Message from CEO
In the 1970s, when I dreamed of becoming a scientist, people were predicting that by the beginning of the 21st century, cancer would become a curable disease. After graduating from medical school, I became a scientist, fulfilling my boyhood dream. Immune checkpoint inhibitors based on the molecule PD-1, which I was involved in the first research, opened up a new era of cancer treatment. During the 20 years that I was so absorbed in my research that I sometimes forgot to eat and sleep, I was able to experience more closely than anyone else the dynamism of the creation of numerous research results that have left their mark on the history of science. I felt honored and privileged to have once been a scientist.
According to the foresight survey released by the Ministry, by the middle of 2030, we can expect to see the practical application of “gene repair therapy using next-generation genome editing technology,” “prosthetic hands with a function to feed back all cutaneous sensations to the brain,” and “organs for human transplantation created from chimeric embryos of animal embryos and human stem cell-derived cells.” In this way, science and technology will continue to develop rapidly in various fields, not only medicine and healthcare. Our lives will be further enriched by the benefits of such development. It is exciting just to imagine what the world will be like 20 or 30 years from now.
Our company name, Amvis, was coined from the words “ambitious vision.” We want to contribute to the advancement of medicine and healthcare, and to the realization of a society in which as many people as possible can enjoy the benefits. Today, our goal is to solve social problems and make profits by innovating social systems, not by science or technology. As a first step, we proposed a unique business model called “Ishinkan model,” which is based on the concepts of outsourcing the functions of physician from chronic and terminal care beds to general practitioners. At Ishinkan, there are no resident physicians, but instead nurses manage the entire facility. We have succeeded in implementing the new system of “hospice” and expanding it widely from urban areas to depopulated areas in Japan. We also have established the business field of hospice in the medical and nursing care industry by demonstrating the possibility of commercialization in any region and providing a format through which people can receive medical care until the end of their lives.
With Japan’s declining birthrate, aging population, and numerous deaths, the government is promoting shorter hospital stays and returning patients to their homes with the aim of differentiating and strengthening hospital functions. The problem with this arrangement is that patients with high medical dependency in the chronic and terminal stages have no place to go after being discharged. In depopulated areas, regardless of whether there is an outbreak of COVID-19, hospitals often find it difficult to continue providing medical services. One reason is the retirement of physicians who are exhausted by overcrowded working environments. This situation could lead to the exhaustion and breakdown of hospitals. These social issues could occur anywhere, not just anywhere in Japan. We will address the medical issues in our country one by one with the new approach of Ishinkan.
Although Amvis is in the early stages of business, thankfully we are sometimes considered a leading company in the industry. However, we are not satisfied with the current situation and want to make a big leap forward, so we set a goal to become the most exciting medical healthcare company in the world. We will create the second and third businesses following the hospice "Ishinkan" business and aim to prosper for a century or more. We will also remain hungry, looking to the future with ambition, sometimes questioning the status quo and seeking innovative solutions to create important and essential value.
