| Name of Course | Training Period | Number of Participants | Breakdown of Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs Exploration Training (1st Term) | November 2017 - October 2018 | 11 | 11 from companies |
| Medical Device Development Expert Training (2nd Term) | May 2018 - February 2019 | 12 | 11 from companies, 1 development support specialist |
| The 3rd MDP Training Program Entry Course I | October 2019 - March 2020 | 18 | 15 from companies, 3 healthcare professionals |
| The 3rd MDP Training Program Entry Course II |
June 2020 - April 2021 | 6 | 4 from companies, 2 healthcare professionals |
| The 4th MDP Training Program Entry Course I | November 2020 - March 2021 | 13 | 7 from companies, 6 healthcare professionals |
| The 5th MDP Training Program Entry Course I | May 2021 - November 2021 | 18 | 10 from companies, 5 healthcare professionals, 1 engineering researcher, 1 development support specialist, 1 medical student |
| The 4th MDP Training Program Entry Course II | November 2021 - August 2022 | 13 | 7 from companies, 4 healthcare professionals, 1 engineering researcher, 1 development support specialist |
| The 6th MDP Training Program Entry Course I | May 2022 - July 2022 | 14 | 9 from companies, 3 healthcare professionals, 1 engineering researcher, 1 engineering student |
| The 5th MDP Training Program Entry Course II | November 2022 - August 2023 | 7 | 4 from companies, 1 healthcare professional, 1 engineering student, 1 medical student |
| The 7th MDP Training Program Entry Course I | May 2023 - June 2023 | 24 | 13 from companies, 9 healthcare professionals, 2 development support specialists |
| The 6th MDP Training Program Entry Course II | November 2023 - March 2025 | 4 | 3 from companies, 1 healthcare professional |
| The 8th MDP Training Program Entry Course I | May 2024 - August 2024 | 15 | 10 from companies, 3 healthcare professionals, 1 development support specialist, 1 medical student |
| The 7th MDP Training Program Entry Course II | November 2024 - (currently in progress) | 5 | 2 from companies, 3 healthcare professionals, |
| The 9th MDP Training Program Entry Course I | May 2025 - July 2025 | 16 | 10 from companies, 4 healthcare professionals including 2 working graduate students, 1 development support specialist, 1 agriculture student |
| Total | 176 | 116 from companies, 44 healthcare professionals, 7 development support specialists, 3 engineering researchers, 3 medical students, 2 engineering students, 1 agriculture student | |
* "Needs Exploration Training (1st Term)” and “Medical Device Development Expert Training (2nd Term)” were the predecessor programs of the MDP Training Program Entry Courses I and II.
* "Needs Exploration Training (1st Term)” and “Medical Device Development Expert Training (2nd Term)” were the predecessor programs of the MDP Training Program Entry Courses I and II.
Mr. Sotaro Ishihara, a clinical engineer at the Clinical Engineering Department of Kobe University Hospital, collaborated with Nara Seiko Inc. to jointly develop the “Safety Forceps” (Medical Device Notification Number: 29B1X00001000102), a tool designed to prevent accidental cutting of dialysis tubes during dialysis procedures.
On June 23, 2023, Harvard Business Review published an interview article titled “Medical Device Innovation through the Japanese-Style Ecosystem” featuring Kobe University.
Professors Takahiro Yasuda and Yoshihiro Muragaki from the Graduate School of Medicine Department of Medical Device Engineering and the Center for Advanced Medical Engineering Research & Development (CAMED), discussed the formation of a Japanese-style ecosystem and the future direction of innovative medical device development.
On June 26, 2023, Nipro Corporation and its subsidiary, MACHIDA Endoscope Co., Ltd., together with Professor Kenichi Nibu from the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Part-time Lecturer Dr. Go Inokuchi from the Division of Medical Device Systems, Department of Medical Device and Systems Development, Graduate School of Medicine, and Specially Appointed Professor Yoshiaki Fujiwara from the Device Development Promotion Division of the Kobe University Center for Advanced Medical Engineering Research and Development, announced the joint development of an otolaryngology videoscope.
In collaboration with Terumo Corporation, we successfully expanded the clinical application of the OFDI (Optical Frequency Domain Imaging) Intravascular Imaging System, which uses near-infrared light to visualize cross-sectional images of blood vessels. Previously, its use had been limited to the coronary arteries of the heart. However, in June 2021, regulatory approval under Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act (PMD Act) was obtained for use in the lower limb arteries—from the thigh to below the knee—and in November of the same year, the system was approved for insurance coverage. Among optical coherence-based diagnostic devices employing similar principles, the OFDI system became the first in Japan to receive approval for use in lower limb arteries. The project was initiated by the hospital’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and achieved approval following a physician-led, multicenter clinical trial.
On October 10, 2020, the final round of the 3rd MedTech Grand Prix KOBE, a contest focused on next-generation health and medical technologies, was held with 12 finalist teams selected from 106 applicants. The team “Protect Kid’s Brain,” led by Professor Hiroaki Nagase (Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Acute Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University), presented their project under the theme “Protecting Children’s Brains and Hearts from Non-Convulsive Epileptic Seizures.” The team received the ExaWizards Award, presented by the sponsor company ExaWizards Inc., and also won first place in the audience vote. This project is being advanced through medical-engineering collaboration with Professor Zhiwei Luo from the Graduate School of System Informatics. Moving forward, the team plans to integrate the software into existing electroencephalography (EEG) devices and evaluate its performance in clinical settings.
(Photo: From left — Mr. Ko Ishiyama, President and CEO of ExaWizards Inc.; Professor Hiroaki Nagase; Professor Zhiwei Luo.)
On August 6, 2020, Professor Tomoo Ito of the Department of Pathology and Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Kobe University Hospital, and Matrix Co., Ltd. jointly developed an active mask designed to help prevent infections such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in medical and clinical settings.
Hiroshi Kato, Deputy Director of the Medical Technology Department at Kobe University Hospital, served as a member of the development team for the “Easy O₂ Tiger,” a timer specifically designed for medical oxygen cylinders released by Shinwa Industrial Co., Ltd. He was responsible for identifying and analyzing medical needs throughout the development process.
On June 11, 2020, Professor Tomoo Ito of the Department of Pathology and Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Kobe University Hospital, and Soda Kogyo Co., Ltd. announced the joint development of a clean unit designed to help prevent infections, including COVID-19, in various medical and clinical settings.
Professor Takumi Fukumoto (Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery) and Professor Ryohei Sasaki (Department of Radiation Oncology) at Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, together with Alfresa Pharma Corporation, successfully developed the absorbable tissue spacer for radiation therapy, Neskeep®. The device received regulatory approval in December 2018 and was launched commercially on June 27, 2019. In 2019, Neskeep® was added to insurance coverage. After spacer placement prior to particle therapy became reimbursable, as of September 2023, spacer placement before X-ray therapy is also covered by insurance.
(Approval Number: 23000BZX00381000)
