Sojo University

Overview

Sojo University

Sojo University (SOJO) is a private research university in Nishi-ku, Kumamoto, Japan. It was founded in 1949 as the Electricity and Radio Wave School. In 1971, the school became Kumamoto Institute of Technology and received university status and its current name in 2000. With a solid research portfolio, the university is recognized for its programs in information science, engineering, life sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical science.

Sojo University Key Statistics

The university comprises five faculties spread across ten departments. SOJO’s faculties are the Faculty of Art, Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Sojo University's student population is approximately 3,723, with 3,586 undergraduates and 137 postgraduates. It employs around 260 academic staff and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1.

Other Sojo University key statistics include its various campus services and facilities. These include the cafeterias, prayer rooms, the SOJO Venture (Student Entrepreneur Development Program), and the Campus Studio SCB Broadcasting Station. SOJO’s university library, the Yoshitaka Nakayama Memorial Library, holds a vast collection of print and digital resources.

Sojo University Research

The university is recognized as among the most advanced research institutions in western Japan. Its top fields of research are chemistry, medicine, and pharmacology. Funding support comes from both internal sources such as grants from industry partners and extramural funding from Japanese agencies like the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Sojo University research outputs have been published in prestigious journals like the Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, ChemInform, and the Journal of Controlled Release. Its researchers have attended major scholarly conferences such as INTELEC: International Telecommunications Energy Conference, IIAIAAI: International Conference on Advanced Applied Informatics, and PESC: Power Electronics Specialists Conference.

The most cited Sojo University research publication is Fang et al.'s (2011) “The EPR effect: Unique features of tumor blood vessels for drug delivery, factors involved, and limitations and augmentation of the effect.” This article was featured in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews and has received 3,107 citations.

The university’s second most cited publication is Iyer et al.'s (2006) “Exploiting the enhanced permeability and retention effect for tumor targeting,” which appeared in Drug Discovery Today and has been cited 1,927 times to date.

Moreover, the university’s third most cited publication is Maeda et al.'s (2013) “The EPR effect for macromolecular drug delivery to solid tumors: Improvement of tumor uptake, lowering of systemic toxicity, and distinct tumor imaging in vivo,” which was also published in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews and has received 1,872 citations.

In addition, the university is home to several research centers and institutes. These include the Research Center for Advances in Impact Engineering, the Applied Microbiological Research Laboratory, and the Drug Delivery System Research Institute.

It also houses SUMIC or Sojo University MONOZUKURI Innovation Center. Designed to support students’ manufacturing acumen, SUMIC offers the facilities and a creative environment such as a world-class machining and assembly space and various instruments like laser beam machines, lathe, and a milling machine.