The Japan Bioindustry Association (JBA) on November 21 held its 2006 Awards Ceremony where winners presented with awards and grants in three categories, “Kei Arima Memorial”, “Fermentation and Metabolism Research Grant” and “Chemical and Biological Materials Grant”.

The Kei Arima Memorial Japan Bioindustry Association Award was created in recognition of the great achievements of Professor Kei Arima (JBA’s first chairman) in the research and educational fields of biotechnology. This marks the seventeenth year in which the award has been presented; the first was 1990. It has been given to researchers in recognition of remarkable academic or technological achievements. This award is over in 2006, and a renewed award will be bestowed next year.

The Fermentation and Metabolism Research Grant Award was started in 1996 by the Group Meeting on Amino Acids and Nucleic Acids as an incentive to young researchers working with amino and nucleic acids. The scope of the award has since been broadened to cover achievements in fundamental bioscience and biotechnology research.

The Chemical and Biological Materials Grant Award was originally created by the Chemical Material Research and Development Promotion Foundation under the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now METI). In 1996, these funds were transferred to JBA for future dispersal. The Awards are granted to young researchers in the fields of basic and applied research on chemical and biological materials as well as those on their application and development.

<2006 Award Winners>

* Kei Arima Memorial Japan Bioindustry Association Awards
1. Yaeta Endo (Professor, Ehime University)
Cell-free protein production and its application to post-genomic biotechnology

2. Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Company, Ltd. (Kazuhiko Tabata, Hideki Koda, Tetsuo Nishimura, Hajime Ikeda, Makoto Yagasaki, and Shinichi Hashimoto)
Discovery of a new enzyme, L-amino acid alpha-ligase, and construction of the dipeptide-fermentation process

 

* Fermentation and Metabolism Research Grant Awards
1. Masatoshi Goto (Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University)
Function and role of O-glycosylated sugar chain in Aspergillus fungi

2. Yoshifumi Shinoda (School of Bioenvironmental Science, Kyoto Gakuen University)
Biochemical analysis and applications of anaerobic microorganisms that degrade aromatic compounds

3. Hideaki Takano (College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University)
Research on function and application of photo-responsible transcription regulator protein LitR

4. Kenichi Yoshida (Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University)
Production of inositol isomers, a possible candidate medicine Diabetes Mellitus by bioconversion

5. Masaru Wada (Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University)
Optimization of fermentation production through the use of enzyme defects

* Chemical and Biological Materials Grant Awards
1. Nami Okochi (Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University)
Analysis of Organic Solvent Tolerence Mechanisms of Miroorganisms by Introducing Prefoldin from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeum, Pyrococcus horikoshii

2. Akimitsu Okamoto (RIKEN)
Development of biofilm for use in epigenotyping

3. Makoto Kimura (RIKEN)
Innovations for posterity ? mass production of materials for pharmaceuticals in the fields using phytopathogens

4. Gu Jianguo (Department of Pharmacy, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University)
Using the sugar chain to create new functional proteins.

5.　Yukio Nagasaki (Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba)

Creation of nano enzyme dispersion and functional material development