The National Cancer Center and ARCALIS are pleased to announce a three-part seminar series entitled “Current Status and Challenges in mRNA Vaccine Development.”
The event will be held in a hybrid format, offering both on-site and online participation.
A networking session will follow the seminar.
As the number of seats is limited, we encourage early registration via the link below.

[Seminar Details / CPOT Website]
 https://cpot.ncc.go.jp/2025/09/news2877/

[Hybrid Format: Onsite & Online]
Session 1: Friday, October 24, 2025
 From the Perspective of an mRNA Vaccine Developer
 Dr. Natsuki Tanaka, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

Session 2: Friday, November 28, 2025
 From the Perspective of a CDMO
 Kazuyuki Nakashima, Development Division General Manager, ARCALIS, Inc.

Session 3: Tuesday, December 23, 2025
 From the Perspective of Regulatory Science
 Dr. Takao Inoue, National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS)

Seminar Time (Onsite & Online)　　: 17:00 – 18:00
 Networking reception (Onsite Only): 18:00 – 19:00
 Venue: Nihonbashi Life Science Building, 3rd Floor, Room 313

【Session 1】
From the Perspecitive of an mRNA Vaccine Developer
Date & Time: Friday, October 24, 2025 – 17:00 to 18:00
Speaker:Natsuki Tanaka
 Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.
 R&D Division, R&D Planning & Promotion Department
 Project Lead Group, R&D Portfolio Planning Departmen

Overview:
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), originated in a cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019 and rapidly escalated into a global pandemic. In January 2020, pharmaceutical companies in Japan and abroad began developing treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. By February 2021, the world’s first mRNA vaccine—delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNP)—was approved.
In August 2023, we obtained the first domestic manufacturing and marketing approval in Japan for an mRNA vaccine (DS-5670). Since then, we have continued antigen optimization and filing for approval updates to address the emergence of new variants.
In this seminar, I will reflect on the real-world experience of developing a novel mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 and share the challenges we faced throughout the process.