Vision of Japan Health Science Foundation
 
II. Recent Activities
 
1. Visions Formulated in the Past
JHSF has formulated its vision twice in the past. The first one was formulated in January 1989, two and a half years from its establishment. The second one was formulated more than five years later in March 1995. These two visions were prepared indicating an ideal state of JHSF based on the circumstances at these times. Among its objectives specified in the past visions, many were valued for their achievements such as promotion of joint research projects, materialization of Research Resources Bank and expansion of information services. However, some are not fully realized or not launched yet such as establishment and fulfillment of the international information network and set-up of the function of international research communication center.
2. General Operations by Supporting Member Companies
As the subsidiary teams of the General Operation Committee, the seven ad hoc committees have conducted a wide range of activities for the promotion of advanced and basic scientific technologies which is one of the Foundation's objectives, in the area of health science research related to health care, pharmaceuticals, medical and welfare equipment, public hygiene and so on. Among the activities are; publication of various domestic and overseas research reports available only through JHSF, host of symposiums and seminars that meet with the needs of the time, substantiation of JHSF's bulletin and web-site.
The results of questionnaires conducted in September 2001 among supporting member companies clarified, however, though members evaluated JHSF's activities in promoting and developing the health science research areas, they are not necessarily satisfied with its activities contrary to their expectations. They evaluated highly of the liaison activities to the date, the core function of the Foundation, yet with suggestion for further reinforcement of it as an intermediary between public and private sectors.
3. Integrated Research Project for Health Science includes Drug Innovation
The integrated research project for health science including drug discoveries was inaugurated at the time of the establishment of JHSF as a joint research between the public and private sectors in the field of advanced and basic technology. This was well accepted by both national laboratories and supporting companies as an innovative type of research system at that time. Then it has been accomplishing its objectives as one of the representative operations of JHSF.
The project was inaugurated in 1998. It was formed by the integration of the Health Science Basic Research Project and Integrated Study Project in Drug Innovation including the public and private sectors' joint researches carried out by JHSF until then, and the Orphan Drug Development Research Project conducted by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Furthermore in 1999, the Project to Promote Development of Anti-AIDS Pharmaceuticals drug was integrated in it. At present the project is vastly contributing to the promotion of research in the health science research field, taking a pivotal position as a core research operation conducted by the Foundation. The international collaborative research program, one program of the project, was largely reformed in 2001, providing the grants to foreign researchers engaging in the collaborative research. The reformation brought about more opportunities to expand research activities to facilitate the international R&D interchanges. In other words, the reformation has provided the project with more capacity to contribute the progress and development of the project.
According to the questionnaire to Supporting Members, the significance of the project is largely appreciated by them. However, some comments indicating the project has become institutionally rigid due to the sustained joint research between the public and private sectors for long time has are also delivered.
4. Health Science Research Resources Bank (HSRRB)
The HSRRB was founded in October 1995 in Osaka with the objective to supply of cells and genes possessed by then National Institute of Hygienic Sciences and National Institute of Health respectively at that time. Since then it has been contributing to the promotion of researches in the industry, academia and officials, by both expanding the collection and supply system of research resources and by improving quality control. A new facility was established in October 2000 at Rinku Town, Sennan-shi, Osaka-fu to further expand the Bank's operations. The HSRRB transfers cells, genes, animal embryos and human tissues to meet the request from researchers. Of these, the human tissues bank is the first official one in Japan of this kind. With due regard to bioethics, the operations of the HSRRB as a human tissues bank are getting under way.
5. Other Operations
JHSF has made efforts for smooth operation of researches in the following five areas such as human genome & regenerative medicine, artificial blood development, emerging & reemerging infectious diseases, immunity & allergy and countermeasures for specified diseases, that are covered by the Health Science Research conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The Foundation has produced good results in these Health Science Research, since we invited foreign researchers, dispatched Japanese researchers to foreign countries, fostered younger researchers and utilized them in the right places, disseminated and published the research results. A special effort was put on the fostering and utilization of younger researchers as a central activity of the promotional operations. From 2002, studies on the human genome & regenerative medicine, emerging & reemerging infectious diseases and countermeasures for specified diseases have been carried.