Three researchers, including Chugai Pharmaceutical’s Head of Research Ikawa Tomoyuki (井川智之), received the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award from the U.S. Lasker Foundation for inventing a bispecific antibody for hemophilia A. Ikawa Tomoyuki (井川智之) achieved stable, large-scale production through amino acid modification of Hemlibra and has led the creation of next-generation antibody modalities.
In September 2026, Hattori Arihiro (服部有宏), Kitazawa Takehisa (北沢剛久) and Ikawa Tomoyuki (井川智之) of Chugai Pharmaceutical received the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award from the Lasker Foundation for inventing a bispecific antibody used to treat hemophilia A. Ikawa Tomoyuki (井川智之) was recognized for enabling stable, large-scale production through amino acid modification of Hemlibra (emicizumab), the hemophilia A treatment that was the subject of the award.
Ikawa Tomoyuki (井川智之) has also worked to create novel antibody modalities, including recycling antibodies, and has been introduced as the person who led the development of a drug discovery platform for next-generation antibodies. He currently serves as Head of Research at Chugai Pharmaceutical, and his views on transforming R&D, including strengthening open innovation, are discussed.