Summary of Proposal

Host institution
Chief entire-project
officer(Head of host institution)
Chief center-project
officer

Nagoya University
Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi, President of Nagoya University
Dr. Kenichiro Itami
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University

Center director

Dr. Kenichiro Itami
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University

Center nameInstitute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM)

Project Summary

Mission statement
and/or Center identity

Target research fieldResearch objectives

Our goal is to develop innovative functional molecules that make a marked change in theform and nature of biological science and technology by taking full advantage of the
cutting-edge molecular synthesis expertise of our chemistry principal investigators (PIs)and intense interactions with our leading plant/animal biology PIs. Through thisinteraction, which is fundamental to the Center, transformative bio-molecules will be
synthesized that can (1) enhance biotic productivity and quality and (2) realize
innovative bio-imaging. To ensure the advancement of these projects, we will (3)develop catalysts that enable incredibly efficient synthesis and molecule
activation on demand. The ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on global issues
such as food production. Our team of PIs is an innovative mix of chemists and biologists
from Japan and abroad. A Co-PI system, and an efficient administration with English will
ensure that international members will have significant involvement in the project.
The mission of the Center is to develop diverse functional molecules that afford
innovative impact on the operating principle of the biological systems. To accomplish
this, we will harness our synthetic abilities based on molecule-activation chemistry (seebelow). We seek to effect a paradigm shift in science by creating a new field of researchthat aims to implement programmed chemical transformations in vivo for precisely
controlling the production of bio-functional molecules of requisite structures and theirfunctional expressions. The identity of this Center resides in the development of brandnew synthetic bio-molecules that will affect this goal. To accomplish this, we will enlist
the best synthetic chemists and plant and animal biologists worldwide.
Target research field: Molecule-Activation Chemistry for Advanced Systems
Biology (This is an area in which Nagoya University has significant international
competitive advantages: synthetic chemistry, molecular catalysis, systems biology, plantscience, peptide science, live-cell imaging.)
The interface of chemistry and molecular biology has already resulted in important new
research fields of significant scientific impact, such as chemical biology and medicinal
chemistry. We plan to bring this to a new level by exploiting newly developed
molecule-activation chemistry* partnered with fundamental biological systems of plants
and animals. This research endeavor will have significant impacts in the closely related
fields of chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, but most importantly, on areas thatare of urgent global importance including world food production, medical care, andbioenergy.
*Molecule-Activation Chemistry: The synthetic chemistry that enables the activationand direct transformation of stable, simple molecules into useful, complex structures.
This methodology can rapidly convert biologically active “lead” molecules into more
selective and active derivatives.
Systems Biology: The biology to unveil the pivotal mechanism of how organisms
function as a system. The discovery of key molecules operating biological systems at anindividual organism level is crucial.
(1) To develop molecules that precisely control biotic function and production.
Specifically, we will target (a) molecules that dramatically enhance plant growth
based on the discovery of new signal transduction pathway of plant hormone auxin,(b) molecules that regulate season-sensing systems and reproduction in animals,and (c) molecules that can overcome species barriers in plant breeding to produce
novel crops.
(2) To develop innovative bio-imaging molecules and related photoelectronic moleculartechnologies that enable the visualization of biological phenomena at will. For
instance, we will design and synthesize new fluorescent molecules that feature highluminance, low molecular weight, and controlled labeling properties.
Meanwhile, we will propel the development of small-molecule catalysts for achieving
ideal chemical synthesis, which can also be used for the selective activation and（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

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transformation of bio-molecules in vivo, in order to provide a viable method for realizing
the two main objectives. Through these endeavors, we will create “transformative
bio-molecules” that will dramatically change the way of research in chemistry, biology,
and other related fields. Most importantly, we will make these molecules readily available
for all the researchers in the world to expand the global impact of the Center.
The Center will take number of measures to remove the barriers that hinderinterdisciplinary research and internationalization thereby triggering a fundamental
transformation of existing academic systems.
(1) The Center Director will have the authority to make the final decisions over theappointment of personnel, the Center budget, and research priorities etc.
(2) A rigorous evaluation of researchers will be made by the Evaluation Committees,
and the results will be reflected in the salaries of researchers.
(3) We will establish an effective and efficient administration with English-speaking staff
for accelerating the true internationalization of the Center as well as the fusion ofdifferent research fields. This includes a talented administrative director with astrong background of scientific research.
(4) We will introduce a Co-PI system, whereby bright young scientists are paired with
Outline of management
overseas PIs to facilitate the research activities of the eminent foreign PIs in theCenter. This will increase the worldwide visibility of the Center, facilitate research inJapan under the direction of overseas PIs and also help train the young researchers(Co-PIs) to be the scientific leaders of the next generation.
(5) An international promotion unit will be developed. This unit will play the crucialrole of providing researchers worldwide with access to the transformative
bio-molecules developed at Nagoya. This will include negotiating issues with regard
to intellectual property, accessibility of the molecules and technologies, and also the
distribution and scale up of any molecules discovered at the Center.
(6) We will support promising results that emerge from other researchers in Nagoya
University. We will also make a strong commitment to nurture the next-generation ofresearchers through a productive cooperation with Nagoya University Program for
Leading Graduate Schools and Global 30 International Programs.
Number of Principal Investigators (number of foreign researchers)
15 (5)
Total number of researchers (number of foreign researchers)

