Diseases, ARISE willcontinue to prioritize its targeted projects.

From the Secretary General

Koji Wada, MD, MSc, PHD
We would like to acknowledge and thankDr. Haruhito Sugiyama, former Director ofthe Center Hospital, for his leadership as theChief Representative of ARISE until the end ofJune 2024. We will continue to formulate andimplement new projects with the support of theCenter for Clinical Sciences under the leadershipof the new Hospital Director, Dr. Hideyo Miyazaki.

EditorialApril marked the start of Japan’s fiscal year and the Academic Research Organizations (AROs)
Alliance for Southeast and East Asia (ARISE) has acknowledged several changes and implemented
some of activities.
In this second volume, we highlight the appointment of the new ARISE Chief Representative, the workingvisits to ARISE member organizations in Japan and Thailand, and upcoming events within the network.

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Working visits with ARISE members
ARISE Secretariat staff are being dispatched to investigate the clinical trials capacity of members and todiscuss the possible solutions for safe conduct of quality trials and better pandemic preparedness.

Visits in Thailand

Vaccine trials during Covid-19 pandemic
Mr. Tomotsugu Naoki, Head of the Thailand
Collaborative Office, and Ms. Marlinang Siburian,
Research Coordinator, visited Thailand from 27
May to 7 June to interview Thai clinical trial experts
and gather various information on experiences
and lessons learned regarding vaccine clinical trials
during pandemic.
Thailand has established itself as a leading
country in clinical trials within ASEAN, demonstrating
its capabilities particularly during the COVID-19
pandemic. Thailand has been selected as theregional hub for the ASEAN Centre for thePrevention and Control of Infectious Diseases(ACPHEED), helping to improve the region’ s
capacity to control and respond to infectious
diseases.

Mr. Naoki Tomotsugu, Prof. Kulkanya Chokephaibulkit(SICRES) and Ms. Marlinang Diarta Siburian (from left toright)

Visits for Annual meeting preparation
From 10 to 19 July, Dr Koji Wada,
Dr Muchanga Sifa Marie Joelle and Mr.
Katsumi Ishii held a series of meetings toprepare for the 3rd Annual Meeting to behosted by the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj
Hospital, Mahidol University. The working
group was able to agree on the scientificand logistical contents of the event.

Dr.Nattadech Choomplang, Dr.Koji Wada, Assoc. Prof. Winai
Ratanasuwa, Dr.Muchanga Sifa Joelle Marie, Mr.Katsumi Ishii andMs. Pornsuda Nipathakosol (from left to right) at SICRES2ARISE NEWSLETTER

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Visits in Vietnam

Visiting Bach Mai Hospital in Vietnam
On 13 June, Dr. Koji Wada and Ms. Le Mai
Phuong, accompanied by the Embassy ofJapan’ s representative in Vietnam, visited
Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. The Hospital
Director, Assoc. Prof. Dao Xuan Co, warmly
welcomed Dr. Koji Wada and expressed thelongstanding relationship between NCGM
and Bach Mai Hospital, and their strong
interest in exploring potential collaborative
opportunities. Dr. Wada highlighted ARISE’ scommitment to fostering collaboration inclinical research and trials. Following themeeting, the NCGM delegation briefly met
with the Medical Coordination Committee(MCC), NCGM’ s co-office in this hospital.

NCGM Delegation and the first secretary of Japanese Embassy
visited Bach Mai Hospital

Visits in Japan

Visiting Nagasaki University
On 17 May, Dr Koji Wada and Dr Sifa Muchanga
visited the Institute of Tropical Medicine Nagasaki
University, member of the ARISE.
Prof. Kenji Hirayama, the Director of the centerand Dr Naoki Hosogaya are part of the working
group that focusses on pandemic preparedness.
We had fruitful discussions aimed at establishing apandemic preparedness platform.

Prof. Kenji Hirayama (back right), Dr. Naoki Hosogaya(front right) at Nagasaki University

Visiting Kyushu University Hospital Center
The Secretariat team led by Dr. Koji Wada, theSecretary General, visited the Kyushu University
Hospital Center for Clinical and Translational
Research Information.
Professor Koji Todaka, Dr Kota Funakoshi andother staff discussed with the delegation the use oftechnology for clinical trials in Asian countries andwith ARISE members.
From the NCGM, Mr. Naoki Tomotsugu and Dr
Muchanga Sifa attended also the meeting.

ARISE NEWSLETTER

Prof. Koji Todaka (front row, center), Dr. Kota Funakoshi(back row, from 3rd from left) at Center for Clinical andTranslational Research, Kyushu University Hospital

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ARISE regular meeting
The ARISE Committee will meet regularly
online to share experiences and deepen ties andcooperation between members.
The first regular online meeting was successfully
held on 8 August. The meeting was attended by
10 representatives in addition to the members of
the ARISE Secretariat.
The next meeting will be held in September.

Upcoming events and announcements
September 5, 2024

The 17th International infectious
Diseases ForumThe 17th International infectious
Diseases Forum with the theme“The forefront of Diagnosis &Treatment of Viral Hepatitis,and Future Prospects” will beheld online on 5 September from15:00 to 17:30 (JST).
Simultaneous translation JapaneseEnglish will be provided during theforum.

Registerherecentered trials” on 24-27 September. This will bea 4-days event of workshop on modules developedfor clinical research professionals and seminar onvaccine trials for infectious diseases. The event
is co-organized by the National Center for Global
Health and Medicine.
Registration details will be shared soon.

November 21-22, 2024

The 3rd ARISE Annual Meeting /The Joint SIRIRAJ-NCGM Symposium
and 5th NCGM symposium on ClinicalResearch and Trials

September 24-27, 2024

The 1st Annual Clinical Trials andTranslational Science Meeting
The University of the Philippines Manila will
have its 1st Annual Clinical Trials and Translational
Science Meeting with the theme: “Enhancing
capacities and collaborations towards patient-

The Faculty of Medicine Siriraj University Hospitalwill host the 3rd ARISE Annual Meeting on 21-22
November. The meeting will focus on vaccine trials
for pandemic preparedness.
In addition to the network activities, the JointSIRIRAJ-NCGM Symposium and 5 th NCGM
symposium on Clinical Research and Trials will
be held on 22 November.
Details will be shared soon.

ARISE NEWSLETTER vol.02 Issued in August, 2024

ARISE

Contact: ARISE SECRETARIAT OFFICE
Department of International Trials (DIT), Center for Clinical Sciences
National Center for Global Health and Medicine
1-21-1, Toyama, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8655 JAPANe-mail: arise@hosp.ncgm.go.jp
ARISE website：https://arise.ncgm.go.jp
DIT website：https://ccs.ncgm.go.jp/050/index.html
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/ncgm.ccs.dit/
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DIT