Introduction of courses, sections

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Division of Educational Planning and Assessment

Division of the Education Planning and Evaluation is a new laboratory opened in July 2020. Our laboratory is responsible for quality assurance of the pharmacy education curriculum. In other words, it's the role of inspecting the pharmacy education program in order to improve further, and proposing improvements of pharmacy program.  However, even if it is said to be improved in one word, nothing can be decided or explained without an appropriate scale to evaluate.  Therefore, this division researches the problem to be solved, find the scale for the problem solving.  This is a novel pharmacy department in Japan. We will keep forward until the culture of educational evaluation takes root in the entire pharmacy.

Division of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry

For the development of useful chemical compounds closely related to medical and diagnostic drugs, we investigate the molecular design, synthetic chemical reactions, and biological activities of bio-functional molecules on the bases of organic chemistry. We emphasize on the development of preventive and therapeutic agents based on the natural polyphenol. Polyphenol, such as catechin and resveratrol, exhibit antioxidative and other various types of biological activities that could partially account for preventing age-related diseases, though these activities not so strong. Our strategy is to change the stereochemistry and physical property of natural polyphenol through chemical modification with the aim to enhance the biological activities which are essential for the regulation of disease progression. The compounds developed by such methodology showed much more potent antioxidative activities than parent polyphenol and, furthermore, strongly suppressed the neurotoxicity of amyloid beta which was involved in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Alternately, we focus on the asymmetric synthesis of biologically active natural products, and the development of organocatalytic reactions using modified amino acids and chiral phase transfer catalysts. We have strong motivations for the design and synthesis of nuclear receptor modulators, molecules for anion recognition, and new types of antioxidants, bearing a carborane cage as a hydrophobic skeletal structure for drug design.

Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry

Many substances exist in the human body, and their species, quantities, and distributions are always changing, but their balance is controlled by homeopathy to maintain human health. Because the balance is disturbed by disease, it is important to analyze the substances in the human specimen for disease diagnosis and evaluation of the therapeutic effect. Furthermore, noninvasive analysis of biomarkers (disease-related substances) enables disease prevention and early detection of disease, and is considered very effective for the prevention and treatment of intractable and rare diseases, because early discovery can allow the selection of a more effective treatment. Therefore, the aim of this division is to contribute to medical care by measuring biological substances. In particular, we strive to develop methods for measuring substances that are difficult to measure using the existing methods and to develop new analytical methods and techniques. We are also actively engaged in joint research with external organizations (hospitals, companies, etc.) with the aim of giving back to medical care. Given that human disease is a global problem, our division is open to researchers and students from abroad. Through these activities, we hope to contribute to the maintenance of human health by developing methods such as very early diagnosis of diseases and evaluation methods for drug seeds.

Division of Biophysical Chemistry

Our group is interested in rational drug design using a variety of computational methods. Therefore, one of our key research topics is the development of novel computational tools for drug design. We hope to incorporate quantum mechanics techniques, because they can allow us to consider nonconventional interactions such as halogen bonds and CH/π interactions between the target proteins and the drug candidate compounds. This would heighten the quality of in silico drug design strategy. We are also involved in several drug design projects. Concretely, we are aiming to explore lead compounds for the development of new antibiotics, analgesics, and anticancer drugs using computational tools such as molecular docking and molecular dynamics. As described above, we hope to contribute to the development of medical therapy.

Division of Biological Chemistry

The Division of Biological Chemistry was established in 1965 by Professor Emeritus Yasuharu Nakamura. Professor Emeritus Kazuyasu Nakaya took over the laboratory from 1991 until 2004. Currently, the members of the laboratory include Professor Hiroyuki Itabe, Associate Professor Takashi Obama, Assistant Professor Naoko Sawada, a visiting scholar from Thailand, a graduate student, and more than thirty undergraduate students.
The research projects in this laboratory are focused on the molecular mechanisms of lifestyle-related diseases. Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Recently, we successfully separated oxLDL in human circulation to discover its unique features. The oxLDL present in vivo has two forms and one of them shows an increase in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Inflammatory responses are crucial factors in the promotion of atherosclerosis. We found that the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is enhanced by oxLDL, and the combination of NETs and oxLDL induces an inflammatory response in the endothelial cells. For those studies, techniques including lipidomic and proteomic analysis, cell culture experiments, fluorescent microscopy and ultramicroscopy are employed.
Prof. Itabe has been organizing the international exchange programs of the School of Pharmacy. We would be happy to accept visiting scholars from other countries.

