Uppsala, Sweden, 19 August 2013 – GE Healthcare Life Sciences today announced a joint program with Osaka University to offer students access to GE Healthcare’s cutting-edge expertise in training and technologies for biopharmaceutical research and manufacturing, to help support future growth of the sector in Japan. The program, Interdisciplinary Program for Biomedical Sciences (IPBS), is Osaka University’s government-funded commitment to graduate education, which aligns with GE Healthcare Japan’s “Life Sciences Academy,” a GE Healthcare initiative launched in April 2012 with the objective of supporting the development of life sciences researchers in Japan. Of the 14 IPBS graduate students, four will visit GE Healthcare Life Science’s Uppsala site for three weeks from 19 August to 6 September 2013.
While at GE Healthcare in Uppsala, the Osaka University students will experience day-to-day life in an R&D laboratory, closely working with GE Healthcare scientists and engineers. The students will receive comprehensive training in GE Healthcare’s advanced bioprocessing technologies and gain first-hand experience of protein interaction analysis and laboratory-scale protein purification using GE Healthcare instruments including Biacore™ and MicroCal™ systems for label-free analyses and ÄKTA™ purechromatography systems..
Anders Fält, Head of R&D, Bio-Analysis Systems, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, commented, “This joint program with Osaka University is a great way to share our knowledge and expertise, as well as encourage and inspire the life sciences researchers and manufacturing professionals of tomorrow. Specifically, we’re providing an opportunity for students from one of the leading Japanese universities to be introduced to the latest technologies and workflows from GE Healthcare, taking them closer to becoming tomorrow’s leading life scientists.“
Kiyoshi Takeda, MD, PhD, the coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Program for Biomedical Sciences (IPBS) at Osaka University, commented, “Our program seeks to educate young life scientists so that they will play an active role at the front lines of global-scale research collaborations whether it would be in the industry, academic or government sectors, during their careers. We strongly believe our students will gain valuable experience from the internship at the GE Healthcare Life Sciences R&D Center in Uppsala. Our joint program with GE Healthcare is an excellent example of cooperation between university and industry, a collaboration that has not been possible in the traditional Japanese education system. We hope such a collaborative educational program will strengthen the relations between academia and industry for the coming generations, leading the way to advanced treatment research for intractable diseases.”
During their visit, on which they will be joined by their Professor, Masayuki Miyasaka, a world-renowned immunologist, the students will also meet scientists at the SciLifeLab at the Karolinska Institutet, one of the largest medical universities in Europe.
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for increased access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world. GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter – great people and technologies taking on tough challenges. From medical imaging, software & IT, patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and performance improvement solutions, GE Healthcare helps medical professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients.
About the Interdisciplinary Program for Biomedical Sciences (IPBS) at Osaka University
http://www.stn.osaka-u.ac.jp/english/
Our program is built on the goal of educating young scientists so that they will be able to develop effective treatments for intractable diseases during their research careers through global-scale collaborations. The IPBS recruits researchers not only from academia (Graduate Schools of Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering, Frontier Biosciences, Science, and Dentistry) but also from industry, so that students can engage with these scientists in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.
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GE Healthcare
Dr Val Jones, Global Media Relations Manager
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@GEHealthcare
Original Source: …develop future leaders of Japan’s life sciences sector
