The program is clustered around Professor Takashi YAMAMOTO who has developed artificial nucleases (TALEN and ZFN), chimera proteins whose domains are specifically combined with restriction enzyme FokI. If it combines with the target sequence, DNA will be cut. Since selection of a target sequence is possible, this method is considered as next-generation KO technology, which can be applied to genomes of animals, plants, embryonic stem cells and iPS cells. The program is financed by MEXT, and international collaborations are envisioned.
Nikkei Biotech, February 27, 2013; https://www.mls.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/smg/index.html
Hiroshima University will form an “artificial nuclease research base” for genome editing