Title: INT 97-17 NSF/Tokyo Report: Report on a visit to Aomori Green Biocenter Date: 5/21/97 The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission. These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy makers; they are not statements of NSF policy. Special Scientific Report #97-12 (May 6, 1997) The following report was prepared by Dr. Machi F. Dilworth, Program Director, Division of Integrative Biology and Neurosciences at NSF. In November 1996, Dr. Dilworth began a 10-month fellowship at the Laboratory for Regulation of Plant Functions, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-01, Japan. At RIKEN, Dr. Dilworth is working jointly with Dr. Shigeo Yoshida. Dr. Dilworth received an Science and Technology Agency (STA) Fellowship to partially support her visit to Japan. Dr. Dilworth can be reached via email at: mdilwort@nsf.gov OR dilwort@postman.riken.go.jp. Report on a visit to Aomori Green Biocenter Background: On April 24, I visited Aomori Green Biocenter at the invitation of its director, Dr. Masahiko Suzuki. I was interested in the Center as an example of a local government's efforts in biotechnology in Japan. This is one of six agricultural biotechnology research centers supported by a prefectural government in Japan. Aomori Prefecture is located at the northern tip of Honshu, the largest of the four main islands comprising Japan, and represents a more rural part of Japan. Major agricultural products of Aomori include apples (50% of the Japanese apple production), rice, and specialty vegetables (#1 producer of garlic and of a yam-like root crop called nagaimo). Aomori Green Biocenter was established in 1994 as part of Aomori's efforts to promote rapid advances in biotechnology with the hope of keeping its agricultural industry at the forefront of modern technology. The Center's primary mission is to carry out basic research in plant biotechnology that will lead to increased prosperity of the agricultural industry of Aomori. The prefectural government supports other research organizations with more specific missions such as a floriculture center located next door to the Aomori Green Biocenter. Center Organization and Administration: Center is located not far from the Aomori airport. Center facilities consist of the spacious main laboratory building, green houses, and the field/farm. Laboratories are well equipped. The research support system is excellent. Center is organized into three research groups; (1) the genetic engineering group, (2) the cell engineering group, and (3) the microbial engineering group. In addition, there is a small administrative office. The director, a deputy director and a senior science coordinator comprise the management team. The scientific/technical staff consists of 18 scientists, 6 technicians and 6 field workers. Students from a nearby college conduct their senior thesis project research at the center (usually 3 or 4 at any given time). Personnel and other major administrative matters are handled by the central prefectural administrative office. Approximately a third of the center scientists, including the Director, hold a joint appointment and teach at colleges and universities, thus maintaining connections with the academic community. Aomori Green Biocenter is financed entirely by the prefectural government and center employees are prefectural civil servants. In addition to direct support for salaries and benefits to the center employees, the prefectural government provides approximately $600,000 per year for research and operating costs. Money appears not to be a limiting factor in carrying out research at this Center. The Center Director reports to a prefectural official in charge of the center periodically, however, it is essentially up to Center Director to decide on the scientific direction of the center and to decide how well the center is performing for the people of Aomori. Center Research: Primary areas of research conducted at the Center are plant molecular biology, cell biology, plant pathology, and related fields of science. In addition to core basic research, they carry out contract research as requested by the farmers organizations, individual farmers or the prefectural agricultural extension agents. For example, they would identify the cause of a new disease and might advise strategies to deal with it. The Center does not do breeding. They also maintain genetic resources of importance to Aomori, such as a collection of the meristem cultures of various apple varieties. The center director hopes to increase collaborative research with the industry and academia in the future. * Genetic Engineering Research Group: This group conducts general molecular biology research with the objective of identifying genes of interest to Aomori agriculture, and of developing improved and alternate crops. The group has a collaborative project with the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station on apple genome mapping. The apple genome project is also a collaborative effort with the Tohoku Agricultural Experiment Station of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, along with individual researchers at Hokkaido University and other academic institutions. * Cell Engineering Research Group: This group develops new and improved varieties of Aomori products using the cell/tissue culture technology. Its mission is to develop technologies to evaluate genetic stability of cell/tissue culture-derived plants, as well as to establish methods for a long-term storage of these plants. Currently, some meristem cultures are maintained in liquid nitrogen without apparent loss of viability or genetic stability. * Microbial Engineering Research Group: This group is essentially a plant pathology research group. They work on viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases. The ultimate objective is to develop disease resistant varieties of crops grown in Aomori. They are currently working on bacteria that can disarm pathogenic fungi in the hopes of using these bacteria for biological control. My Personal Impressions and Comments: Although I had no preconceived notion of Aomori Green Biocenter, I was not at all surprised to find a state of the art laboratory in this somewhat remote corner of Japan. It is just another example of the Japanese public's faith in high technology being manifested, in this case, at the local government level. Aomori prefecture is fortunate to have recruited Dr. Suzuki for Director. Dr. Suzuki, who is in his late 40s, was a leading researcher at a private industry's plant biotechnology research institute prior to taking the current position. He is well respected by the Japanese scientific community. He seems genuinely interested in making a contribution to the Aomori agriculture. He is trying to bring in postdocs as STA fellows, and he is planning to apply for a competitive research grant that will bring in collaborators from the outside. He is working diligently with the prefectural officials to make it easier to accept visiting scientists and postdocs from abroad. Dr. Suzuki has expressed interest in attracting young US scientists to his institute as postdocs. For those young scientists whose interest tends to be in application of fundamental biological principles to developing agricultural biotechnology products, this Center will provide as good an opportunity as anywhere. The Center will also provide an opportunity to learn about real life problems to which research conducted at the Center can provide answers. I suggested to Dr. Suzuki that he broadly advertise the opportunities available at his institution. Considering difficulties other Japanese institutions are experiencing in recruiting US postdocs, this is not likely to be an easy task. If he should be successful in obtaining a research grant, it will provide opportunities for research exchange visits that might be a way to begin introducing his Center to the US research community. Further information can be obtained by contacting Dr. Suzuki at KYS00162@niftyserve.or.jp, or (0177)28-1015.