About Us – Promotion of Next-generation AI-driven, Data-centric, and Information-circulating Medical Research through an Integrated Framework of Human Resources, AI/DX Technologies, and Institutional Infrastructure

Greetings

Hokkaido University has recently been selected for the AMED (Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development) “Program for Supporting Medical Research,” and has launched the project entitled “Strategic Promotion of Next-Generation AI-Enabled, Data-Driven, and Information-Circulating Medical Research through the Integrated Development of People, AI/DX, and Systems” (PRISM-HU).

In recent years, medical research in Japan has faced a serious challenge: the depletion of “true research time” due to the increasing workload placed on researchers. This issue is particularly pronounced in Hokkaido, where travel required to maintain regional healthcare places an additional burden on researchers.

The PRISM-HU initiative represents a challenge to overcome this structural issue. We will develop, in an integrated manner, people (specialized human resources) to support research, AI/DX to improve operational efficiency and advance research quality, and systems (institutional frameworks) that enable researchers to devote themselves fully to their research work.

As a core organization, we have established a Division of AI Support for Medical Research, appointing Associate Professor Kenji Hirata—an expert in nuclear medicine and AI research and development—as Research Manager. Through this structure, we will provide strong support to highly motivated early-career researchers serving as principal investigators (PIs). By promoting information-circulating research that links basic science and clinical medicine, we aim to build a support system that can be utilized by all physicians at Hokkaido University Hospital.

We will continue to strive so that the “Hokkaido University Model” established through this project can contribute to revitalizing medical research throughout Japan. We sincerely ask for your continued support and cooperation.

TANAKA Shinya, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean
Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine/
School of Medicine, Hokkaido University

Research Manager’s Greeting

— Enabling “Time for Meaningful Research” Through AI —

In July 2026, I assumed the role of Research Manager at PRISM-HU, succeeding Dr. Kenji Hirata following his appointment as Professor at Kanazawa University. Concurrently, as of October, I serve as Specially Appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, supporting researchers through the Medical Research AI Support Division of the Collaborative Research Center.

My background is in diagnostic radiology, with a specialty in brain and neurological imaging following my graduation from the Hokkaido University School of Medicine. I later conducted neurophysiological research on the basal ganglia in non-human primates at Hokkaido University, RIKEN and National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S., before serving as a University Research Administrator (URA) at Hokkaido University’s Integrated URA Headquarters.

In my own work, I actively incorporate generative AI and autonomous agents across literature reviews, data analysis, and documentation. I see every day how transformative these technologies are. When applied effectively, AI frees up critical time for researchers. However, even the most capable tools only create value when they are actively utilized.

PRISM-HU marked its first anniversary in October 2026. Over the past year, we have established essential foundations: dedicated personnel in the Medical Research AI Support Division, a secure on-premises AI environment that analyzes electronic medical records without transferring data externally, and an interdisciplinary Science Café designed to connect researchers across fields. We are now entering the phase of translating this infrastructure into concrete research outcomes.

My mission is to approach each researcher’s challenges as my own, addressing them through a synergy of expertise, digital transformation, and scalable workflows. If you need assistance with research design, data analysis, or AI implementation, please feel free to reach out. Moving forward, I aim to extend this support framework to early-career investigators and healthcare institutions throughout Hokkaido, establishing a regional model of medical research innovation.

By helping every researcher secure dedicated “time for meaningful research,” I am committed to advancing breakthrough medical science from Hokkaido University to the world.

Atsushi YOSHIDA, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Manager, Medical Research AI Support Division
Project Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Imaging
Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine

Background

There is a growing concern regarding the decline of Japan’s international competitiveness in basic life sciences and medical research. A primary cause is the severe shortage of “True Research Time”—the time researchers need for creative thought and core research—as they are increasingly overwhelmed by clinical practice, education, and administrative duties.

In Hokkaido specifically, this issue is exacerbated by the region’s unique geography; university hospital physicians spend significant time traveling to provide regional medical support across vast areas, making it even more difficult to secure dedicated research time.

Objectives

This project aims to overcome these structural challenges and fundamentally strengthen the research environment. By integrating “People” (support staff), “AI/DX” (advanced technology), and “Systems” (institutional frameworks) as a “Trinity” of support, we will secure and create “True Research Time” for our researchers.

Building upon this reform, we will accelerate the “fusion of life sciences with AI/data-driven research” and the “collaboration between basic and clinical medicine”—areas where our university excels—to strategically promote next-generation, data-driven medical research through continuous information cycles.

Core Philosophy

We have named this initiative “PRISM-HU (Platform for Research Innovation and Support in Medicine – Hokkaido University)”. Under this philosophy, we will implement the following three elements in unison to reform the research environment and strategically advance research activities:

People (Human Resource Infrastructure): We will deploy a diverse range of specialists—including Data Managers, Biostatisticians, AI Programmers, URAs, and Medical Writers—to provide end-to-end support, from research planning and data collection/analysis to manuscript drafting and dissemination.
AI/DX (Utilization of Advanced Technology): By leveraging Generative AI, such as privacy-conscious Local Large Language Models (Local LLMs), we will automate and streamline tasks such as clinical summary generation, database entry, and surgical video editing, thereby liberating time for research.
Systems (Institutional Framework): We will formally introduce “Dedicated Research Time” to allow researchers to focus on academic inquiries. Additionally, we will reduce external clinical work through PI personnel cost systems and minimize travel time by promoting telemedicine and DX, while establishing a “Science Café” to spark new ideas through interdisciplinary interaction.

Research Promotion Goals

This project will select 12 young PIs (Principal Investigators) who utilize AI and data-driven methods. They will be organized into the following three research teams to promote integrated, information-circulating research where basic medicine, clinical medicine, and information science collaborate:

Sub-theme 1:

The Molecular and Basic Research Team Elucidating the pathogenesis of intractable diseases by integrating spatial molecular data and expression profiles.

Sub-theme 2:

Imaging and Clinical Research Team Revolutionizing disease understanding and prognostic prediction through AI-driven objective quantification of human phenotypes, such as surgical videos, gait analysis, and fundus images.

Sub-theme 3:

The Big Data Omics Research Team Constructing high-precision models by integrating diverse Real-World Data (RWD), including electronic health records, genomics, and pathological images.

Through these efforts, we aim to continuously produce high-impact research contributing to Top 10% papers and establish a world-class research hub.

Ultimately, we intend to expand the research support frameworks established here (AI tools and support systems) as the “Hokkaido University Model”—first within the Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, then university-wide, and eventually to universities and research institutions nationwide—to lead the reform of Japan’s research environment.