Greeting

The Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Chiba University has a history of over 50 years, having been established in 1969 by Yoshinobu Nakai, its first professor. In 1991, the second-generation Professor, Keiji Yamamoto (currently Professor Emeritus at Chiba University), took over the laboratory and has produced many excellent researchers in various fields. I have been leading the lab since April 2014.
In research, Dr. Nakai proposed the concept of "Molecular Pharmaceutics," and research based on the molecular pharmaceutics perspective has been consistently conducted in laboratory history. At present, we are conducting research on the "development and characterization of formulations for improving the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs based on molecular pharmaceutics." We have been studying the physicochemical properties of amorphous solid dispersions, drug nanoparticles, drug complexes (salts, co-crystals, cyclodextrin complexes), and porous materials (mesoporous silica, organic nanotubes), and the phenomena that occur when they are orally administrated, using the solid-state characterization (powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, IR, solid-state NMR, fluorescence measurement, etc.) and solution or suspended-state characterization (suspended-state NMR, SAXS/SANS, Raman, cryo-TEM, AFM measurement, etc.). Recently, we are also focusing on the physicochemical properties of drug-encapsulated liposomes and polymeric micelles used in drug delivery systems (DDS) and their relationship to pharmacokinetics.
The motto of our laboratory is "Think, judge, and act on your own.” Through active discussions with faculty members and other laboratory members, each laboratory member understands what he or she is supposed to do, and our purpose is to achieve results by making daily efforts toward the goal. In our laboratory, there are international students and doctoral students working in the industry. The presence of international students helps the laboratory member understand other cultures. In addition to understanding industrial research, interaction with doctoral students working in the industry allows students to directly hear the thoughts of people working at companies. I hope that students will actively use the environment they are in to improve themselves.
The progress of science and technology is remarkable, and measurement technology is also advancing day by day. In the future, it may become possible to measure samples that have been difficult to measure and evaluate due to advances in equipment. I am sure that once you start your research, you will be able to feel the "fascination of clarifying questions about pharmaceutical formulations.” Based on the philosophy of education and research inherited from Prof. Nakai and Prof. Yamamoto, I would like to continue to push forward with our education and research activities in a steady and enjoyable manner.