Tokyo Institute of Technology,School and Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology,Global COE Program

Program title

Evolving Education and Research Center for Spatio-Temporal Biological Network

Application field

Life sciences

Program Objective

Life is based on intricate, interactive networks among a variety of biological molecules. These bionetworks are programmed along both the spatial and temporal axes. Any disorder in the networks can give rise to disease and result in the death of the organism. We have been furthering education and research in the field of molecular recognition, using the Frontier System of Bioengineering created under a previous 21st Century COE program. The educational and research foundation thus formed will be further advanced by this COE program.
The program will move beyond intermolecular recognition to encompass basic research to elucidate the mechanisms whereby biopolymers form networks and maintain life at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organism level, and biomedical applications based on the regulation of such mechanisms, thereby nurturing researchers for both industrial and academic work environments. To achieve this, we will collaborate with other research institutions, both in Japan and overseas, to further strengthen and enhance our existing interdisciplinary international educational and research programs, so as to provide doctoral students with an outstanding educational environment and program that nurture truly creative researchers. )

Three-cluster cooperation

Three areas of emphasis will be advanced using close cooperation among the three education/research clusters.

(1) In the analysis of bionetwork mechanisms being tackled by cluster 1, extremely high-level research that fuses experimental science and computational science will be of critical importance, and as such, the collaboration with the CNRS, which is a world leader in the field, is expected to be highly effective in strengthening and advancing the work. (2) In the development of network analysis technology of cluster 2, in addition to the Institute's internal efforts, there will be a strengthening and expansion of the joint agreement signed with the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) and UCLA and initiated by the joint education and research of the 21st Century COE program. This endeavor will spur major advancement in education and research related to the development of new imaging technology and congenic expression control technology. (3) In the biomedical application of cluster 3 based on bionetwork regulation, the collaboration with Tokyo Medical and Dental University, which has a medical department and hospital, will play an essential role. The Institute and Tokyo Medical and Dental University already have a cooperative relationship in the areas of education and research, as part of the Four-University Alliance. The close cooperation will be further promoted to form a globally outstanding education and research system that fuses the disciplines of the two universities. In this connection, the cooperation with the Scripps Research Institute, which is working on medical applications of new cytokines, will be significant in the implementation of innovative education and research.