Newsletter Volume 36, Number 2, 2021

Introduction

　The state of emergency declared for the Tokyo metropolitan area, which lasted for about two and a half months, was lifted on March 21, but there are still concerns about the spread of mutant viruses, and the situation remains worrisome. In order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, vaccination of healthcare workers in Japan is scheduled to begin on February 17, 2021, and will be administered to the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions, staff of elderly care facilities, and the general public aged 16 and older. The vaccine is an RNA vaccine co-developed by Pfizer Inc. and Biontec Inc. Clinical trials of the vaccine are currently underway around the world, including some vaccines produced in Japan. We hope that vaccines with proven efficacy and safety will be stably supplied to the world and that new coronavirus infections will be brought under control. On the other hand, the new type of vaccine using RNA is based on the knowledge of RNA that has been studied for more than 10 years for the treatment of cancer and influenza infections. I feel that the fact that the vaccine is being used worldwide to prevent new coronavirus infections is the result of steady research. I believe that researchers belonging to the Pharmacokinetic Society of Japan are also working hard in their daily research, repeating trial and error to contribute to the future of medicine. We would like to support these pharmacokinetic researchers by sending out their thoughts, research contents, and research results in our News Letter. We look forward to your continued support. If you have any comments or opinions, we would appreciate it if you could send them to the Editorial Board. (S.O.)

Introduction of Feature Articles

Pharmacokinetic Research by Young Scientists

　This section features young researchers who will support pharmacokinetic research in the future and introduce their latest research activities. Pharmacokinetics is constantly evolving, and we feel that it is expanding in new directions from the study of drug movement. Through this corner, we will introduce the latest research trends of young researchers who will create the future trends of pharmacokinetics. You will be able to experience the innovative ideas and research power of young researchers.