“Yuurii Hashimoto joined Daiichi Sankyo as a researcher in March 2018. Since then, she has been conducting drug discovery research in the field of oncology. Yuuri moved to Boston, USA, in July 2024 to work as a Daiichi Sankyo(DS) Research Institute Boston staff member, investigating new areas of research from a global perspective.”
Aiming to deliver cancer research results to patients
Prior to joining the company, I worked as a researcher at a cancer center in Texas, USA. Although academic research was interesting, I wanted to work in drug discovery in order to deliver the results of research in laboratories to patients. I chose Daiichi Sankyo because I was interested in researching ADCs※1 and felt that the company’s drug discovery research system was well established.
- ※1:Antibody Drug Conjugate (an ADC is a combination of a chemotherapeutic agent payload with an antibody and a component called a linker)
Engaging with a wide range of colleagues broadens horizons and knowledge
Initially, I joined the ADC global project team and was involved in research on development candidates in the clinical trial stage. We were a team from various functions around the world, and my role was to represent the opinions of pharmacological research.
Three years later, I transferred to another laboratory and was put in charge of drug discovery research at an earlier stage. Over my six years at the company, I have worked with colleagues who had a wide range of skills, such as development, project management, and regulatory affairs.
I have been really impressed at how colleagues from a variety of backgrounds can have completely different approaches and perspectives. Even among researchers whose specialties are different, each person’s way of thinking and proceeding with their work can differ too.
I gained knowledge and understanding that I would never have gained from only my own expertise and benefited from highly meaningful experiences.
Monitoring current global drug discovery trends
I transferred to my current position in the Research Innovation Planning Department in April 2024, and in May of this year, Daiichi Sankyo officially established research and innovation centers in Boston, USA, and Munich, Germany, to search for new research ideas and joint research themes.
As a DS Research Institute Boston founding member, I moved to Boston from July 2024 with my primary purpose being to pick up the latest information on global drug discovery as quickly as possible.
Papers and patents present the results of research that has already been conducted, but I hope that by directly participating in meetings and discussions with researchers at research institutions locally in Boston, I will be able to gain an understanding about the processes, trends in drug discovery research, and innovations that may come onto the market in the future.
Today, the name Daiichi Sankyo has gradually become known around the world in the field of cancer research, but it is still not well known compared to the established global mega pharma companies”.
“Researchers at Daiichi Sankyo love to conduct research and experiments, so it’s no surprise that the company’s major strengths are its “science and technology” based research and the high quality of its research personnel.”
- Yuuri Hashimoto, Daiichi Sankyo Research Institute Boston
Colleagues devoted to research encourage each other daily to grow
Daiichi Sankyo’s major strengths are its established “science and technology”-based research system and the high quality of its researchers. There are not many pharmaceutical companies in Japan that conduct drug discovery research from “zero to one,” meaning all of it is done “in-house.” Researchers at Daiichi Sankyo love to conduct research and experiments and are all devoted to their work.
I find it rewarding to interpret data from experiments and discuss it with my colleagues. It’s great fun to come up with ideas and discuss the issues with my fellow researchers, who have a very high level of scientific expertise.
Finding the seeds for the next generation of drug discovery research
Researchers use the phrase “put down the pipette” to express finishing the part of one’s career doing hands-on experimental work.
While I am in Boston, I will no longer have the opportunity to do experiments myself. My main roles will be to have discussions to find research themes and propose joint research by talking with people who are actually conducting research locally.
I will miss stepping away from the wet laboratory work that I love, but I feel positive about this new challenge. When you go looking for new research themes, they may still be in a seed-like state, and just because you sow ten seeds, it does not mean that all ten will grow. Still, I will be happy if I can growone or two of these seeds and make even a small contribution to future drug discovery research.
Information for Career in Daiichi Sankyo and details of Daiichi Sankkyo's R&D and Reserch Institues are here: