Researcher At Heart: Toichi Takenaka's Journey From 'Empty Lab' To CEO
Ex-Astellas Chief Sees R&D Funding As Challenge
Executive Summary
Dr Toichi Takenaka, the first winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the inaugural Pharma Intelligence Awards Japan earlier this year, talks to Scrip about his journey from researcher to CEO and today as a mentor for Japanese bioventures. Starting his career in an “empty lab” in the 1960s motivated him to pursue a string of collaborations with universities in Japan and on to the discovery of four successful drugs.