Page 52 - Beauty Prime Magazine

T
The Journey of an Inspiring Biotech Leader
RIKA TAJIMA
Pioneering Precision Medicine at
Red Arrow Therapeutics
at the intersection
Rika Tajima stands
of cutting-edge
nanotechnology and
strategic leadership,
guiding Red Arrow Therapeutics
towards groundbreaking ad-
vancements in cancer treatment.
Bilingual in English and Japa-
nese, and an expert in corporate
strategy and operations, Rika
brings a wealth of experience
from her diverse background in
epidemiology, biostatistics, and
global pharma environments.
Her pivotal role in the successful
M&A and post-merger inte-
gration projects showcases her
strategic acumen and operational
prowess.
Red Arrow Therapeutics,
co-founded by Takuya Miyazaki
and Horacio Cabral in 2021, aims
to revolutionize cancer treatment
through innovative drug delivery
systems. Horacio’s pioneering
work on pH-sensitive nanopoly-
mers, designed to deliver potent
cancer drugs directly to tumor
sites while sparing healthy cells,
serves as the foundation of Red
Arrow’s mission. This vision
of precision medicine inspired
Takuya to translate this cutting-e-
dge technology from the lab to
patient care, forming the core
mission of Red Arrow: delivering
life-saving treatments with pinpo-
int accuracy.
Rika’s journey from health eco-
nomics research to co-founding
Red Arrow reflects her passion
for applying scientific rigor
to real-world challenges. Her
experience in health technology
assessment and real-world data
utilization in Japan provided a
robust foundation for her transi-
tion into the fast-paced world of
entrepreneurship. The dynamic
environment of startups, chara-
cterized by rapid decision-ma-
52 II BEAUTY PRIME
Rika Tajima discusses her journey from epidemiology
to co-founding Red Arrow Therapeutics, emphasizing
strategic leadership and innovative nanotechnology in
cancer treatment.
BY EDITOR’S DESK LONDON
king and resource optimization,
captivated her during her tenure
at Astellas Pharma, where she
witnessed firsthand the impact of
nimble, innovative approaches in
the biotech sector.
Joining Red Arrow in 2023, Ri-
ka’s multifaceted role encompas-
ses fundraising, human resources,
and clinical study design. Her
leadership style emphasizes open
communication, team collabora-
tion, and maintaining a delicate
balance between scientific inno-
vation and business acumen. Rika
fosters a culture of transparency
and support, encouraging her
team to voice their ideas and
concerns, ensuring a cohesive
and motivated workforce.
Rika’s insights for aspiring
entrepreneurs in the biotech and
pharmaceutical sectors highlight
the importance of recognizing
one’s strengths and seeking
complementary partners. The int-
ricate and highly regulated nature
of these industries demands a col-
laborative approach, leveraging
diverse expertise to navigate the
complex journey from innovation
to market.
In this interview, Rika Tajima
delves into the mission of Red
Arrow Therapeutics, her trans-
formative career path, and the
leadership philosophies that drive
her to shape the future of cancer
treatment.
What is the mission of Red
Arrow Therapeutics? What
inspired its founding?
Many known substances have
high potential as drugs for
cancer which currently cannot be
treated, however they often harm
healthy cells as side effects while
targeting cancer cells. Horacio
Cabral, a professor at the Univer-
sity of Tokyo and a world-leading
researcher in nanomedicine,
invented pH-sensitive nano-
polymers that encapsulate such
powerful drugs. These polymers
form a protective shell around the
drug, creating a molecule akin
to an egg. When systemically
injected, these molecules travel
through the body to the target
cancer site. The shell protects the
healthy organs from the drug’s
effects. Once at the cancer site,
where the pH is lower than the
rest of the body, the shell breaks
and releases the potent drug. The
drug recruits immune cells to the
cancer site, working together to
destroy the cancer. These eggs
act like a nano-sized Trojan horse
within your body.
However, transforming
cutting-edge technology into
patient-ready treatments is a chal-
lenging journey. Takuya Miya-
zaki, who earned his PhD in Ho-
racio’s lab, recognized this and
was inspired to bridge this gap.
He decided to start a company
to nurture Horacio’s groundbre-
aking technology as swiftly and
efficiently as possible, levera-
ging resources from around the
world. And hence, Red Arrow
Therapeutics was co-founded
by Takuya and Horacio in 2021,
with the mission to save lives by
delivering drugs bulls-eye.
Can you share your journey
from your early career in
health economics research
to co-founding Red Arrow
Therapeutics? What motivated
you to transition into entrep-
reneurship?
My background is in epidemi-
ology and biostatistics. Applying
scientific and strategic thinking
to real-world practice and ma-
king a tangible difference has
always been a driving force for
me. I thrive on daily collabo-
rations with dynamic people
to tackle new challenges.
This led me to explore
uncharted territories, such
as the initial adoption of
Health Technology As-
sessment in Japan and
the use of real-world
data in Japanese
regulator-required
post-marketing
safety studies.
Through these
experiences, I
learned to mana-
ge stakeholder
expectations,
influence wit-
hout authority,
and keep teams
motivated amid
uncertainty.
I was introdu-
ced to entrepre-
neurship while
part of the R&D
collaboration team
between Astellas
Pharma and iota