Drug Discovery Science is "an integrated study including the spheres of Pharmaceutics, Medical Science, Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology Research and Development, which concerns the entire process, from drug discovery through design process, by which new bioactive compounds become final products."
In Japan, a six-year undergraduate program for school of pharmacy has been implemented, and the training of personnel with hands-on experience of advanced medical treatment in combination with pharmaceutics has been reinforced. On the other hand, in order to nurture advanced skills in human resources towards the next generation of drug development, innovative personnel that will transform the research skills of drug discovery are also imperative. In particular, in recent years, trends show that fewer new drugs are being created globally. In order to safeguard the happy future and healthy lifestyle of humankind, the academic field of new drug creation must be boldly restructured; in order to train "persons of talent who are capable of research and development that integrates the scientific background of many disciplines" and who will implement this restructuring from the basics to pharmaceutical creation research, a new scientific basis upon which to carry out education and research is of paramount importance.
The Nagoya University, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, while encompassing the domain of traditional pharmaceutics, is also propelled by the cutting edge fields of synthetic organic chemistry which influences the design and composition of pharmaceutical products, bioscience that is the basis for understanding diseases and drug efficacies, and structural biology which analyzes the molecular structure and mechanisms of proteins and their interaction with bioactive ligands. We nurture leading researchers, through cutting edge research activities, to possess sophisticated skills in various basic academic fields, avoid the traditional approach from a single specialized domain, and encourage a broad approach towards drug discovery science.
Until now, development of human resources that possess traditional fundamental research skills related to pharmaceutical development has been conducted at Nagoya University in the departments of science, engineering, and bioagricultural sciences. Particularly, in natural products chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and biology, we have a history of brilliant discoveries that rank among the world's leaders. In our department, we inherit the free and open vitality of research and teaching at Nagoya University. We integrate various fields of basic sciences, including this university's science, engineering, and bioagricultural sciences departments, and, by fully utilizing the achievements from the coordination of those academic fields, we hold as our educational ideal the principle of turning out great numbers of "medicinal science researchers who lead the global drug developments in next generation with their interdisciplinary education."
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences