BIOTECHNOLOGY

BioJapan 2011:
Boosting Open
Innovation
BioJapan has developed over the last two decades into the most influential event in Asia’s biotechnology
market. Ames Pomeroy explains the event’s function and looks at some recent developments in thedomestic biotechnology industry.
cated to the promotion of bioscience,biotechnology and bioindustry in both
Japan and the rest of the world.
Established through the support
and cooperation of industry, academia
and government, JBA is the only organization of its kind in Japan. JBA’s
roots date back more than half acentury to the establishment of theJapanese Association of IndustrialFermentation, which among otherthings published the Fermentation
and Industry journal. Renowned for
its imaginative use of soy sauce,
bean products like miso paste andnatto, Japanese-style pickles on
occasion and vinegar as well as
sake, Japanese cuisine has always
had a major reliance on items resulting from fermentation, grounded ina long history.
When biotechnology was officially targeted as a new industry to
be fostered in Japan, this association
was transformed into the current successor organization. Now, as was thecase with its predecessor, JBA functions
as a think tank and platform for communication between scientists, technologists, policymakers and managers. JBA
has held the BioJapan event, which wasstarted in 1986, and has today developed
into the most influential event in Asia’s
biotechnology market.
Japan’s bioindustry has been able
to successfully produce results based
upon promoting joint R&D between
the various players involved therein.
These players comprise academic institutions that carry out research activ-

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JBAJBioJapan has been held underapan’s biotechnology industry has continued to expand, the auspices of the Japan Bioindustry
based upon “Life Innovation” Association (JBA) from the onset, thiswhich ranges from cosmet- year having been held at the Pacifico
ics and functional foods to medicine Yokohama waterfront venue fromand supportive equipment and “Green October 5 through 7, 2011. This wasInnovation” covering biorefineryand biomass, ecology and general
foodstuff from the field and theseas, the two categories having
been selected as priority policies
for the science and technology areaby the Japanese government. Inaddition Japan has revamped its
biotechnology-related fields
comprehensively, not only just tocover drug discovery but also “nutraceutical” food, medical devices
Booth for the Fukuoka Biocluster Project atplus equipment (think “X-ray”) andBioJapan 2011. The Fukuoka Prefectural
the environment.
Bio Industry Center Promotion ConferenceWith such a backdrop, BioJapan
has been nurturing bio-related industries
2011 was held based upon the three
through collaboration with Asian countries
major topics of Life, Green, andand Australia.
Bio-clusters & Ventures. More than
20,000 people visited, just as thissame level was surpassed during the the thirteenth time for this event to takepast three years that the event has place, showcasing the fact that Japan’s
been held. A variety of concept-based bioindustry is producing results in theexhibition zones and organizer’s semi- biomedical field as well. Along withnars were held, including those from promotion of joint research and develthe disaster-stricken regions, provid- opment efforts by research institutes,
ing the opportunity to exploit “Open attached to academia and government
Innovation” via best selection of pro- not to mention the private sector in line
spective business partners from all with Open Innovation, the event plays
over the world. An original web-based a central role in pushing forward suchbusiness-matching tool called the endeavors as science parks in addition“Business Partnering Matching System” to enabling a close monitoring of inassisted those who made appointments dustry trends.
and helped business meetings to be
The Japan Bioindustry Association(JBA) is a non-profit organization dediconducted efficiently.

The Japan Journal NOVEMBER 201127

BIOTECHNOLOGY
ities, venture businesses and major
corporations such as pharmaceuticalcompanies and the like; for them, theannual venue provided by BioJapan isfilled with opportunities to meet up
with a variety of entities. It was hopedthat this would enable the participants

Opening Ceremony for BioJapan 2011—World Business Forum

there to discuss and converse widelywith potential partners. The BioJapan
event can be said to be of great help in
improving the chances of the joint endeavors or alliances that have been
formed to succeed.
But furthermore BioJapan enables,for example, venture businesses to learnof the needs of pharmaceutical majors
while allowing big corporations to findout what kind of progress has takenplace on the venture business side. In
many cases, regardless of the respective
participant’s stance it becomes possible
for the participants to clarify the directions being taken by the research activities that will help further development
upon which future alliances can beformed. BioJapan affords a place wherethe trends can be monitored and scrutinized. It is therefore important for
BioJapan to fulfill and heighten its
function in becoming an “arena” thatwill power the social phenomenon
known as “Open Innovation”—andlikewise, as its sponsor, JBA also has a
crucial role to fill.
Links

