Breaking New Ground in Biomarker Testing.
PhD in Engineering
Manager, SPFS Development, Bio Systems Development Group
Bio Advanced Technology Division, Corporate R&D Headquarters,
Konica Minolta, Inc.
Takatoshi Kaya
Early detection, early treatment: Revolutionary cancer-detecting blood biomarkers.
Generally speaking, if symptoms of an illness are noticed during its early stage, clinical treatment can be completed in a short period, and the patient can quickly go back to daily life. Simply put, this is the ideal course of “early detection and early treatment.” Even with cancer, which is the number one cause of death among the Japanese, there is a wider range of treatment options with early detection, and subsequent effects on daily life can be minimized. For this reason, technological development of early cancer detection tests that are physically and mentally less onerous to patients are currently underway. Among these tests, biomarkers that can determine the presence or absence of cancer through blood tests alone are very promising. Dr. Takatoshi Kaya who works at Konica Minolta, Inc., is one such person involved in a revolutionary biomarker development. Breaking barriers in the existing blood tests available for cancer is the tumor marker test. His current research targets prostate cancer, which is a type of cancer that has surged in recent years. Here we will uncover the difficulties he faces in his research within a corporate entity, its appeal, his goals beyond research, and the forces that drive him.
Learning is meaningless if not put to use: A career inspired by Apollo 13
The first researcher whom Dr. Kaya encountered was his own father. His father worked at a research institute in Japan after graduating from Tohoku University, then moved to the United States to study. He returned to Japan, worked at a research institute again, and then became a professor. Dr. Kaya grew up seeing his father work as a researcher, including when his father took his family with him when he studied in America for about a year. When Dr. Kaya was 10 years old, he received a microscope as a Christmas gift even though it was not what he had wished for; so his father was definitely a big influence in his life. However, what motivated him even more was a book detailing the trajectory of Apollo 13. He says, “I didn't study enough the first time I took the college entrance exams, so naturally I was not accepted anywhere. I had failed my entrance exam and began to re-think my path in life. By chance, I came across a book about Apollo 13 at home, which greatly inspired me.” What captivated him was not the hero-like astronauts, but the controllers on Earth who supported the astronauts. He was strongly drawn to the team on Earth that constantly came up with one solution after another for unexpected problems in space. Thus, his career decision was made – engineering. He had heard that Tohoku University had a culture of valuing research and experiments, so took the entrance exam there and passed. At the university entrance ceremony, he was impacted by the dean's words: “Learning is meaningless if not put to use.” At that moment, the idea of “practice-oriented research and education,” focused on serving society, serving people, took hold in his mind.
A brand new lab: Proactive learning
Back then, majors were not chosen at the moment of entering the university. Rather, students chose their department/courses upon starting their sophomore year. Dr. Kaya chose Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering in the Department of Applied Chemistry, which had various interdisciplinary laboratories researching chemical synthesis, physics, and even hardware-related topics. For his senior year seminar, he joined Professor Tomokazu Matsue's laboratory which had the title of “Life Science.” He says, “The lab had just been created. Compared to other labs, there were less people and resources by far. We had to ask for help with our research, and even with writing our papers. But looking back, it was a very valuable experience.” The theme of Dr. Kaya's research was electrochemical sensors utilizing specific cells and microorganisms, especially pioneering biodevices that have drawn increased attention in recent years. As he began his research, Dr. Kaya become acutely aware of his lack of knowledge about cells and microorganisms. At a time when resources and papers were not yet compiled and digitized, he scrambled to acquire all kinds of knowledge through attending classes at the Faculty of Agriculture in a different campus, and reading everything he could at the School of Medicine's library. Even within the School of Engineering, he knocked on the doors of other departments and laboratories, and learned a lot from the experts of various fields. “An environment in which everything is prepared and ready for you is not necessarily a good thing. Even though I didn't have the information at hand, there were many professors at Tohoku University who kindly explained things when asked. That experience of being proactive in learning is still alive in my work today,” he says.
PhD in Engineering
Manager, SPFS Development, Bio Systems Development Group
Bio Advanced Technology Division, Corporate R&D Headquarters,
Konica Minolta, Inc.
Takatoshi Kaya
Dr. Takatoshi Kaya was born in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from Ibaraki Prefectural Takezono High School before entering the School of Engineering at Tohoku University in 1995. In 2001 he became a research fellow member at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He obtained his doctor's degree in biotechnology at the Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Engineering in 2004. After working at an in vitro diagnostics manufacturer, he joined Konica Minolta, Inc. in 2007. He has been in charge of SPFS development at the Life Science Technology Project and is currently a company manager.