Group Photo:

Front row (from right), Hiroshima University—Vice President Hidetoshi Tahara, Specially Appointed Professor Kazue Takayama, and Specially Appointed Professor Toshiyuki Isoe. Back row, IVReD—Deputy Director Suzuki (center left) and Director Sawa.

On Wednesday, March 27, 2026, Hiroshima University Vice President Hidetoshi Tahara, along with Specially Appointed Professors Toshiyuki Isoe of the Hiroshima University PSI GMP* Center and Kazue Takayama, visited IVReD.

*GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practice, which is a standard for manufacturing safe and effective pharmaceuticals with consistent quality. It is implemented based on the GMP ordinance issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Professor Hirofumi Sawa, Director of IVReD, provided an overview of the institute, followed by a tour of our research facilities. They exchanged views on the current landscape and key challenges in infectious disease research and vaccine development. Hiroshima University also introduced its initiatives at a GMP-compliant facility for investigational drug manufacturing, which led to in-depth discussions on small-batch production of drug substances and drug products, as well as the importance of workforce development.

【Roundtable Discussion】

　【Lab Tour】

The limited number of facilities capable of manufacturing small batches of investigational drugs according to GMP standards is a major challenge for academia and startups in Japan in promoting clinical trials. IVReD will continue to work to strengthen collaboration among GMP manufacturing infrastructures to address these challenges and contribute to accelerating clinical trials, research and development.