70 (35)

Total number of people at the “core” of the Center130
as of March, 2016

Principal Investigators (PIs): Kenichiro ITAMI, Tetsuya HIGASHIYAMA, Jeffrey W.
BODE, Cathleen M. CRUDDEN*, Stephan IRLE, Toshinori KINOSHITA, Takashi OOI,
Keiko TORII*, Shigehiro YAMAGUCHI, Takashi YOSHIMURA

Researchers and othercenter staffs, satellites,
partner institutions

10 PIs in total (we will hire additional 5 PIs), average age 43
underlined names represent PIs from abroad; asterisks represent female PIs
Cooperating Institutes: Queen’s University (Canada), University of Washington(USA), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich (Switzerland). These institutes
are considered to be gateways to our Center and the PI who holds a position in theinstitute will engage in active collaboration directly and through research exchanges.
Co-PI System: Overseas PIs are talented research stars in the world and will havedouble affiliations. We will introduce a system of Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) to:(1) ensure close contact and continuity in the research maintained; and (2) mentor
leading young researchers. Co-PIs will be based at Nagoya, but chosen and guided by
the foreign PIs for actively managing their research groups in the Center. Co-PIs will beconsidered for promotion to full PI status when their research potential is realized.

Administrative director

Outline of research
environment

Dr. Yoshihito Watanabe (Trustee, Vice-President, Nagoya University)(1) We will establish a Mix-Lab system, where international young researchers fromdifferent fields will work together in order to accelerate multidisciplinary advances
through informal discussions on a daily basis.
(2) All postdoctoral researchers and students will be supervised by two PIs fromdifferent fields (Co-supervising system) in order to accelerate collaboration andnurture the next generation of cutting-edge research, unrestricted by the bounds of
traditional disciplines.
(3) In order to ensure that excellent foreign PIs and Co-PIs will spend significant time at
Nagoya, we will provide the following: (a) a team that is responsible for assistingthem in applications for competitive domestic (Japanese) research funds; (b)opportunities for partners/spouses to hold positions in the University based on theirskill sets (Dual Career Support); and (c) adequate information on education
opportunities for the children of foreign PIs who may join them during their time at
Nagoya. Through these mechanisms, we expect foreign PIs to base a significant
portion of their activities at Nagoya, and we aim to attract a certain percentage of
researchers permanently to Nagoya.
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Outline of indicators forevaluating a center’s
global standing(4) Each new researcher will be provided sufficient research space and start-up funds.
(5) We will locate the world’s most advanced equipment and facilities in a single spaceat Nagoya University, staffed with expert equipment managers such that it is fully
accessible for promoting research, international collaboration, and discovery.
(6) We will engage in high-profile recruitment campaigns to attract highly qualified
postdoctoral researchers using web sites with a global appeal describing current
efforts of the Institute, University, and the international appeal of Nagoya City.
Three aspects are important for the global standing of the Center:1) research quality and impact, 2) breakthroughs resulting from the inter-disciplinary
research activities, and 3) human resources development as an international institute.
The following is a selection of data for the current 10 PIs, which clearly indicate that wehave a group of outstanding individuals.
Numbers of paper in Science, Nature, and Nature sister journals: 15
Numbers of paper in high-impact journals (impact factor >9): 253
Numbers of keynote/plenary/invited lectures (last 4 years): >500
Selected awards, honors, and prestigious positions:
German Innovation Award (Itami), Novartis-MIT Lectureship Award (Itami), Vice
President of International Association of Sexual Plant Reproduction Research(Higashiyama), President of Canadian Society for Chemistry (Crudden), IBM Japan
Science Prize (Ooi), EJ Corey Award (Bode), Society of Biology Fellow(Yoshimura), Tokyo Techno Forum 21 Gold Medal (Yamaguchi), JSPS Prize (Torii,
Yoshimura, Ooi, Higashiyama), Elected Fellow of AAAS, HHMI Investigator (Torii)

