Kansai University Medical Polymers: Meeting Users’ Needs and Making the Future of Medical Practice
In the super-aging society of today, the medical sector is under increasing pressure to mitigate the physical, mental, and financial burdens that the People face in terms of medical care and medical diagnostics.
Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop minimally invasive treatments and medical diagnostics. Present medical care is progressing toward this direction, for example, smaller incisions in surgery and reduced dosages and dosing frequencies. By using medical devices that enable minimally invasive or non-invasive procedures, patients’ Quality of Life (QOL) can be improved, both during their treatment and beyond. This is the primary motivation why we started this project to develop such medical devices and systems. On the other hand, since Japan’s dependence on imported medical equipment is one of the key factors in total medical care expenditure, encouraging Made-in-Japan equipment (domestic products) is becoming an important issue.
With these aspirations, we initiated the Kansai University Smart Materials for Advanced and Reliable Therapeutics (KU-SMART) project. Under this project we have worked with Osaka Medical College to develop a robust platform for medicine-engineering collaboration. With such a platform, we are working to develop medical material and systems that accord with medical doctors’ needs, merchandise these materials as globally competitive medical devices, and deliver them to all People in clinical setting (patients and medical doctors).
Overview of KU-SMART Project
Research Framework
Materials chemistry
Faculty of Chemistry, Materials and Bioengineering
Graduate School of Medicine,Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine/
Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery/
Department of Ophthalmology/
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery/
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology/
Department of Orthopedic Surgery/
Department of Internal Medicine/
Department of Anesthesiology/
Department of Pharmacology/
Research & Development Center/
College Hospital/
Cancer Center
History and Track Record of Collaboration
Research
December 2003Signed "Agreement concerning Academic Exchanges between Kansai University and Osaka Medical College" and "Memorandum of Understanding concerning Medicine-Engineering Collaboration between Kansai University and Osaka Medical College."
September 2008- March 2011Research project “Using Realistic Models of Human Structures and Organs to Elucidate Biological Phenomena and Functions and Develop Artificial Organs and Medical Devices,” selected for the MEXT Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities.
June 2010- March 2015Research project “Developing Smart Biomaterials for Next-Generation Medicine” selected for the MEXT Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities.
March 2012Conference for Medicine-Engineering Collaboration between Kansai University, Osaka Medical College, and Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences (held twice a year).
Education
June 2009- March 2012
Research project “Constructing an Education System for Integrative Medical Engineering and Returning Benefits to Society” selected for the MEXT Program for Supporting Strategic Inter-University Collaborative Undertakings that Enhance University Education.
※Collaborative undertakings between Kansai University, Osaka Medical College, and Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences are ongoing (examples include holding lectures in each other’s institution and conducting activities to return benefits to society).
In April 2016, the above undertakings were awarded the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Public Understanding Promotion Category).