Embassy of Japanin the UK

The Chemical Society ofJapan

PeptiDream IncWithSupportfromRoyal Society of Chemistry

Japan-UK Science, Technology & Innovation
Symposium 2014 in London

Expanding the Protein and Peptide Universe
Symposium by a cofounder of PeptiDream Inc; Professor Hiroaki Suga (The University of Tokyo, Japan）
and Professor Christopher J Schofield (University of Oxford, UK) on Wednesday, March 5th, 2014,
at Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom.
The aim of this symposium is to introduce to the science and technology community in the UK,a seminal global contribution originating from Japan in science, technology and innovation.
For this event, we invite a Japanese scientist who has brought about substantial impact on our lifeand society, enabling our current prosperity with sustainability.
Professor Hiroaki Suga

Professor Christopher J Schofield

ASt this symposium, Prof. Suga will lecture on “Pseudo‐Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Applications”, andProfessor Schofield will lecture on “The Chemistry of Oxygen Sensing in Humans ”.

ome natural products generated from microorganisms show efficacies on the mechanisms of occurrence of humandiseases, and thus provide precursors of drug development. Meanwhile, the discovery of such molecules relies on“the matter of luck” rather than a platform technology. We here conduct research to devise platform technologies
that enable us to discover functional “natural product‐like” molecules in a systematic manner. Such moleculartechnologies can lead a paradigm shift from a “by chance” to “reliable” drug discovery process, which brings about a
new stream of innovation contributing to human health. Prof. Suga will introduce some of his unique and exciting
achievements this in his lecture.

We hope that this special opportunity of meeting these leading scientists at the Embassy will be a memorable
occasion where scientists from Japan and the UK will reinforce the strong scientific and cultural ties between
the two countries.

Co‐hosts
Supported byDate:
Venue:

Registration:

Fee:
Contact:

Embassy of Japan in the UK / The Chemical Society of Japan / PeptiDream Inc
Royal Society of Chemistry
Wednesday, March 5th, 15:00‐17:15, followed by Reception Party
Embassy of Japan in the UK
101‐104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT
http://www.uk.emb‐japan.go.jp/en/embassy/index.html#locmap
RSVP no later than February 28th through stisympo0305@ld.mofa.go.jp*Note that all visitors to the Embassy are required to show your Pnoto ID as wellas the registration form to this Symposium at the entrance.
*Dress code for this event is lounge suits.
Registration of the Symposium and reception party is free.
Atsushi Oku, First Secretary (Science and Technology) atsushi.oku@mofa.go.jp

Symposium Programme
14:30‐15:00
Registration
Master of Ceremony Mr. Atsushi Oku, First Secretary ; Embassy of Japan in the UK
15:00‐15:05
WelcomeMr. Nobuyuki Kawashima, Executive Director, The Chemical Society of Japan15:05‐15:15
Opening Remarks
H.E. Mr. Keiichi Hayashi, Ambassador of Japan Chairman
Mr. Atsushi Oku, First Secretary (Science and Technology)
15:15‐16:15
Professor Hiroaki Suga, The University of Tokyo‘Pseudo‐Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Applications’
16:15‐17:15
Professor Christopher J Schofield, University of Oxford‘The Chemistry of Oxygen Sensing in Humans’
17:15‐17:30
Closing Remarks
17:30‐Reception PartyProfile of Professor Hiroaki Suga
Education and Professional Career

Bachelor of Engineering (1986) Department of Applied Chemistry, Okayama University, OkayamaVisiting Scholar (1987‐1988) University of Laussane, Switzerland (with Dr. Manfred Schlossor)
Master of Engineering (1989) Department of Applied Chemistry, Okayama University, Okayama
Ph.D. (1994), Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (with Dr.
Satoru Masamune)
Post‐doctoral Fellow (1994‐1997), Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA(with Dr. Jack W. Szostak)Assistant Professor (1997‐2002) Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NY
Associate Professor (2002‐2003) Department Of Chemistry, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NY
Associate Professor (2003‐2005) Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University ofTokyo, TokyoProfessor (2005‐2010) Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo,
Tokyo
Professor (2010‐present) Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
Co‐founder & Board Member (2006‐present) PeptiDream Inc, Tokyo

Editor and Editorial Board





Editor, Chemistry and Biology Cell Press, Elsevier (2011–present)
Associate Editor, Bioorganic Chemistry, Elsevier (2013–present)
Editorial Board Member, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, Elsevier (2012–present)
Editorial Board Member, C ACS Chemical Biology, American Chemical Society (2010–present)
Editorial Board Member, ChemBioChem, Wiley‐VHC (2001–present)
Editorial Board Member, Biotechnology Journal, Wiley‐VHC (2009–2012)
Editorial Board Member, Chemistry and Biology Cell Press, Elsevier (2008–2011)

