RIKEN’s Nishina Center for Accelerator Research, under group leader Kosuke MORITA, had announced the discovery of element 113 on Dec. 31st, 2015, and IUPAC, after certification of the discovery, had offered the right of naming to the discoverers. After public deliberation by IUPAC, their proposition was accepted to name element 113 „Nihonium“ (Nh) RIKEN news […]
Waseda University researchers erect two stone monuments to commemorate artificial cells” and “artificial life””
The mounds were set up in Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, in the presence of 264 people. A stone monument in honor of industrial microorganisms has already been mounted 20 years earlier in Kyoto. Nikkei Biotech news release, November 30, 2016
National Cancer Research Center and Preferred Networks Co. to cooperate on integrated cancer treatment using AI
The project termed development of integrated cancer medical system using AI” will be supported by AIST.” Nikkei Biotech news release, November 29, 2016
RegCell venture announces study on iPS treatment for rheumatoid arthritis
RegCell Co. is a spin-out of Osaka University’s Immunological Frontier Research Center (IFReC), supported by iPS portal, Kyoto City. The company will attempt to apply autologous regulatory T cells for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. https://regcell.jp
Functional food” in Japan exceeds 500 cases”
The total number of foods and drinks with a Tokuho registration was 1,253 on Nov. 14, 2016. Nikkei Biotech news release, November 25, 2016
Group at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) develops light sensor” which allows bioprocess control by light”
The group of Koji SODE at TUAT has remodeled the light sensor protein derived from cyanobacteria to express this gene under red light irradiation. This artificial light sensor” suppressed gene expression under green light irradiation completely and operates not only in cyanobacteria, but also in E. coli. The study was jointly done with Bochum University […]
NEDO starts demonstration test of thermoelectric hybrid solar cell module at Daito Hot Spring, Kakegawa
The module, built by Nisshinbo Mechatronics Co., has a total power generation and heat collection efficiency of 78.0% (power generation efficiency 15.5%, heat collection efficiency 62.5%). The hybrid module consists of a 160 W solar cell composed of 36 monocrystalline silicon cells with a double sided glass structure and a 160 W solar cell made […]
Mitsubishi Holding’s Life Science Institute (LSII) will merge with subsidiary Clio to speed up Muse cell commercialization
Clio’s Multilineage-differentiating Stress-Enduring cells (Muse cell) occur in mesenchymal tissues such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, skin, umbilical cord and in connective tissues of various organs. They have both mesenchymal and pluripotent stem cell characteristics but occur naturally in the body; thus, the risk of tumor formation is small. Clinical developments currently are done with […]
NARO develops heat-induced promoter for crops, potential applications under conditions of climate change
Groups at NARO, RIKEN and several universities have jointly developed a heat-inducible promoter which operates in plants such as Arabidopsis, soybean, rice, and maize. By comparative analysis of heat shock elements in these four plants, a gene switch could be designed which works only at high temperature, but in all four plants. As this gene […]
Group at Konan University, Kobe, develops RNA interference drug for AIDS
The proposed method is based on the synthesis of synthetic RNA with tetraethlenglykol (TEG)-modified bases which leads to the formation of inactive quadruplex structures with the target RNA. When such nucleotide-containing TEG-modified bases were added to a reverse transcription reaction solution prepared from a reverse transcriptase derived from HIV-1 virus, it was found that 70% […]