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SUBTHEMES
■ 3D Tissue Module Engineering
a. Soft Tissue Engineering
R&D of artificial blood vessels, cultured blood vessels, artificial vitreous body, hybrid type biomaterials.
b. Hard Tissue Engineering
R&D of technology for constructing bone and cartilage infinitely close to living tissues.
■ Biomolecular Mechanism & Design
a. RNA Engineering
The electronic state of ribonucleic acid (RNA) is analyzed to clarify molecular structure and function, as well as its working within a cell.
b. Peptide Engineering
R&D of basic technology for constructing artificial molecular systems to implement structures and functions. A particular emphasis is placed on the technology for detecting hormone-disrupting chemicals (so-called environment hormones).
c. Molecular Motor Engineering
To establish basic technology for constructing molecular machines by combining biomolecules (proteins).
REPRESENTATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS
■ Liver Cell Culturing Reactor
Stem cell-like cells isolated and purified from the liver are cultured in special culture media while retaining 3-dimensional structures, in the world-first bioreactor based on porous tetra-fluoroethylene, to establish the elementary technology needed for the creation of artificial liver.
■ 3D Culture of Cartilage Cells
Cartilage cells are injected into collagen sponge and cultured in 3-dimensional architecture while applying varying hydrostatic pressure, simulating the environment within the living body. Consequently, a cartilage-like structure to produce several kinds of saccharoprotein needed for organizing cartilage was obtained.
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■ Creation of New Dimer Ribozyme with High Activity within A Cell
Ribozyme in RNA performing catalytic actions in the cell are decomposed into dimers to provide the smallest catalytic units of higher activity.
■ Working Principle of Bio-Molecular Motor Clarified
The length of myosin light chain binding segment in the actin-myosin molecular motor, a motor unit of the muscle, was changed by using genetic engineering technique, and the proportionality of motion speed to the segment length was confirmed. This may lead to understanding of action principle of molecular motor.
■ Trial Manufacture of Energy Conversion Device by Using Peptide Engineering
Hydrogenase is an enzyme to convert proton into molecular hydrogen reversibly. It was succeeded to orient molecules by combining hydrogenase with peptide and to construct a stack of active hydrogenase molecular films on an electrode. It was demonstrated that when a voltage is applied, hydrogen bubbled out of the film, showing the usefulness of peptide for preparing functional protein film.
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