A condition in which the body cannot function normally for some reason is called a ‘disease.’ Its cause may be an external source, as in the case of influenza, or a malfunction within the body itself, as in the cases of cancer and diabetes. A medicine is a chemical substance* that aids the body’s innate ability to correct these malfunctions. (*Biological substances, such as insulin, may also be used as medicine for some cases.) The goal of drug-discovery research is to create medicines and to gain a better understanding of their functions and uses. It is a research field filled with hope, a field that supports life from behind the scenes and improves our quality of life.
Pharmaceutical science, which forms the basis of drug-discovery research, is a highly sophisticated, interdisciplinary academic field that makes connections (physics, informatics) between humans (biology) and chemical substances (chemistry). Therefore, the integration of knowledge from a wide range of fields, including organic chemistry, biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, molecular biology, genetic engineering, cell biology, computational science, information engineering, and even materials science has become an absolute necessity. Moreover, good communication skills, especially in English, are required to succeed in the pharmaceutical sciences, where advancements are made through intense yet friendly rivalries with researchers from around the world.
That being said, it is impossible for a single person to try to become perfectly knowledgeable in all of the above fields. We believe that if researchers with advanced knowledge in specialized fields come together and share their knowledge with each other to reach a common goal, the breadth and depth of the knowledge that can be brought to bear toward the attainment of that goal can expand without limit.
In other words, it is important to do your best in the subjects that you are good at, while maintaining at least the minimum amount of knowledge in other areas necessary to allow meaningful discussions with specialists in other subjects. Delving into a subject you like should not cause you any trouble, but if there is something that you really want to accomplish, you can also try learning about subjects that you do not already like.
To all of you who are passionate and positive thinkers, wondering, “Why do people get that kind of disease?” or “Why can that disease not be cured?” and thinking, “I want to become involved with drug development,” we invite you to come study with us, with an open and hungry mind, subjects ranging from chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, English, and foreign languages to various techniques and information processing. All knowledge is useful!
The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Nagoya University trains researchers and engineers* through fundamental research aimed at creating medicines. Currently, there are three broad categories of laboratories: those that investigate why people become sick and how they can become healthy, those that investigate the structures and function of biological molecules that are the targets of medicines, and those that design and chemically synthesize compounds that work effectively on their target biological molecules. Through close collaborations between all of its laboratories, the Graduate School hopes to lead the world in fundamental research aimed at discovering the seeds of new medicines.
* We do not have a pharmacist program for training specialists in the proper use of medicines.
The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences does not have an undergraduate program. Therefore, you cannot enroll in the graduate school as a college applicant.
The best way to enter the Graduate School is to study hard for four years in Nagoya University’s undergraduate programs in the Schools of Science, Engineering, or Agricultural Sciences, and then to apply to the Graduate School. Each of the aforementioned schools provides four-year programs with unique courses and practical training, which will arm you with the ability and desire to study hard at the highly interdisciplinary Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Additionally, fourth-year students in the Departments of Chemistry and Biological Science (School of Science), the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (School of Engineering), and the Department of Bioagriculture (School of Agricultural Sciences) will have the opportunity* to conduct their undergraduate thesis research in a laboratory of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, getting an early taste of research at graduate level. The entrance exam for the graduate school represents a narrow gateway, but the gate is unquestionably open. Do not throw away your effective study habits after getting into college, but bring them all the way to graduate school; they will be a lifelong treasure to those of you striving to become researchers.
Needless to say, the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences also accepts students from other universities in the sciences.
Every year in May, the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers an information session that is open to any interested person. Attending one of these sessions may be a good first step.
* Participating laboratories are decided each year through discussions with each of the undergraduate schools, so we cannot guarantee that students will have this opportunity every year.
Graduate school can be completely different from high school or college, not only for the pharmaceutical sciences but for other fields as well. While high school and college are places to think about how to contribute to society as you acquire a set of knowledge and skills, graduate school is a place to tackle problems that no one has ever solved before by conducting your own experiments. Consequently, things may not always go as planned, and failures can be encountered on a time scale of years. At the same time, however, graduate school is a place filled with dreams that you will one day be the first in the world to discover something that no one else ever has. In particular, research at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences provides tremendous opportunities to contribute to the health of humankind. Therefore, we call out to you, the young, who will shoulder the burdens of the next generation. Come create a new trend of drug discovery unique to Nagoya University, and help develop drugs that originate at the university. With students dreaming big about drug discovery and eager to conduct research, the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences can become the best in the world.
