Home

Fujifilm Launches Bioethics Advisory Committee to Guide Ethical Decision-Making Across Life Sciences and Healthcare Businesses in the Americas

via Business Wire

New advisory committee will uphold and strengthen Fujifilm’s commitment as a life sciences and healthcare leader to bioethical principles and standards in all areas of its life sciences- and healthcare-related research and business activities in the Americas

FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, the regional headquarters of FUJIFILM Corporation -- a global leader in life sciences and healthcare -- today announced the formation of its Bioethics Advisory Committee, a cross-disciplinary body established to provide independent recommendations, governance guidance, and accountability mechanisms to Fujifilm’s life sciences and healthcare subsidiaries. The Committee will advise on complex ethical considerations that arise across research, product development, AI-enabled technologies, manufacturing, and commercialization.

“Patients, providers, and partners expect more than just innovation – they expect responsibility. The Bioethics Advisory Committee strengthens our governance, so ethical considerations are embedded from discovery through delivery,” said Yutaka Yamaguchi, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Life Sciences Business Division, FUJIFILM Corporation and CEO of FUJIFILM Biosciences. “By combining diverse experts with leaders from our internal team, we’re raising the bar for transparency and accountability in how we innovate as a global life sciences leader.”

The Committee will include a range of Fujifilm subject matter experts from various areas and independent experts in the areas of bioethics, medicine, law, compliance, and patient advocacy. The main purpose of the Committee will be to serve as an advisory body to Fujifilm’s subsidiary businesses and regional teams to address complex ethical questions relevant to the fields of biological research, science, and medicine. The Committee’s perspectives on emerging issues and scientific trends -- such as AI, human biological specimens, gene editing, stem cell research, and patient involvement -- are aimed to help Fujifilm’s life science businesses prioritize the interests of patients, researchers, and the public.

“Fujifilm’s pledge to be ‘Partners for Life’ reflects its commitment to protect the integrity of clinical outcomes and ensure life-changing therapies are developed and delivered responsibly,” said Alta Charo, JD, professor emerita of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Committee Chairperson. “Ethics is not a box to check; it is a promise to patients. Our goal is to anticipate ethical risks early and translate principles into practical, operational guidance.”

As part of its commitment to transparency, the Committee will publish policies that address bioethical dilemmas to enable our life sciences and healthcare companies to make sound decisions as science continues to evolve.

“We are bringing in top-tier leaders in the field of bioethics – individuals who currently serve or served on the bioethics boards of other life sciences institutions and are widely recognized in the industry for their deep expertise and thought leadership,” said Toshihisa Iida, Director, Corporate Vice President, General Manager of the Life Sciences Strategy Headquarters and Bio CDMO Division, FUJIFILM Corporation, and Chairman, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies. “This framework is a clear example of how we live out Fujifilm’s ‘Partners for Life’ commitment: by building trust worldwide and ensuring that innovation is always matched with integrity.”

The Committee’s inaugural meeting will convene in December 2025.

A full list of committee members is available in the appendix below.

About Fujifilm

FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation is the regional headquarters for the Americas. It is comprised of 23 affiliate companies across North and Latin America that are engaged in the research, development, manufacture, sale and service of Fujifilm products and services. The company’s portfolio represents a broad spectrum of industries including medical and life sciences, electronic, chemical, graphic arts, information systems, industrial products, broadcast, data storage, and photography. For more information, please visit: https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/about/region.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, leverages its depth of knowledge and proprietary core technologies to deliver innovative products and services across the globe through the four key business segments of healthcare, electronics, business innovation, and imaging with over 70,000 employees. Guided and united by our Group Purpose of “giving our world more smiles,” we address social challenges and create a positive impact on society through our products, services, and business operations. Under its medium-term management plan, VISION2030, which ends in FY2030, we aspire to continue our evolution into a company that creates value and smiles for various stakeholders as a collection of global leading businesses and achieve a global revenue of 4 trillion yen (29 billion USD at an exchange rate of 140 JPY/USD). For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmholdings.com.

For further details about our commitment to sustainability and Fujifilm’s Sustainable Value Plan 2030, click here.

Appendix: Fujifilm Bioethics Advisory Committee

Alta Charo, JD – Committee Chairperson (external)

The Warren P. Knowles Professor Emerita of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is an expert in domestic and global governance issues surrounding biomedical applications of biotechnology, particularly with respect to gene therapies and reproductive technologies, as well as with agricultural and biosecurity concerns raised by the intersection of biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

https://law.wisc.edu/profiles/ralta.charo

Jeremy Sugarman, MD, MPH, MA – Committee Member (external)

The Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics and Medicine, Professor of Health Policy and Management, and Deputy Director for Medicine of the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University. He specializes in applying empirical methods and evidence-based standards for evaluating and analyzing bioethical issues.

https://bioethics.jhu.edu/people/profile/jeremy-sugarman/

Jonathan D. Moreno, PhD – Committee member (external)

The David and Lyn Silfen University Professor Emeritus of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, an advisor for the Center for Health, Ethics and Society at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He concentrates on the intersection of bioethics, culture, science, and national security.

https://medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/faculty-all/jonathan-d-moreno

Yutaka Yamaguchi – Committee Member (internal)

Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Life Sciences Business Division, FUJIFILM Corporation and Chairman & CEO, FUJIFILM Biosciences

Toshihisa Iida – Committee Member (internal)

Director, Corporate Vice President, General Manager of the Life Sciences Strategy Headquarters and Bio CDMO Division, FUJIFILM Corporation, and Chairman, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies

Rebecca Selzer – Committee Member (internal)

Executive Vice President, Research and Development, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc.

Sarah Karlgaard – Committee Member (internal)

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation

Crystal Fry-Vanuch – Committee Member (internal)

Head of Government Affairs, FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation

Patricia Colombo – Committee Member (internal)

Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation

Contacts