18-11 Green Earth Institute uses Corynebacterium resting cells to prepare green chemicals from formaldehyde
In an artificial metabolic system, the formaldehyde is added via aldolase, to appropriate cosubstrates forming 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid (DHB), homoserine (hSer), and 1,3-propanediol (PDO). As an aldolase, hpal from Escherichia coli was used. It accepts also other aldehydes. The study is considered a proof of principle that high-cell density cultures of resting cells of C. glutamicum can be used to form valuable compounds from toxic precursors such as formaldehyde or phenol (as shown in earlier work on catechol). Metabolic engineering was not rigorously done, yields were not optimised, and by-products occurred.
Keisuke Yamamoto, 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Biotechnology, Japan
Nikkei Biotech, November 18, 2021
18-11 Green Earth Institute uses Corynebacterium resting cells to prepare green chemicals from formaldehyde
In an artificial metabolic system, the formaldehyde is added via aldolase, to appropriate cosubstrates forming 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid (DHB), homoserine (hSer), and 1,3-propanediol (PDO). As an aldolase, hpal from Escherichia coli was used. It accepts also other...
18-11 Japan reports progress on transgenic pollen-free cedars
The Forest Research Institute's Forest Biotechnology Research Center (Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture) reports progress on the development of a pollen-less cedar by genome editing of "seminal trees" which grow fast and straight. In the transgenic plant, a single...
9-11 NeuroSky and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma will develop wearable electroencephalographs
The medical device will be used for the prevention and diagnosis of neuropsychiatric diseases such as sleep disorders, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dementia at an early stage. At the same time, a version for healthcare use by the...
5-11 NEDO launches R&D program for hydrogen aircrafts
The project aims to increase the ratio of participation in international joint development of airframes and engines (currently about 20-30%) by maximizing the strengths of Japan's elemental technologies, such as hydrogen and materials. The project will also contribute...
1-11 Genome-edited tiger puffer fish accepted as food in Japan
Regional Fish Co., Kyoto, has received acceptance from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for sales of genome-edited tiger puffer fish. In the genome-edited fish strain, a leptin receptor reducing appetite...
26-10 Japan’s „Green Innovation Fund“ launches construction of „zero-emission“ ships and a supply chain for hydrogen and ammonia fuels
NEDO, the project house of METI, will launch a 32 billion JP¥ (242 million €) program on „next generation ships“, which includes the development of engines fueled by hydrogen and ammonia. In the future, „zero-emission ships“ will emit virtually no greenhouse gases in...
15-10 NEDO adds projects on use of CO2 as raw material
The project house NEDO of the Japanese Ministry of Economy and Trade METI is funding further topics on the use of CO2 as a raw material with a total of about €100 million over 5 years: 1. Synthesis of lower olefins (IHI) and methanol from CO2 (JFE Steel, RITE), 2....
18-9 Japan permits marketing of genome-edited fish
In the red sea bream, 14 bases of the myostatin gene suppressing muscle hyperplasia were deleted, using CRISPR/Cas technology. The average amount of the edible portion was increased about 1.2 times, and the ratio of weight gain to ingested feed improved by 14%. Since...
12-9 Moonshot program for human well-being
In the attached article published in Nachrichten aus der Chemie| 69 | September 2021 | p. 55 – 57 (in English), a brief summary of the program and some current highlights are provided (see downloads). Moonshot-program-Japan-092021Download
7-9 Ministry of Agriculture inks major programs on biotech
Within its biotech-related 74 billion Yen (about 570 million €) budget for FY2022, the ministry aims to strengthen production capacity and improve sustainability of the domestic agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries. Topics include: low-temperature storage...
27-8 Secure storage of genome analysis data by quantum cryptography
Toshiba and others explore a system to store personal genetic data from projects of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) using a combination of quantum cryptography communication technology and secret distribution technology. The consortium has...
27-8 Grillus, a startup on edible crickets for human nutrition
Grillus is a startup from the University of Tokushima that produces edible crickets and sells cricket-derived as „circular food“. Basic technology consists of mass production of a highly uniform albino strain of the Dipterocarpus cricket, which has been maintained at...