Window to Japan
A group around Jun OGAWA isolated a thermophilic yeast, Scheffersomyces shehatae JCM18690, which is thermoresistant and can metabolize starch directly due to a high content of glucoamylase. In addition, it is able to metabolize xylose. After 10 days cultivation in shake flasks, up to 9g/L ethanol was produced. The strain is believed to be able […]
Cellular Dynamics is a leader in the production of iPS-based cells such as cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes etc., used for drug testing and other purposes. CDI was founded in 2004 and listed on NASDAQ in July 2013. The company had global revenues of $16.7 million in the year ended, December 31, 2014 and had 155 employees as […]
The 10 center team generated influenza viruses expressing fluorescent proteins of different colours (‘Color-flu’ viruses) to facilitate the study of viral infection in in vivo models. On adaptation to mice, stable expression of the fluorescent proteins in infected animals allowed their detection by different types of microscopy and by flow cytometry. Satoshi FUKUYAMA et al., […]
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has introduced a new high-precision automatic translation system, first for English to Japanese, but with Chinese to Japanese also being included in the future. JSTChina, with the introduction of an improved automatic translation system, hopes to improve translation of scientific papers from about 100,000 to about […]
At the JSBBA meeting in Okayama on March 27, a Kaneka researcher reported on the stabilization of this enzyme from Vanderwaltozyme polyspora, for applications in DMF, using protein engineering. JSBBA abstract book, Annual Meeting 2014 in Okayama
The largest organization of Japan with respect to general biotechnology draw over 2000 lectures. Companies were again strongly represented, and lectures on probiotics, mostly by companies, exceeded 40. Special report in preparation
When inhibitors for Wnt-signaling such as IWP-2 were added to the growth medium, the epi stem cells could be stably maintained in a “primed” pluripotent state, and directly and in good yields differentiated from the primed state. Michihiko SUGIMOTO et al., Stem Cell Report available online 26 March 2015
Under the tradename of Durabio, the material, which is produced in a proprietary process from isosorbide which is obtained by dehydration of glucose, is already tested by Mazda for exterior automotive parts, will be produced at a scale of 1000 t/y, waiting for market response. MCC also anticipates strong demand for this new polycarbonatediol in […]
At the 14. Annual Conference of tha Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine held in Yokohama, Drs Hiroshi KITO of Nagoya University, Mr Ichiro Sekiya of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Mr Kazuto of the University of Tokyo and Dr Noriyuki TSUMAKI of CiRA reported on various advances in the combination of surgery with somatic cell […]
Chairman will be Mr Kazuyoshi YAZAWA of Waseda University. Nikkei Biotech news release, March 20, 2015