In addition to intermediation of global services, Japan’s labs also provide services such as bioanalysis.
First of all, please tell us about your business.
As a Japanese subsidiary of the Pharmaron Group, a global CRO (pharmaceutical development contract agency), we mainly provide global services to Japanese clients, and we also provide bioanalysis services at Japanese labs.
What inspired you to work on this project?
In the first place, the Pharmaron Group has become quite popular among European and American clients as a global CRO, but there is no local base in Japan, so it was necessary to make inquiries in English via the global website and order them. With the aim of expanding the Japanese market, we launched Farmarron Japan at the end of 2020 with the aim of establishing a local subsidiary and a lab to expand our business.
I am the representative of Pharmaron Japan, as well as the so-called lab head of the research department. Previously, he was a member of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and has been involved in research for many years in the Preclinical Research Division. Since then, as a research manager, he has overseen pharmacokinetics, biosample analysis, etc. When I started the lab, I thought that I would provide services from my strengths in research fields.
In addition to global economies of scale, our strength is that we can provide top-level services even in our own specialty areas.
What kind of domestic services are you currently working on?
After the drug is administered to animals and humans in preclinical and clinical practice, bio samples such as blood and urine are received, and the main service is to measure the blood concentration of the drug.
In many clinical trials, biomarkers such as proteins and genes that fluctuate by administering drugs are often quantified at the same time as drugs, and these services are also supported. In order to apply for drug development, data reliability is essential, so we are applying for approval of a GLP (Good Laboratory Practice)-compliant facility with a global bioanalysis site and a benchmark for reliability standards by Her Mona.
What do you think is the strength of PHARMARON JAPAN?
Although there are CROs in Japan, there are still rare institutions that have global CROs and labs in Japan. We, Farmarron, have about 21 labs mainly in Asia, Europe and the United States, and have a total of over 20,000 staff members. In addition to research and development, we are engaged in commercial production, and we can respond to most of the drug modalities that have been diversifying in recent years within the Group.
By doing Global and Her Mona Is, we can provide global-level services to domestic clients in a wider range of fields, and of course, we can provide top-level services to global clients in areas where Farmarron Japan excels. In particular, since I have extensive experience in protein and antibody drug development, I think there is an advantage in bioanalysis and pharmacokinetic fields of biologics such as antibodies.
Today, many of the heads of global sites are headhunted from lab heads of mega-pharmurs. At Pharmaron Japan, there are also employees from multiple pharmaceutical companies, including me, and our strength is that it is easy for clients to expect from CRO and understand project needs.
Mitsui Fudosan was interested in launching a new business that supports research innovation.
What was the reason why you moved into Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1?
At the beginning of the company, we rented an office only for Mitsui Fudosan's Nihonbashi Life Science Building 7 in Ningyocho. I wanted to carefully examine the lab and decide, so even after the start of the company, I looked at various rental labs inside. One of them is Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1.……However, at that time, it was still vacant before construction (laughs). Probably, we were the first of the residents or the next one.
While I was so particular about searching for it, where was the decisive factor for choosing the newly built Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1 instead of the existing lab where you can see and check the current situation?
First of all, I was interested in starting Mitsui Fudosan's new business "supporting research innovation" initiatives. In addition, I felt the strength of a major real estate major while choosing a land suitable for a research facility in terms of access and location. We believe that if Mitsui Fudosan is working on this far, we can expect a support system as well.
In addition to location, the conditions required for our lab were very strict, such as securing sufficient space and facilities for BSL2, but Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 1 had an environment in which it could be realized. As a support system, when something becomes necessary, we will listen carefully to this story and consider what to do seriously. And the know-how gained there seems to be utilized in Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 2 and 3, which will open in the future. We have made a lot of requests for improvement so far, but in that sense we may also be a contributor to the evolution of this laboratory facility. (laughs).
Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba would like to create a "research city where research institutions gather and create new innovations."
What kind of developments are you expecting at Mitsui Link Lab in the future?
I hope that Shinkiba will create a new research city where research institutions from all over the world gather. Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba 2 and 3 will increase in the future, and it will be a stimulus if we can interact with various research institutes beyond that facility, and expectations for innovation will increase. As more companies set up labs in Shinkiba, on the contrary, we can hold events that are more likely to create innovation, focusing on areas related to each business.
In my case, I worked for one company for a long time, and the stimulus was to interact with other departments, but here there are various experts from all fields. I feel that there is a different world here.
It is not only from Japan but also from all over the world.
Well, Shinkiba is a pretty attractive location for global companies. It takes about 30 minutes by taxi from Haneda Airport, and it is closer to Tokyo Station. In fact, it was an important point for us that it is convenient for us to welcome people from Europe, the United States and China. Not only that, but also the bases of major transportation companies are gathered, the delivery is smooth, and the access to medical institutions in the city center is good.
I think it's still an area with potential, so in the future, there will be hotels and commercial facilities that can be used by researchers from all over the world, and after meeting with visitors at the lab, you can easily go for a little dinner.……This is what Mitsui Fudosan expects to develop a scale that can be achieved.