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The microbiome, which is composed of many different species of microorganisms, plays an important role in a variety of situations ranging from global environmental conservation to human health. Next-generation sequencers are widely used for its analysis. We are developing artificial nucleic acid standards for precision control of microbiome analysis (amplicon analysis by next-generation sequencers) targeting 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene as a marker gene. These standards are artificial nucleic acid molecules with artificial sequences that mimic bacterial genes and can be added to microbiome samples as internal standards during microbiome analysis. On July 30, 2024, Takara Bio Inc. began marketing a product developed based on these results.

The wide variety of microorganisms that exist in the environment are closely related to our daily lives. Isolation, cultivation, and application of these microorganisms from the environment are expected in various fields such as academia, industry, and medicine. Recently, water-in-oil (w/o) droplets with diameters ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers have been attracting attention as a method for isolating and culturing a wide variety of microorganisms in the environment. We have developed a nucleic acid probe that can detect microbial growth inside w/o droplets with high sensitivity using fluorescence. In order to make this microbial growth detection technology available to various users in academia and industry, we have licensed it to On-chip Biotechnologies Co., Ltd. and started sales. This is expected to enable users to isolate, cultivate, and apply microorganisms from various environments. If you are interested in screening industrial microorganisms or functional industrial useful enzymes from the environment, please feel free to contact us.
On-chip Biotecnologies

In clinical testing and drug development, there is a demand for rapid handling of a wide variety of specimens. For example, in PCR testing used for viral and genetic diagnosis, "multi-well plates" that handle 96 specimens simultaneously are used as the industry standard. However, the conventional product was prone to misjudging the specimen loading position, and mishandling (specimen mix-up) due to human error was a serious problem.
To address this problem, we have developed a new multi-well plate design that enables accurate and rapid testing (Patent No. JP6044916). By focusing on the operator's perspective of looking at the multi-well plate from a front diagonal direction, we succeeded in reducing the number of erroneous operations by attaching ID letters to the periphery of the wells. In addition to the PCR plate racks that have already been commercialized, this product can also be applied to cell culture plates and compound plates used in pharmaceutical development.
NIPPON Genetics Co., Ltd.

The demand for recombinant proteins for biopharmaceuticals and other applications continues to grow. The current production of recombinant proteins using cultured cells is expensive, requiring huge capital investment, production management costs, and various intellectual property usage fees. Therefore, "biological factories" using genetically modified organisms instead of cultured cells are being researched worldwide as a solution to the high cost problem. We have developed the world's first technology for highly efficient expression of recombinant proteins in chicken eggs through chicken genome editing. In addition, by applying CRISPR/Cas3, a domestically produced technology, to genome editing, we have avoided the intellectual property issues of CRISPR/Cas9, making it easier for companies to make industrial use of the technology. In order to enable many users to use our revolutionary recombinant protein mass production technology that does not require culture facilities, we have transferred the technology to Cosmo Bio Co., Ltd. and started a contract manufacturing business. Various advantages such as lower cost, ultra-high volume production, tank-free production, and high scalability of production lines, which are difficult to achieve with recombinant protein production methods using cultured cells, are expected. Please feel free to contact us for biopharmaceuticals, veterinary medicine, industrial enzymes, research reagents, food processing, material proteins, etc.
COSMO Bio Co., Ltd.

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