Securing researchfunding

The PIs of this Center have received competitive research funding such as ERATO,CREST, NEXT Program, ALCA, and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative
Areas (the average of FY 2007-2011 is 7.7 million USD / year). Thus, we are confident
that similar or even greater amounts of funds will be obtained in future.

Exploiting the results ofpreviously-initiatedcenter-building efforts

None: However, we will exploit the results of following past and current projects.
Chemistry Global COE program (JSPS), Biology Global COE program (JSPS),
Research and Education Funding for Inter-University Research Project (MEXT),
Japanese-German Graduate Externship (JSPS/DFG), Program for Leading Graduate
Schools (JSPS). Re-Inventing Japan Project – Campus Asia Program (JSPS), Japan
Advanced Plant Science Research Network, Live Imaging Center (MEXT).

Appropriations plan
(Exchange Rate: JPY/USD=80)

Total

FY

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

WPI grant
Funding forpreviously-i
nitiated
center-building efforts

4.61

7.76

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

82.37

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total

4.61

7.76

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

8.75

82.37

($ millions）

Nagoya University (hereinafter referred to as “NU”) aims to conduct world-classresearch and internationalization based on the Academic Charter and the Hamaguchi
Plan. In accord with these declarations, NU will treat the Center with special rules
enabling the Center to most easily achieve its goals, thus playing a key role in theacademic mission of NU. If this proposal is successful, NU will amend its Midterm
Plans and Research Promotion and Strategy Plans specifically with regard to the WPI
and the Center. The major ways in which NU is supporting this Center are given below.
Perpetuation of the Center: NU has agreed to sustain the Center’s pioneeringresearch activities after the WPI-grant period ends. In order to do so, NU will allocate
the Center as part of the Institute of Advanced Research, which has been established
as an institute independent from the other departments and research centers at NU.
System Reform: The University rules will be revised to: give executive authority to theCenter Director to make top-down decisions on the important matters of the Center;
Summary of hostenable the Center to be independent in the execution of its budget; and allow theinstitution’s commitment Center to develop its own personnel policies and management, such as allowing
double affiliation and introducing performance-based salaries. NU will assign a memberof their Board of Trustees/Vice-President as the Administrative Director to help
accelerate the system reform in not only the Center but also the entire university.
2
Provision of Building Space: NU will provide 6,000 m of building space to establish
the Center. To further promote the WPI-catalyzed interdisciplinary research, NU isplanning to build a new building within the context of NU’s strategy for research system
reform. NU will also offer living accommodations for foreign PIs and collaborators.
Financial and Personnel Assistance: NU will continue to cover the equivalentamount of the salaries of researchers at the Center who already hold posts at NU. NU
will assign 7 associate professors, who will assist in teaching at the departmental level,
and to maintain high-level education. NU will provide opportunities for partners/spousesof foreign PIs to hold positions in NU (Dual Career Support).
Note: Supplemental documents in PPT format may be attached to make the summary of the center project easier tounderstand (up to 10 pages, in English).
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Research Center Project
Host institution
Chief entire-project
officer(Head of host institution)
Chief center-project
officer
Center director
Center name

Nagoya University
Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi, President of Nagoya University
Dr. Kenichiro Itami
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya
University
Dr. Kenichiro Itami
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya
University

Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM)
Our purpose is to establish a world-leading molecular research institute
whose focus will be the design and synthesis of molecules for the
discovery, visualization, and manipulation of biological systems.
Our goal is to develop “transformative bio-molecules”, innovative
functional molecules that make a marked change in the form and natureof biological science and technology.
Our unique approach is to apply our cutting-edge synthesis(molecule-activation chemistry), with the support of molecular design andcomputational chemistry, to synthesize key molecules to explore
advanced systems biology in plants and animals. This is an
unprecedented endeavor and the first such research institute in the world.
The identity of the Center is its capability to synthesize completely new
bio-functional molecules with carefully designed functions.
Our ten-year campaign will culminate in a wealth of synthetic
bio-molecules that will be key to solving urgent problems at the interfaceof chemistry and biology. Innovations in food/biomass production, opticaltechnologies, and generation of new bio-energy can be imagined as our
dream.

