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At the Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute at Kitano Hospital,
with the doctor’s duty of clinical medicine as our cornerstone,
we seek to shed light on pathology while delving into unsolved
areas and developing new strategies for treatment. The Institute
was founded in 1924 with this philosophy in mind, and three years
later the Kitano Hospital was established as a clinical hospital
to support research. In our daily medical practice, we keep this
history in mind?the endeavor of medical treatment is at heart
an endeavor of research. Collaboration with the Kyoto University
Medical Research Department is fundamental to us, and we use human
exchange to the fullest in communicating the fruits of our clinical
and basic research not only to Japan, but to the world at large.
The progress of modern medical research, both clinical and basic,
is a splendid thing, and research that has a direct application
to many forms of treatment has become familiar to us through the
speed and breadth of information transmission. At Kitano Hospital,
which practices clinical medicine with a research perspective,
we fulfill the ideals of “translational research,” putting this
information to practical use, and take great pride in our high
level of medical treatment. We aim to pinpoint the causes of illness
and challenge what is possible in the development and verification
of new treatments. To keep pace with amazing developments in various
fields of medical research, in October 2008, we reorganized our
existing five research sections and newly established our medical
research divisions 1 through 10 by theme. Along with our Clinical
Research Center, this makes a total of 11 divisions, and we reported
this to the Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science, and
Technology (MEXT). With these divisions, including co-medical
departments such as pharmacology and nursing, the entire institution
has taken a stance positive to research groups. In addition, our
research seminars that were held bimonthly are now held every
month, so that we might advance our studies further.
There are harsh aspects to the present state of medical treatment,
and in situations of clinical research, too, morality has been
rigorously questioned in recent years. In response to this, I
will say that our adherence to the Declaration of Helsinki (the
October 2008 revision) is a matter of course. Consulting with
an ethics committee comprising members from both within and outside
of the Institute, and cooperating with the Kyoto University Hospital
Translational Research Center, we place the utmost importance
on reaching our research goals impartially and responsibly. To
support this research system, we consider the maintenance of research
infrastructure essential, and since April 2008 the existing laboratory
administration committee has held six section meetings on lab
maintenance, research planning support, data management, promoting
collaboration with graduate schools, and so forth, implementing
a responsive system to enrich the research environment. We select
administration committee members from all divisions, speeding
up the transfer of information.
Financial support is necessary for our research, and we also aim
to use the fruits of our research in obtaining public funding
from the MEXT and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare,
as well as private sector grants. Happily, we also receive significant
financial support from patients and from volunteers who donate,
and we extend our deepest thanks. We ask that you continue your
charity for the future of the young researchers embarking on their
careers.
Moving forward, we would like to further promote collaboration
within the Institute and with other establishments, and encourage
active participation from all directions, so that the fruits of
our research keep their clinical roots and truly contribute to
the field of health care at large.
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