Until now, the number of those linked
up as a result of the business partnering efforts at BioJapan has grown overthe past several years, starting at 450
such cases, then growing to 860 followed by 1,160 cases until last year
28

The Japan Journal NOVEMBER 2011

this figure reached the 2,000 mark. Prefecture. The supply will be delivThis year the hope is to expand the ered to Kyoto University during thisnumber even further. The truth is, the fiscal year (that is, before the end ofexhibitors’ booths at BioJapan are not March in 2012). Since the initial rejust booths but also double as meeting search phase, there has been new rerooms, and this function is becoming search for keeping down carcinogenesis
even more important of late. In partic- that was originally concomitant to theu l a r a t t h e p h a r m a c e u t i c a l use of vectors to turn the ordinary cells
firms’ booths, all types of dia- into iPS cells.
In actuality there has been no caselogue have been taking place inadvance of joint R&D and alli- of clinical use upon treating patientsyet. However, Professor Yamanaka isance formation.
As frontline researchers and pushing for the establishment of an
mid-level managerial staff are “iPS cell bank” so that, unlike conveninvolved in such dialogue, to- tional cell banks that maintain a cellgether with decision-makers, bank containing specific-use cells from
BioJapan underpins the fact the patient’s own body, the cell(s) fromthat “Open Innovation” has be- the iPS can be “tailored” into the cells
come a social phenomenon. needed to treat the patient. There haveJapan is said to have hit a ceiling been patents gained in the United Statesin terms of industrial competi- as well as Europe though so the “plattiveness while starting to slip form” has been set so that clinical use
in its standing internationally. Yet, can be commenced at any time. There
upon pushing forward with “Open is also joint work being promoted based
Innovation” Japan has an advantage, upon the technology, including at thethe potential strength which Japan’s “science park” level such as that atacademia possesses being very high. Saito Life Science Park—indeed some
But the transformation of such potential refer to this area as a northern Osakaof academia into realizing an actual “biocluster” due to the presence ofsystem was difficult. What needs to m a n y a b i o t e c h i n s t i t u t e — w h e r e
be done by Japan is to channel the aca- Osaka University and the National
demic potentials, a major sticking Institute of Biomedical Innovation
point. The role here of BioJapan must (NIBIO) are conducting work in line
become one conduit for both Japanese with Kyoto University.
and non-Japanese in becoming a center
for Open Innovation in Asia.
Bioclusters, from Kyushu toiPS cells are reaching the clinical Hokkaido
application stages after a full five years
since Professor Yamanaka Shinya In terms of bioclusters for example,
found that the cells from the skin and there are many to be found across theelsewhere can be induced into transfor- Japanese archipelago. An example,
mation as pluripotent stem cells. For with a major booth at BioJapan thisexample, TakaraBio Corp. will be of- year, was the Fukuoka Bio Cluster
fering Kyoto University, which is lead- Project from Kyushu, the southerning the research into iPS cells, the nu- most major island of mainland Japan.
cleic acid (DNA) produced
using safety standards that are
applied for producing clinicaluse pharmaceutical products, inorder to ensure the Human iPS
cell produced at Kyoto
University is usable at the clinical level.
To be supplied byTakaraBio is the plasmid vector;
DNA vector will be manufactured by TakaraBio’s Kusatsu
The Okinawa booth at BioJapan 2011
facilities near Kyoto, in Shiga

Professor Yamanaka Shinya offers a progress
report on induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells
five years after successfully producing such cells
from adult skin cells for the first time in theworld. Kyoto University also had gained iPS cell
production patents in Japan and elsewherefrom U.S. bioventure firm iPerian Inc. whichalong with the patents Professor Yamanaka
obtained from the European Patent Office andthe U.S. Patent and Trademark Office thissummer will pave the way for full utilization ofthe technology at the clinical level.