Project summary（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

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Organization（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

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Core Members of the Center
The Center will start with 10 Principal Investigators (PIs), including 3
international researchers, and one Administrative Director. Thesefounding members will then hire post-doctoral researchers, research
assistants, administrative staff, and secretaries. At the end of FY 2012,
the total number of these core members of the Center will be 50. At theend of FY 2015, the Center will have grown to 15 PIs, 55 otherresearchers, 40 research support staff and 20 administrative staff (total:
130 core members).
Principal Investigators and Researchers in Nagoya University
The seven world-class PIs selected from Nagoya University all have
proven abilities to make major contributions to the objectives of thisCenter and the flexibility to integrate the accumulated wisdom of diverse
disciplines. The large proportion of talented young PIs included in this
proposal will help ensure the long-term vitality of the WPI Center andmentoring of the next-generation of researchers in this field.
As we look to the future, we also recognize that our proposal builds ona strong background of research at Nagoya University in chemistry andbiology. Amongst many others, we are honored to recognize theachievements of our faculty and alumni including four Nobel laureates.
Many leading researchers from Nagoya University are working in thesefields and already have “seeds” of Transformative Bio-Molecules in theirresearch programs. The promising results that emerge from them will besupported by our Center.
Overseas PIs and Co-PI System
PIs from overseas cooperating institutes include eminent international
chemists and biologists. These PIs will have double affiliation with
Nagoya University and their home institutions, and they will activelytransmit information and provide significant opportunities for other foreign
researchers to participate in the Center. Their present host institutions
will be designated as Cooperating Institutes, which are regarded as major
gateways to our Center.
It is important to note that the three overseas PIs, Bode, Crudden, andTorii already have strong collaborative relationships with Nagoya PIs andhave agreed to spend a considerable amount of their time at the Center.
In addition to their roles as collaborators, these PIs already have strong
ties to Japan, in particular to Nagoya University. For example, Crudden
was a visiting RCMS Professor in 2006 spending 3 months in Nagoya as
part of a collaboration with Itami, gave a graduate course at Nagoya andwas a speaker at the 2006 International GCOE Conference in Nagoya.
She has also held a GCOE visiting professorship at Kyoto University(2011) and carried out part of her PhD at Osaka University with Professor
Shinji Murai. Bode was selected from the organic chemistry community of
Nagoya University as the prestigious Hirata Memorial Lecturer in 2010and has maintained strong ties to Japan since his postdoctoral fellowshipat Tokyo Institute of Technology in the group of Prof. Keisuke Suzuki.
Torii has given leading-edge seminars to graduate students of Nagoya
University annually for the last four years. Torii is also cooperating with
our Program for Leading Graduate Schools (JSPS).
We consider this double affiliation strategy to be a considerable
strength of our proposal, even if double-affiliated PIs will not be physicallypresent full time at the Center. To ensure close contact and continuity inresearch, we will support the hiring of Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs).
Co-PIs will be based at the Center in Nagoya, but chosen and guided bydouble-affiliated PIs. Co-PIs will be considered for promotion to full PI
status when their research potential is realized.
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Cooperating Institutes (Overseas Gateways)
The research activity of the Center will be further augmented througheffective collaboration with three foreign institutions in Canada, USA, andSwitzerland:
Queen’s University, Canada;
University of Washington, USA;
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Switzerland;
WPI researchers including members of the International Promotion
Unit will frequently visit these institutes as basecamps opening up
overseas opportunities.
Young Foreign PIs
Young talented foreign researchers will be recruited from overseas as PIs
in our Center. To attract top scientists to Nagoya, we will provide a fully
English-language environment, a support team to assist in writing
Japanese domestic grants, the world’s most advanced equipment andfacilities staffed with expert equipment managers, double career support
for spouses of PIs and information on international education for childrenof PIs. Through these mechanisms, we expect foreign PIs to spend
significant amounts of time at Nagoya, and we aim to attract a certain
percentage of researchers permanently to Nagoya.
International Promotion Unit
This unit will play the crucial role of providing researchers worldwide withaccess to the transformative bio-molecules developed at Nagoya. This
will include negotiating issues with regard to intellectual property,
accessibility of the molecules and technologies, and also the distribution
and scale up of any molecules discovered at the Center.
Public Relations Unit
This unit is responsible for the coordination of all public presentations,lectures and seminars. This unit coordinates and ensures the smoothrunning of this program and publicizes the outcome of our researchthrough press releases.
Environmental Affairs Unit
This unit is mandated to ensure the protection of the environment andconservation of biodiversity, balanced with development and distributionof unnatural bio-molecules and novel crops. This unit is also responsible
for the “safe” development of new functional molecules.
International Advisory & Review Board, and Administration
An International Advisory & Review Board has already been put in place,which will support our research. The Center will establish an effective andefficient administration staffed by talented individuals with a goodcommand of English, as well as a global outlook and vision. In addition,
resources will be allocated to hire a substantial number of technical staff
in order to minimize the extra demands on the time of researchers,
freeing them to concentrate on their core research activities.

