Greetings from the Director of the Center for Clinical Research and Development

The mission of the Center for Clinical Research is to 'contribute to the health and well-being of the next generation through the research and development of new medicine and optimization of existing knowledge and techniques in maternal and child health.' Based on this idea, the Center for Clinical Research aims to fi nd evidence needed to overcome the diseases encountered in pediatric, perinatal, obstetric, and maternal medicine; deliver cutting-edge treatments; and obtain approval for new drugs through promoting clinical research and trials in the Hospital and the Research Institute. As the only ARO (academic research organization) at a highly specialized national center focusing on maternal and pediatric medicine, the Center for Clinical Research is not only prepared to conduct and support clinical research and trials, but also to work in concert with other institutions throughout Japan to promote clinical research and trials in these areas; build a system to support these activities; and cultivate the expertise needed to carry them out. Moreover, we are striving to provide the major infrastructure for clinical research and trials in pediatric, perinatal, obstetric, and maternal medicine by forming disease databases and collecting various other data as well as creating the optional environment for their use.

Kazuyuki Saito, Ph. D.

Director of the Center for Clinical Research and Development
National Center for Child Health and Development