Current Awards
2012
President Award of Science Council of Japan
Government‐Industry‐Academic Relation, Cabinet Office2012
Boehringer Ingelheim Lectureship at Montreal University
2013
Award of The Chemical Society of Japan for Creative Work2013
Lilly Distinguished Lecturer at Colorado State University

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InventionsinAbstract
Pseudo-Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Applications
Hiroaki Suga
Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan
Co-founder of PeptiDream Inc, Business Offices, KOL Building, room 405, Research Labs, KOL Building,
The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo JAPAN 153?8904
hsuga@chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp

The genetic code is the law of translation, where genetic information encoded in RNA istranslated to amino acid sequence. The code consists of tri-nucleotides, so-called codons, assigning toparticular amino acids. In cells or in ordinary cell-free translation systems originating from prokaryotes,
the usage of amino acids is generally restricted to 20 proteinogenic (standard) kinds, and thus theexpressed peptides are composed of only such building blocks. To overcome this limitation, werecently devised a new means to reprogram the genetic code, which allows us to express non-standard
peptides containing multiple non-proteinogenic amino acids in vitro. This lecture will describe thedevelopment in the genetic code reprogramming technology that enables us to express natural
product-inspired non-standard peptides and pseudo-natural products. The technology involves (1)efficient macrocyclization of peptides, (2) incorporation of non-standard amino acids, such as
N-methyl amino acids, and (3) reliable synthesis of libraries with the complexity of more than a trillion
members. When the technology is coupled with an in vitro display system, referred to as RaPID(Random non-standard Peptide Integrated Discovery) system, the libraries of natural product-inspired
macrocycles with a variety ring sizes and building blocks can be screened (selected) against various
drug targets inexpensively, less laboriously, and very rapidly. Moreover, the RaPID system has further
evolved to a new system for the discovery of pseudo-natural products. This lecture will discuss themost recent development of their technology and therapeutic applications as well as an entrepreneur toestablish PeptiDream Inc. Tokyo.

References
1. Y. Tanaka, C. J. Hipolito, A. D. Maturana, K. Ito, T. Kuroda, T. Higuchi. T. Katoh, H. E. Kato, M.
Hattori M, K. Kumazaki, T. Tsukazaki, R. Ishitani, H. Suga, O. Nureki, “Structural basis for thedrug extrusion mechanism by a MATE multidrug transporter.” Nature 2013, 496, pp. 247-251.
2. K. Ito, T. Passioura, H. Suga, “Technologies for the synthesis of mRNA-encoding libraries anddiscovery of bioactive natural product-inspired non-traditional macrocyclic peptides.” Molecules
2013, 18, pp. 3502-3628.
3. J. Morimoto, Y. Hayashi, H. Suga, “Discovery of macrocyclic peptides armed with amechanism-based warhead that isoform-selectively inhibit a human deacetylase SIRT2” Angew.
Chem., Int. Ed. 2012, 51, pp. 3423-3427
4. Y. Hayashi, J. Morimoto, H. Suga, “In Vitro Selection of Anti-Akt2 Thioether-Macrocyclic Peptides
Leading to Isoform-Selective Inhibitors” ACS Chem. Biol. 2012, 7, pp. 607-613.
5. Y. Yamagishi, I. Shoji, S. Miyagawa, T. Kawakami, T. Katoh, Y. Goto, H. Suga, “Naturalproduct-like macrocyclic N-methyl-peptide inhibitors against a ubiquitin ligase uncovered from aribosome-expressed de novo library” Chem. Biol. 2011, 18, pp. 1562-1570.
6. Y. Goto, T. Katoh, H. Suga, “Flexizymes for genetic code reprogramming” Nat. Prot. 2011, 6, pp.
779-790.

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Profile of Professor Christopher J Schofield
Short Biography:Christopher J Schofield studied for a first degree in chemistry at the University of Manchester (1979‐1982).
In 1982 he moved to Oxford to study for a DPhil with Professor Jack Baldwin on the synthesis and biosynthesisof antibiotics. In 1985 he became a Departmental Demonstrator in the Dyson Perrins Laboratory, Oxford
University followed by his appointment as Lecturer in Chemistry and Fellow of Hertford College in 1990. In
1998 he became Professor of Chemistry, and in 2011 was appointed Head of Organic Chemistry. He is a Fellowof the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the Royal Society. His research group works at the interface ofchemistry, biology and medicine. His work has opened up new fields in antibiotic research, oxygen sensing
and gene regulation. His work has identified new opportunities for medicinal intervention that are being
pursued by numerous academic and commercial laboratories.

Abstract
The Chemistry of Oxygen Sensing in Humans
The lecture will describe studies aimed at identifying the role of oxygenases in the regulation of protein
biosynthesis. Attempts to correlate the biochemical properties of oxygenases with their physiological roles,
in particular with respect to oxygen sensing will be described. In addition to work on enzymes involved intranscriptional regulation, recent work including on the oxygen‐dependent modification of ribosomes will be
described.

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