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Mission statement
and/or Center identity

The mission of the Center is to develop diverse functional molecules thatafford innovative impact on the operation of biological systems. To
accomplish this, we will harness our synthetic abilities based onmolecule-activation chemistry (see below). We seek to cause a paradigm
shift in science by creating a new field of research that aims at
implementing programmed chemical transformations in vivo for precisely
controlling the production of biofunctional molecules of requisite structures
and their functional expressions. The identity of this Center resides in thedevelopment of brand new bio-molecules that will affect this goal. To
accomplish this, we will enlist the best synthetic chemists and plant andanimal biologists worldwide.

(1) Target research field

Molecule-Activation Chemistry for Advanced Systems Biology
To establish this new interdisciplinary field, Nagoya University has significant international
competitive advantages in the requisite basic research fields such as synthetic chemistry, molecularcatalysis, systems biology, plant science, peptide science, and live-cell imaging.
Molecule-Activation Chemistry: The synthetic chemistry that enables the activation and directtransformation of stable, simple molecules into useful, complex structures. This methodology canrapidly convert biologically active “lead” molecules into more selective and active derivatives.
Systems Biology: The biology to unveil the pivotal mechanism of how organisms function as asystem. The discovery of key molecules operating biological systems at an individual organism
level is crucial. Our systems biology is not simply comprehensive biology based onhigh-throughput data.
This project is closely related with the interdisciplinary fields of chemistry and biology,
which include chemical biology, medicinal and agricultural chemistry, and bio-imaging
technology research.
The interface of chemistry and molecular biology has already resulted in important new research
fields of significant scientific impact, such as chemical biology and medicinal chemistry. We plan tobring this to a new level by exploiting newly discovered molecule-activation chemistry and focusing
on fundamental biological systems of plants and animals, aiming to develop transformative
bio-molecules. This research endeavor will result in a considerable ripple effect not only in theclosely related fields of chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, but also on many other areas thatface important and urgent problems calling for sustainable solutions, such as environment, food,medical care, and bioenergy.
It should also be noted that significant ethical and safety concerns related to human health,biodiversity and the environment have been raised around genetically modified organisms. Thus,
demand for chemical or biochemical-derived molecules that specifically control identified biologicalmechanisms is rapidly rising in medical and agricultural fields as an alternative togene-manipulation. The need for such molecules is especially pressing in the plant science field,
which has a significant potential to contribute to the solution of many global problems. Our center isthe first molecular science center wherein desired molecules for plant/animal sciences andtechnologies can be designed and synthesized by leading-edge chemistry. The importance of the
proposed research field is considerably high.

