Making health personal through research activities

On Friday, December 6, 2024, the 2024 academic year's research presentation was held at Astellas Pharma's Tsukuba Research Center. Five teams, who had conducted approximately five months of research starting from their own personal health concerns, presented their findings after delving deeply into their respective topics. Over 50 employees, including Astellas Pharma researchers, participated on the day, engaging in lively discussions. The selected participants likely received fresh feedback on their research from Astellas Pharma employees involved daily in pharmaceutical research related to people, through their questions and advice. On the other hand, Mr. Kono stated, "Hearing about the research conducted by junior high and high school students, we were made aware of perspectives and concerns unique to their age group that we, as employees of a pharmaceutical company, might not have considered. By supporting everyone's research, we want to think together about the meaning of health for each individual." Research that pursues scientific questions, as well as research that focuses on social issues and factors, are both welcome themes. You can also consider the health of people close to you, such as your parents, grandparents, or friends. Why not take this research grant as an opportunity to challenge yourself with research that deepens your understanding of your own personal health?

Illness is not the only health challenge.

Astellas Pharma is focusing on developing new drugs for diseases that currently have no effective treatments, but it emphasizes not only drug development but also deepening its understanding of the patients who will receive them. The challenges patients face are not limited to the disease itself. There are issues that drugs alone cannot solve, such as the difficulty of self-determining treatment options upon diagnosis, prejudice from others after becoming ill, and anxiety about how one will be perceived. To contribute to people's health, the company must not only provide medical solutions but also conduct literacy activities to ensure everyone can achieve good health. Mr. Kono strongly felt this through his own conversations with patients. "It is not enough to engage with people only at the point of illness; this broader approach to health is what life science companies must do going forward," he stated. Anyone can become ill, and as long as we live in society, this is not an issue that should draw a line between those who are sick and those who are not. We need to broaden our understanding of "health."

To realize a society where everyone can live healthily as themselves

Even when you've been healthy until then, suddenly falling ill brings a sense of vague anxiety because it's hard to know what the medicine given at the hospital is for, or what you should be mindful of in your daily life to recover quickly. It's surprisingly difficult to understand your own body and take appropriate action to get healthy while dealing with illness. Furthermore, adolescents are often physically healthy, and even when they do get sick, they often follow their guardians' instructions. In other words, adolescents have fewer opportunities to stop and think about health than adults do. It is important for each individual to be able to think about what health means to them and what actions they should take to achieve it. "To realize and sustain a society where everyone can live healthy lives in their own way, we want to think about 'what is health' together with adolescents who will live in the next generation," says Mr. Kono. Astellas Pharma hopes that any students who wish to contribute to health through the activities of this research fund will apply for the research grant. We want them to start from here, taking the first step towards realizing a world where each individual can live a "healthy" life, by thinking and researching from their unique adolescent perspective.