Critical issues for effective collaboration between academia and industry in the field of regenerative medicine in Japan.
OBJECTIVE
To identify which factors are important barriers to effective collaboration between Japanese academia and industry in the field of regenerative medicine.


METHODS
In November-December 2006, in-person semistructured interviews were conducted with representatives from nine Japanese companies that are engaged in developing regenerative medicine products in collaboration with academia and two academic scientists with the successful collaborative experiences with companies.


CONCLUSIONS
The major barriers to collaboration relate to the inadequacy of particular systems in academic institutions (particularly technology licensing organizations and mobility between industry and academia), the knowledge deficit of academic personnel with respect to industry, the inadequacy of particular governmental support systems and the Japanese public's view of these collaborations, which has resulted in overly strict conflict of interest guidelines. We suggest some approaches to overcome these barriers.
Tsubouchi
Mina
M
Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoecho, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Morishita
Ryuichi
R
Tabata
Yasuhiko
Y
Matsui
Shigeyuki
S
Kawakami
Koji
K
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000592:standards*; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D007221:Industry / Q000592:standards*; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007564:Japan; D044968:Regenerative Medicine; D014495:Universities