Division of Cancer Cell Biology

Our laboratory was established at Showa University in April 2009.
Currently, the number of cancer patients in Japan is increasing significantly along with aging of the population. The death of a cancer patient is almost always due to invasion or metastasis of the cancer. Therefore, to save many cancer patients, extend their life expectancy, and improve their quality of life, treatments to prevent the metastatic process is needed.
This laboratory aims to develop an understanding of cancer cell biology and contribute to the improvement of cancer chemotherapy and the creation of new anticancer drugs that prevent metastasis. For this purpose, we investigate the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis, anoikis resistance, and cancer cell proliferation. Recently, we found that mitochondria are involved in both cancer metastasis and proliferation.
We hope to help cancer patients by proposing a novel target for cancer treatment through our research. In addition, we consider it our mission to provide human resources who can contribute to better anticancer drug treatment and/or development, and to promote original cancer research from the viewpoint of pharmaceutical sciences and disseminate the results to the world.
We do not presently have any foreign exchange students, but they are always welcome here.

Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics

Division of Toxicology

Our lab has been investigating a mechanism of  toxicies or adverse reactions by chemical compounds.

Division of Pharmacology

Welcome to the Division of Pharmacology.
Pharmacology is the study of the body's reaction to drugs. It has emerged as one of the major areas in medical sciences. Pharmacologists are curious about the ability of molecules to contribute to cell and tissue functions, and ultimately the effects that therapeutic agents have on some unique systems.
Investigators in the Division of Pharmacology conduct basic and clinical research in the areas of diabetes, integrated mechanisms causing obesity, metabolic signaling, circulation system, kidneys and neurons. Our goal is to advance the fields of basic and applied pharmacology by engaging in innovative research.
Our faculty is engaged in many collaborative research efforts with other researchers including the Showa University Pharmacological Research Center and other research institutes, and has achieved some novel findings.
We provide our students with a challenging and supportive environment to pursue their academic and professional careers in the pharmacological sciences.
The core of our basic science research takes place at the Hatanodai Campus in Tokyo. If you are interested in our division, please feel free to visit.
Koji Nobe, PhD

Division of Pharmaceutics 

Pharmaceutical products are designed to have the appropriate form, function, and properties according to the route of administration and application site. One of the research areas of Pharmaceutics is product improvement in terms of effectiveness, safety, and ease of use for patients and healthcare professionals. Pharmaceutics is an important discipline specific to the science of pharmacy, and the knowledge and skills related to pharmaceutics are essential for pharmacists, who are specialists in medicine.
The Division of Pharmaceutics conducts education related to pharmaceutics through lectures and practical training, and is engaged in the following research to solve problems for patients who have difficulty taking medicine:
 - Design and evaluation of novel formulations with excellent acceptability and swallowability
 - Development of a new biosensor for quantitative evaluation of drug taste
 - Development of new evaluation methods for ease of swallowing of oral preparations and physical properties of gel formulations
 - Development of individualized preparations using a 3D dispenser
 - Research to resolve scientific, regulatory, and technological issues associated with pediatric formulation development (as AMED research)
 - Study of a simple suspension method and medication support method using thickening agents for patients with difficulty swallowing (under government research grant)

Department of Clinical Pharmacy

Division of Pharmacotherapeutics

Introducing our research laboratory

This research laboratory was established in 1992 and has the longest clinical history in the School of Pharmacy. Presently, the laboratory members comprise of four lecturers, thirty-eight pharmacy students (4th to 6th years), and twelve graduate students. Our goal for the future is to train pharmacists to practice and provide guidance on drug therapy in a proactive manner as part of a medical treatment team.
To provide patients with the optimum drug treatment, it is important that the members of the medical team cooperate with each other and share patient information to fully understand the patient’s clinical condition and provide drug treatment according to evidence-based medicine. As such, in this research laboratory, we conduct learning seminars on evidence-based drug therapy, seminars on clinical manuscripts including assessment of manuscript quality, etc. In the graduate school, we give lectures and case exercises by physicians and pharmacists to encourage deeper learning of drug therapy.
To solve clinical problems related to drug therapy, we investigate the proper drug selection criteria and epidemiology related to drug treatment, and examine the need for and effectiveness of pharmacist interventions in patient treatment.

Division of Natural Medicine and Therapeutics

Overview

The former Division of Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry was relaunched in April 2016 as the Division of Natural Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Clinical Pharmacy. After Dr. K. Kawazoe was appointed as a full Professor and a Director in April 2017, four faculty members together with the existing staff (S. Takamatsu, M. Fukumura, and Y. Koike) provide education and training for one graduate student and more than thirty undergraduates through basic research and seminars related to natural medicine.

