FACULTY RESEARCH ACTIVITY 2014

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48Bioscience and BiotechnologyHarnessing the amazing powers of tiny microorganisms in our daily livesDivision of Applied BiologyI am carrying out research to discover useful microorganisms from among the countless number that exist in nature and put them to use solving problems involving food, the environment, and energy. For instance, my lab is working on microbial chitin-degrading enzymes to effectively utilize chitin, an abundant biomass resource, and on molecular breeding of mushrooms to allow efficient use of their enzymes and metabolites.Many mysteries continue to surround tiny microorganisms. In fact, only about 1% of all microorganisms that exist in nature have been cultivated and given scientic names. The natural world is a treasure trove of unknown and valuable microorganisms.Outlook for researchGraduates are employed by companies that handle foods, alcoholic beverages, and chemical products. Typically, they enter industries that make use of biological systems.Outlook for students after graduationBioscience and Biotechnology“Self-recycling” and its application in hair science Division of Applied BiologySelf-recycling is said to refer to the use of the tissues and biological substances in your body as raw materials and their transformation into useful processed goods. In my lab, we use hair and nail clippings that are generated as waste in daily life as a first step. We are currently pursuing development projects in the area of hair care, and several companies have started to make use of our findings.Professor Fujii's areas of research include self-recycling, the development of biomaterials, protein engineering, and biopolymers. He is a member of the Japanese Cosmetic Science Society, the Society of Fiber Science and Technology Japan, the Japanese Biochemical Society, the Society of Polymer Science Japan, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. His areas of expertise include biochemistry, neuroscience, protein science, and history.This is an imagined conversation between students 50 years in the future.Student A: Fifty years ago, when you had your hair cut at a salon or barber shop, they threw the cut hair away!Student B: No, really? What a waste! It is such a valuable resource. In the past, they didn't have the technology to process and reuse it.Outlook for researchGraduates are employed by such organizations as Shiseido, LION, Menicon, Asahi Kasei, Unicharm, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Hisamitsu, Toray Industries, Toyobo, Seiko Epson, Murata Manufacturing, Dokkyo Medical University, Shinshu University, and Nagano Prefecture.Outlook for students after graduationA study group aims to achieve a score of 700 on the TOEIC test.We announced and promoted keratin lm at Cosmetics Japan, an international cosmetics trade show held at Tokyo Big Sight.We use numerous microorganisms in experiments, and there are over 1,000 species of microorganisms stored in the lab’s freezers.1.0 μm We discovered a novel bacterium that degrades chitin in moat water from Ueda Castle.A student examines the DNA of microorganisms using electrophoresis.Makoto ShimosakaProfessorToshihiro FujiiProfessorProfessor Shimosaka took his current position in 2004 after working as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Textile Science and Technology at Shinshu University starting in 1985. His area of specialization is applied microbiology. He has handled numerous types of microorganisms since beginning his graduate research in college, including bacteria, yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.

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