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R&D Center

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R&D - The Linchpin of Our Group

Nagase R&D Center is located within Kobe High-Tech Park at Muroya Nishi-ku, Kobe City, about 12 km west from Kobe-Sannomiya. It was intentionally planned such that it is constructed between Tatsuno / Fukuchiyama where production base of Nagase group subsidiaries are located and Osaka, where Nagase's first Head Office exists. On the site of 11,000 sq. m., there stood this three story modern building, with automated facilities, warehouse, tennis court, etc. Click here to view the center and the location.

Since its establishment in 1990, the Nagase R&D Center's mission has been to serve as the driving force behind the provision of needed technologies in Nagase Group through the 21st century. As such, it has been engaging itself in process research and development, using microorganisms and enzymes for the manufacture of pharmaceutical intermediaries and other fine chemical products.

In particular the Center focuses on developing technologies for converting existing materials into products that bring high value-add. Through the Group's vast network, these products have successfully met the needs of various customers while acquiring many patents for processes used in manufacturing fine chemicals.

The R&D Center plays an important role in strengthening the organic synthesis and biotechnologies (production and application of various enzymes) possessed by Nagase ChemteX.

The Center also synergies with our various manufacturing subsidiaries in the development and evaluation of pharmaceutical intermediates and electro fine chemicals. Often the development of new products and breakthrough in manufacturing processes are brought forth by our customer's customized requests. The center is now increasingly strengthening its function through core-technology or support technology particularly requested by the Industrial circle to create intellectual properties of the next generation.

"After ten years, we are now finally able to see the fruits of our labor in the form of patented intellectual property." said Mr. Moriwaki Masashi, Head of the R&D Center, " The uniqueness of our center is that as a trading company, we place more emphasis on setting research themes derived from initiative in solving customers' problems or improving our own services, rather than in search of captive products initiated towards competitors, which is a common strategy adopted by R&D facilities in manufacturing companies"

The R&D Division consists of 4 Research Lab Groups looking into these primary technologies and research areas: Organic Synthetic Chemistry, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, and Molecular Materials Development. In particular, there are 3 major projects that are being largely emphasized - Chiral Compound (Optically Active Substance), Health Care, and Biochemical. They are recognized as big potential growth business in future.

View list of technical papers published by our research scientists

Among the major projects, Chiral Compound is considered having the most application value for its unique reactivity in the various fields including Pharmaceuticals, Liquid Crystal, and Nano Technology. Especially in the Pharmaceuticals field, application of biocatalysts can lead to development of new medicine with extremely low side effect. Hence both domestic and foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers are now actively studying this compound. Learn more

The technical capabilities of our R&D Center has saw the production of (S) ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, through optical resolution in India, and supplied widely to Europe and Asia. The R&D Center is also using its wide array of enzymes and other biocatalysts to offer formulations that meet the demands in the present era of green chemistry.

It is in this way that the R&D Center's primary technologies enable us to respond precisely to customer needs at any part of the supply chain, ranging from procurement of raw material and intermediates, to process development and manufacturing. The team in R&D Center is constantly engaged in advance development of manufacturing method for pharmaceutical intermediates and raw material, as well as development of chemical catalysts and biocatalysts required during the manufacturing process. Particularly in pharmaceuticals field where competition is keen, the way to establish low cost production of intermediates and raw material for Chiral Compound is the key to obtain profit for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Hence, Nagase has a system built to add value to our customer service by recommending the best options among organic synthesis, biotechnology and fused technology.

Nagase continuously conducts joint research studies with Universities and other research organizations on chemical catalysts and optical resolution agents. Recently, Nagase is working to commercialize a new chemical catalyze developed by the study group of Prof, Maruoka Keiji, graduate school of science, Kyoto University. From gene analysis to early stage culture, and fermentation, Nagase have aligned these research efforts with several labs in Kyoto University. Nagase Biochemical Ltd., a producer of enzyme formulations, plays a key role to scale any positive outcome up toward commercial production.

Nagase aims to root its business development in medical and biochemical related technologies. This being its 21st Century business model shows that Nagase is fast adapting itself to the dynamic change in demand structure. Therefore, reinforcement of its strength in R&D in this time becomes the strategic arrangement. In his mid-term strategic plan "WIT2000" Hiroshi Nagase, the President, stated that the center is becoming a pivot of research and development for the group through the intensifying its function and Nagase will be actively seeking breakthroughs into new business frontiers with its own intellectual property.

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