Science & Technology News from Japan - International Relations

Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
Confédération suisse
Confederazione Svizzera
Confederaziun svizra
Embassy of Switzerland in Japan
State Secretariat for Education and Research SER
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity-Awareness
(March 02, 2009)
One Japan study conducted by Kyoto University's graduate school, along with others, estimated that as many as
700,000 adults could potentially have “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity” (MCS) syndrome. It is a condition in which a
person experiences headaches or other symptoms in response to exposure to certain chemicals. Three prefectural
governments and 21 city and town governments are staging public awareness campaigns. The debate extends to
what kind of paint to use when renovating a school. Sick building syndrome, triggered by volatile organic compounds
and other chemicals used in architectural materials, paint and other substances, is a form of MCS.
Smokers Two Times More Fragile For Noro-Virus
(March 03, 2009)
Smokers who were exposed to a noro-virus at a hospital in Gifu Prefecture three years ago had an infection rate
twice that of nonsmokers also exposed, an investigation by the hospital has revealed. A total of 127 patients and
staff at Nozomi no Oka Hospital were infected with the noro-virus between October 2005 and February 2006. The
hospital looked into how the infection spread and concluded that the higher rate of infection among smokers was
due to finger-to-mouth contact with the virus facilitated by smoking. 67% of staff at the three wards and 55% of the
staff at the annex were infected. The infection rate of nonsmokers was only 36% and 26%, respectively.
Japan Behind US In ES Cell Tech Research
(March 04, 2009)
Japan will start drawing up rules covering regenerative therapy using human embryonic stem cells this month. The
nation is already behind the United States, where the world's first clinical trials for such therapy begin this summer
using a method that involves injecting ES cells into people with spinal cord damage. Okayama University has urged
the government to use the U.S. model on the application of ES cells as a reference to help expedite the drawing up
of rules covering ES cell use in medical treatment here.
Cells Cultured In Artificial Matrix
(March 05, 2009)
Sumitomo Bakelite Co. has begun marketing a kit that can be used to culture cells in 3-D multilayer matrices without
the use of animal-derived bio molecules. The kit is based on work carried out at Osaka University, where scientists
developed a means of culturing 3-D cellular matrices by growing layers of cells separated by films that serve
as cell-adhesive sheets. But these films are made from fibronectin and gelatin, which are both proteins of animal
origin. To eliminate inconsistencies and the risk of contamination with infective agents, Sumitomo Bakelite used its
polymer processing technologies to develop an artificial substitute.
L’Oreal-UNESCO Award For First Female Professor At Tokyo University
(March 06, 2009)
Prof. Akiko Kobayashi is one of the recipients of the 2009 L'Oreal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science, along
with four other scientists from five continents, becoming the third Japanese to win the prize. The L'Oreal-UNESCO
Awards were established in 1988 to honor female scientists who have made outstanding contributions to science.
Kobayashi succeeded in using single-component molecules to develop the world's first molecular crystal that conducts
electricity--a characteristic feature of metals. Many believed this was an impossible task. Kobayashi made
history when, at the age of 55, she became the first female professor at Tokyo University's school of science.
First Time Mapping Of Termite Intestinal Bacterium Genome
The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) has succeeded for the first time in
mapping the genome of a bacterium that lives in the intestines of termites. These results
bring scientists a step closer to developing a biofuel from wood biomass. This study succeeded
in mapping the complete genome of Rs-D17, a bacterium that lives in the cells of
Trichonympha (T. agilis), a protist inhabiting the intestine of the Japanese subterranean termite.
RIKEN’s Advanced Science Institute isolated a single cell of T. agilis and collected
several hundred Rs-D17 by rupturing the cell membrane.
(March 06, 2009)
Modified Analyzer For Blood Sugar Marker
(March 06, 2009)
Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. has modified its fully automated biochemical analyzer to test for a blood sugar
marker when it measures for other metabolic syndrome indicators in the blood, such as cholesterol and lipids. The
result is a machine that is both labor- and space-saving, since it eliminates the need for separate steps and separate
equipment to isolate and test for this marker, known as HbA1c, from the blood sample. To integrate this task
Science & Technology News from Japan, Template 2009 • Felix Moesner, Science & Technology Attaché Page 4 of 28