International Research and Development Section

International Research and Development Section plans and implements international joint clinical research not limited to studies led by NCCH, but also in collaboration with partners across the United States, European countries, and Asia-Pacific countries,  with an emphasis on Asia, thereby solving issues in Asia and promoting cancer treatment development throughout Asia.

Specifically, since the expansion of the MASTER KEY project to the ASIAN countries in 2021 (MASTER KEY Asia), we have been working with participating institutions across Asia to collect clinical and genomic information from consenting patients, in order to clarify the current status of cancer treatment and the diseases characteristics specific to each region. In parallel, multinational clinical trials are being conducted in accordance with international ethical guidelines and regulatory requirements, with the aim of expanding treatment options for cancer patients globally and to improving the standard of care. Since its launch in 2021, MASTER KEY Asia, a pan-Asian rare cancer registry, has enrolled over 1,000 patients and continues to grow, with additional international interventional trials to be launched soon.

These activities require cooperation with a number of stakeholders, and we will aim for international therapeutic development while sharing differences in needs and issues between regions by utilizing the know-how of each industry, academia, government, and private sector. In addition to research development, we also provide comprehensive support to facilitate the smooth implementation of international investigator-initiated clinical trials led by the National Cancer Center Hospital.

Our department has an established framework to support a wide range of international clinical research activities, including multiregional observational studies, specified clinical research, investigator-initiated trials involving unapproved drugs or medical devices, and contract negotiations with overseas companies when using investigational products developed abroad. Through these efforts, we aim to promote efficient and globally harmonized clinical research in collaboration with international partners.