Ken Takahashi receives NEDO Award and Chugoku Bank Award at pitch contest

Awards recognize organ-on-a-chip business plan and presenter’s potential as an entrepreneur

Research Associate Professor Ken Takahashi has won New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Award and Chugoku Bank Award at Okayama University Pitch Contest 2022 for his organ-on-a-chip business plan and his potential as an entrepreneur.

Okayama University Innovation Management Core Venture Support Field, together with the Chugoku Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, held Okayama University Pitch Contest 2022 with the aim of fostering entrepreneurship momentum within the university and deepening exchanges between entrepreneurs and companies.

Takahashi’s proposal was one of 28 entries into the contest and was presented at the event on July 16. The research project is being supported by Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) grants.

Recognized by the jury committee for its potential to broadly impact the pharmaceutical industry, the human organ-on-a-chip project is a platform technology that can be used for more accurate pharmacological and toxicological tests than using experimental animals. For this year’s event, 12 proposals were pre-selected from the 28 entries in a committee review process. This event was supported by NEDO and Japan Finance Corporation.

Related: Title award ceremony for Research Associate Professor
Related: Ken Takahashi Wins Prestigious Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from JSPS

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Takahashi Lab at Okayama University uses principles of physiology, cellular and molecular biology, and biophysics. The purpose of the lab is to develop science and medicine by unveiling the mechanisms of diseases through collaborations with scientists, epidemiologists, and corporate alliances. The alliance includes Harvard University, Boston University, Texas A&M University, and PD Aerospace, Ltd.