TOKYO, December 1, 2010—Canon Inc. announced today it has decided to make a 500 million yen donation to Kyoto University to support the establishment of the Kyoto University Advanced Medical Device Development and Clinical Research Center* (to be completed in 2011) and promote collaboration between academia and industry.
The Advanced Medical Device Development and Clinical Research Center, which will be established within Kyoto University in 2011 through a subsidy by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will rapidly carry out the clinical research of medical devices through to pharmaceutical application with the aim of realizing the prompt practical application of innovative medical equipment supporting all stages from early diagnosis to treatment.The Canon donation is being made with the primary aim of supporting the establishment of the Center.
In 2006, Canon and Kyoto University launched the Innovative Techno-hub for Integrated Medical Bio-imaging project, also known as the "CK Project," to conduct research and clinical studies toward the development of a new generation of medical diagnostic equipment enabling the early diagnosis of diseases.
The CK Project, a ten-year initiative, was launched as a theme within the Formation of Innovation Center for Fusion of Advanced Technologies program sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports Science and Technology.Through the Project, Kyoto University researchers specializing primarily in such fields as medicine, engineering, pharmaceutics and informatics work together with Canon engineers to promote a broad range of research activities within the field of cutting-edge medical diagnostic imaging.
Canon and Kyoto University will make use of the new Advanced Medical Device Development and Clinical Research Center to conduct clinical research and evaluations with the aim of accelerating the practical application of such chiefly CK Project themes as OCT (optical coherence tomography) enabling advanced fundus diagnosis, optical ultrasound mammography capable of identifying newly formed breast cancer blood vessels, contrast agents and molecular probes for improved medical device performance, and diagnostic imaging support software to aid doctors in making diagnoses.
In addition to its collaboration with Kyoto University, Canon is actively engaged in academic partnerships aimed at nurturing human resources and developing technologies in the field of optics both at home in Japan and abroad, including providing support to Utsunomiya University and promoting an industry-academia alliance with the University of Arizona.
By actively promoting joint research efforts with universities and research institutions both in Japan and abroad, Canon aims to contribute to society through the development and commercialization of science and technology.