Subjects

Medicinal Natural Products, Chemistry of Medicinal Plants, Research on Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences, Advanced Pharmaceutical English, Applied Practice in Pharmacy, Basic Science Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Students, Early Exposure, The Role of Kampo Medicine and Medicinal Herbs in Contemporary Health Care, Herb and Raw Materials for Kampo

Admission of foreign students

Open

Research

Welcome to the Division of Natural Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Showa University. We focus on the discovery and development of new pharmaceutical technologies based on the amazing chemical diversity of living organisms – plants, animals, and microbes.
Natural products are an invaluable source of both molecular probes and drug leads, which have been used to improve human health. Currently, we study a variety of subjects pertinent to thromboprophylaxis, antimetastasis, antimicrobial activity, and antiaging aiming for translational research.
Another of our research goals is to find evidence backing the effectiveness and new application of Kampo(漢方) formulations. Kampo is a traditional form of medicine used in current clinical practice throughout Japan. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence for the herbal extract preparations of Kampo despite increasing frequency of usage.
We also manage two facilities, a medicinal plant botanical garden and a herbarium used for student practice and training of pharmacists.

Division of Infection Control Sciences

The Division of Infection Control Sciences was established in September 2010 as a department responsible for education, research, and clinical support related to the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. As members of the Infection Control Department of a Showa University hospital, we are engaged in the activities of the Infection Control Team (ICT) and Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (AST). Our research includes the proper use of antimicrobial drugs, evaluation of AST activities, pathogenicity of pathogens (MRSA, yeast, etc.), and drug resistance.

Division of Cancer Genome and Pharmacotherapy

Cancer chemotherapy has developed year-by-year, providing patients with more effective treatments. The new precision medicine, where genome sequencing and data analysis are essential components, allows tailored diagnosis and treatment according to the information obtained from the patient’s own genome. On the other hand, the work of the pharmacist will be drastically changed by the introduction of high-spec machines and artificial intelligence. We cultivate talented pharmacists who can adapt to the coming era of cancer chemotherapy.

Reverse-translational research to optimize cancer pharmacotherapy

Dose and treatment-schedule recommendations for anticancer agents are based on the results of clinical trials. Patients enrolled in clinical trials are typically those likely to receive the drug in clinical practice, but exclude those with conditions such as poor performance status, organ dysfunction, obesity, or advanced age. Consequently, such cancer patients are often inadequately represented. On the other hand, the ‘real world’ includes large numbers of such patients who do not meet the eligibility criteria of clinical trials. Dose levels and treatment schedules for chemotherapy in these subjects are somewhat arbitrary and not evidence-based. Therefore, we conduct prospective clinical pharmacology studies of patients in the ‘real world,’ including analyses of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics, to personally optimize cancer chemotherapy. This strategy is necessary even in genome sequencing based precision medicine. In addition, basic research is also performed to elucidate the determinates of the pharmacokinetic properties and the toxicity mechanisms of anticancer drugs.

Education of students to cultivate talented pharmacists

We cultivate pharmacists who can appropriately determine the dosing design for specific patients based on the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenetic properties of an anticancer drug through discussions with other medical staff members.

Currently, there are no foreign students in our laboratory. We would like to welcome foreign undergraduates and doctoral students.

Department of Healthcare and Regulatory Sciences

Division of Health Chemistry

Health Chemistry consists of research and studies toward the proper evaluation of the safety and efficacy of environmental chemicals, foods, and pharmaceutical products. Our division has the chair of public health, food hygienics, and environmental hygienics at the School of Pharmacy. Furthermore, our research target is lipid metabolism such as arachidonate metabolism. Our research group focuses on lipid metabolism as the biological target of environmental toxic chemicals, and investigates how toxic chemicals affect arachidonate metabolism and other types of lipid metabolism as well as how the breakdown of lipid metabolism influences our health. We now use several mice with genetically engineered lipid-metabolizing enzymes to reveal the relationship between toxic chemicals and lipid metabolism.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy

Division of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism

With the advent of an aging society, keywords such as frailty and sarcopenia have become very common. On the other hand, it has been suggested that systemic management that considers nutrition and metabolism is closely related to improvement of prognosis and reduction of complication rate. The Nutrition Support Team (NST) has become active in many hospitals. Unfortunately, despite the fact that "nutrition and metabolism" is an important discipline in various aspects, there was no opportunity to study it systematically in the current university curriculum. This discipline may be a minor and seemingly unsung hero for supporting treatment, but it is a necessary discipline for understanding the general condition of the patient and proceeding with effective treatment. With this knowledge, pharmacists will have an extremely high potential to play an active role in clinical practice. Against this background, our laboratory was newly established in 2021. The goal is to train clinical pharmacists who are ready to work in the medical field. We will continue to work to enable students to gain a wide range of knowledge and ideas about clinical nutrition.

Division of Clinical Research and Development