Synthetic Biology Platform Unit
Overview
Development of platform technologies important for synthetic biology and the broader life sciences.
The members of this unit seek to develop technologies that enable and accelerate cutting-edge life science and realize innovations through the application of these technologies. The focus of research includes, but is not limited to, advanced genome editing, mining and devising new genetic parts, complex genetic circuits and biosensors that allow rational and quantitative approaches to developing microbial cell factories and beyond.
Research Groups
Genome Engineering Research Group
Based on the “non-DNA-cleaving genome editing” developed in Kobe University, this group develops and provides a series of genome editing tools with greater safety and preciseness. In the medical field, their applications include gene therapy, elucidation of disease mechanisms, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical production. For agricultural and industrial applications, simultaneous manipulation of the cell fate and genome are being pursued to achieve highly efficient and rapid breeding of plants and microbes.
Members
NISHIDA Keiji (Professor), KTAOKA Ken-ichiro (Research Associate Professor), NGUYEN Sao Mai (Research Assistant Professor)
Protein Engineering Research Group
This group is to design and engineer proteins needed for cell-surface display of cell factory, genetic circuit parts for complex functional control, and biosensors that quantitatively sense and respond to various metabolites.
Members
TANAKA Tsutomu (Associate Professor), MITSUNOBU Hitoshi (Research Associate Professor, TOMINAGA Masahiro (Research Assistant Professor)
Metabolic Engineering Research Group
This group is focused on advanced metabolic engineering and production, working on discovering and modifying novel useful microorganisms, viruses, and their genetic resources, developing advanced manipulation technologies for a variety of microbial genomes, developing cell-surface display technology, creating genetic circuit parts that perform complex functional expression, and developing and designing biosensors.
Members
YOSHIDA Kenichi (Professor), TAKENAKA Shinji (Professor), IMAISHI Hirohisa (Professor)、KURODA Shuji (Research Assistant)