Kozue Okamura (D3 at the time of the award), Department of Chemical System Engineering, recieved Research Encouragement Prize of the Division of SIS at SCEJ 89th Annual Meeting

On 27th March 2024,Kozue Okamura (D3 : at the time of the award), Sugiyama -Badr Lab., Department of Chemical System Engineering, recieved Research Encouragement Prize of the Division of SIS at SCEJ 89th Annual Meeting.

Research Encouragement Prize of the Division of SIS at SCEJ 89th Annual Meeting

This award is presented to individual young speakers of general lectures who are expected to contribute significantly to the future development of the fields of science and technology and industry, and who have made oral presentations worthy of the award.

In producing antibody drugs, there are two major challenges: the generation of impurities in the cell cultivation process and high drug prices due to manufacturing costs. In order to design an appropriate production process that addresses these issues, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the different perspectives, which are cells, processes, and society. This study presents a process design framework that connects and considers the different perspectives through modeling. The framework enabled quantification of the impact of changes at each perspective on the cost-effectiveness of pharmaceuticals. The results of this research are expected to serve as a basis for collaboration among experts in different fields in the future production of antibody drugs and, by extension, in the design of Japan's healthcare system.

It is with the support of Professor Hirokazu Sugiyama, Associate Professor Badr Sara, and others in Sugiyama-Badr laboratory that I could receive this award. I am very happy and humbled. From now on, while working for a pharmaceutical company, I will contribute to people's health by making use of what I have learned at the School of Engineering.