The UTOPIA Center

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus emerged and caused an unprecedented pandemic, bringing immeasurable damage across the world. This experience made clear the importance of establishing, during non-pandemic periods, a system capable not only of developing vaccines, but also of advancing a broad range of Medical Countermeasures (MCMs), including therapeutics and diagnostics, and rapidly translating them into practical use during infectious disease emergencies.

Against this backdrop, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) Strategic Center of Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research and Development for Preparedness and Response (SCARDA) has launched the “Research and Development Platform Program for Medical Countermeasures against Infectious Disease Emergencies,” and the University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA), The University of Tokyo, has been selected as its flagship center.

Since its selection in 2022 as the flagship center of the “Japan Initiative for World-leading Vaccine Research and Development Centers,” UTOPIA has brought together researchers from a wide range of disciplines across the University of Tokyo and has promoted interdisciplinary research, human resource development, and domestic and international collaboration, with a particular focus on infectious disease research and vaccine development. With this new selection, we will further build upon the research foundation developed to date and expand our activities into an integrated platform for the research and development of MCMs, encompassing not only vaccines but also therapeutics and diagnostics.

We will also strengthen a seamless research and development framework spanning basic research, preclinical studies, clinical research, and implementation in society. At the same time, we will actively promote collaboration among academia, industry, and government, strengthen partnerships with research institutions in Japan and overseas, foster the next generation of researchers, and incorporate emerging approaches such as artificial intelligence into our research. Through these efforts, we aim to establish a world-leading research and development center capable of rapidly and effectively delivering the MCMs needed in times of infectious disease emergencies.

Guided by our longstanding mission to “Save the world from infectious diseases,” UTOPIA will continue to take on this expanded responsibility. We sincerely ask for your continued support and cooperation.

Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Director
The University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection, and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA), Institute for Advanced Studies, The University of Tokyo