on the oceans will be held next year.
Of course, covering the oceans would
mean an in-depth look at the marineenviron including life forms to befound therein. There were many
marine biotech-related exhibits
to be found at the Yokohama
event. Looking to research atscience parks to the north, on
the northernmost island of
Hokkaido can be found thosemostly centered at universities.
Hakodate is one where themarine science division of
Hokkaido University is located,
where endeavors like use of thePanelists during the IT Drug Development/
kagome kelp which has been
Design session ruminate a difficult topic
found to contain very healthy
regarding use of information technology
ingredients are being promoted,as applied to creation of new drugs.
are ongoing. Worth noting isthat the “Kitamaebune” Japan
Sea trading route of yore comhome to its semi-namesake city of Kita- menced at Hokkaido and reached all
kyushu, which is renowned for its the way over to Kyushu.
Another university, Chitose“green” technology concentration.
Speaking of “green” and again linking Institute of Science and Technology,
to golf, for Korean businesspeople (and specializes in photonics but has inin Korea and Japan, successful as exem- addition to the Opto-electronic System
plified by Lotte Co., well-known in E n g i n e e r i n g a n d G l o b a l S y s t e mJapan for its “Green” peppermint gum) D e s i g n d e p a r t m e n t s a B i o - a n d
it is understood that Kyushu is a favorite M a t e r i a l P h o t o n i c s d e p a r t m e n t .
golf destination but at BioJapan Korean Interestingly, the Optoelectronics
biocluster endeavors as exemplified by Industry and Technology Development
activities of Chuncheon Bioindustry Association has a “Medical Photonics
Foundation, the Chungcheongbuk-Do and Light Business” research thrust
BioValley Development Bureau and in place as well. NIBIO also has aJeonnam Bioindustry Foundation were research center on medicinal plants
looking at other locations to cooperate in Hokkaido. The use of light to growwith various other bioclusters in Japan (as with the “plant factory” concept
as well) and modify—not just for curas well.
As an aside, in the same province ing but actually using light to alter
as Jeonnam the World Expo focusing material composition— is at the lead-

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JBA

Moreover, located on the island isKurume Research Park (Bio ProjectDivision), which has inked aMemorandum of Understanding with aChinese biocluster, to commence fullcollaboration in the years to come. A
unique effort here involves use of thepersimmon as a “bioresource”; thebiocluster here is also linked with acounterpart effort in Queensland, inAustralia (quickly recovering from therecent flooding and regaining its position as Japan’s favorite golf destination). Other bioclusters, like theOkinawa islands further to the southof Kyushu, were prominent as it seems
enlivened by the opening of the news cience and t echnol o g y g r a d u a t eschool there.
Referring back to Kyushu, it is also

ing edge of research related to biotech
these days.
Speaking of light, the world’s
brightest synchrotron radiation source,
SPring-8, is located at RIKEN Harima
In st i t u t e i n H y o g o P re fe c t ur e. A
Center of Excellence (COE) of highenergy photon science was set up at
this Harima campus, encompassing
from SPring-8 to the newly opened
next-generation sources, of which themost promising is the X-ray Free
Electron Laser (XFEL) facility. The
XFEL system that has been nicknamed“SACLA” enables protein analysis totake place without the need for crystallization, and the genomics endeavor
like drug discovery and design being
pushed by RIKEN, which in tandemwith the RIKEN-operated K supercomputer in Kobe, promises to advance further through use of this newphotonic wonder.
In the wake of BioJapan there
have been other activities such as theholding in November of the JapanChina Biotechnology High-techForum 2011 by the High-tech Industry
Innovation Agency, in cooperation
with its Chinese counterpart. As for
BioJapan, the 2012 World Business
Forum (the BioJapan “sub-title”) will
be held again at the same venue inJapan, at Pacifico Yokohama, fromOctober 10 to 12, 2012, with the hopeof recording visitors at over the 30,000
mark, by expanding the areas coveredin terms of energy and foodstuff tofurther advanced areas of medicineand nanotechnology.
Ames Pomeroy, The Japan Journal

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