The fields of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology have been established and there are some
centers and organizations for these fields. For example, the Broad Institute established by Harvard
University and MIT is a big center of biology and medicine including chemical biology. However, nocenter exists for leading-edge chemistry targeting fundamental biological systems of plants and animals.
Thus many Japanese and foreign researchers who want to produce and/or use new bio-molecules will be
attracted to our Center.
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Nagoya University’s place as one of the leading research universities in the world is highlighted by
its achievement in producing 4 recent Nobel laureates. Two among them, Ryoji Noyori and Osamu
Shimomura were awarded in the field of Chemistry. The legendary Nagoya University professor
Yoshimasa Hirata (1915-2000) nurtured both of these two Nobel laureates and many otherinternationally famous professors. The Hirata spirit continues at Nagoya University in its drive toencourage and foster researchers very early in their careers. Building on the historically strong
chemistry at Nagoya University, our strength lies in organic synthesis and catalysis, and our PIs(Itami, Ooi, Yamaguchi) have been recognized as the world’s top researchers in this field.
Participation of international eminent foreign researchers (Bode, Crudden) together with thestructure theorist (Irle) provides remarkable strength in synthetic ability based onmolecule-activation chemistry.
Recently, new interdisciplinary research fields have emerged at the interface of chemistry andbiology. Our biology PIs (Higashiyama, Kinoshita, Yoshimura, Torii) are also highly visible in theworld and are recognized as leading scientists especially in the fields of plant biology, reproduction,systems biology and live cell imaging. The demand for our proposed interdisciplinary research field“Molecule-Activation Chemistry for Advanced Systems Biology” is increasing remarkably and our
results will have tremendous impact on modern human society. Our center is internationallyappealing as our project is highly original, being the only one of its kind in the world.
All the PIs have excellent records of grantsmanship, receiving large-scale competitive funds (e.g.,
ERATO, CREST, NEXT Program, ALCA, HHMI-GBMF, a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on
Innovative Areas, etc.) and publishing ground-breaking papers. Itami has developed a number of
unique and efficient catalysts for carbon-hydrogen (C-H) activation. Yamaguchi has succeeded in
the synthesis of a series of new ladder π-conjugated compounds. Ooi has brought out the inherent
ability of tetraaminophosphonium salts in the design of four different asymmetric catalyses. Irle has
described carbon nanostructure formation by theoretical computational simulation. Crudden hasreported a breakthrough method for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling that is the number one
reaction employed in the pharmaceutical industry. Bode has identified a mechanistically andsynthetically unique approach to amide bond formation (KAHA ligation) for protein synthesis.
Higashiyama has discovered the long-sought (~140 years) pollen tube attractant essential for plant
reproduction. Kinoshita has identified major components of light-induced stomatal opening reported
by Darwin in 1898. Torii is well known for groundbreaking work elucidating the key mechanisms fordevelopment of stomata. Yoshimura has identified the “springtime hormone” that triggers seasonal
reproduction in animals and clarified the signal transduction cascade for animal seasonal
reproduction. In accord with these achievements, they have delivered numerous invited lectures andreceived various high profile prizes.
Although the research activities and accomplishments of Principal Investigators are truly
outstanding as described above, their average age is 43. Since the PIs are all energetic andpromising young stars, we are confident that we can continue to innovate at the highest international
level for the next decade. However, to ensure this strategy, we will continue to attract researchers
worldwide, recruit additional excellent foreign young PIs, and make full use of the innovative
Mix-Lab, Co-supervising, and Co-PI systems as described below. We will further make a strong
commitment to nurture the next-generation of researchers in the area of bio-molecules through a
productive cooperation with the Nagoya University Program for Leading Graduate Schools andGlobal 30 International Programs for the growth of this Center. We seek to cause a paradigm shift inscience via this project.

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(2) Research objectives
Based on our vision of employing on Molecule-Activation Chemistry for Advanced Systems
Biology, we propose the following research consisting of three core projects.
I)

Control of Biological Systems: Development of molecules that precisely control biotic
productivity and quality(a) Molecules that dramatically enhance plant growth: new approaches for the best known
plant hormone, auxin(b) Molecules that improve animal reproduction innovatively: controlling seasonality ofanimals(c) Molecules that overcome the genome barrier to produce novel crops

II) Visualization of Biological Systems: Development of molecules that permit innovative
bio-imaging(a) Target biological models(b) Highly efficient, full-color fluorescent molecules(c) Specific conjugation technologies
III) Synthesis of New Bio-Functional Molecules: Development of catalysts that enable
incredibly efficient synthesis and molecule-activation on demand(a) Catalysts activating C-H bonds(b) Catalysts acting without heavy metals(c) Catalysts for protein ligation(d) Catalysts for in vivo chemical transformations
Research project (I) aims to precisely control biological systems. We will utilize all the outcomes
obtained in this Center to accomplish this objective. Research project (II) aims to visualize
biological systems at will. The outcome of this research project (II) will have a significant impact ona wide range of life science-related fields. At the same time, it accelerates research project (I). In
research project (III), we will develop small-molecule catalysts for achieving ideal chemical
synthesis. This is the core of the Center and provides viable methods for realizing both projects (I)and (II). In addition to these, feedback from projects (I) and (II) further promotes the developmentof catalysts in project (III). Thus, the three core research projects are closely integrated.
Importantly, progress in these core projects will together result in the development oftransformative bio-molecules.

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I. Control of Biological Systems: Development of molecules that precisely control biotic productivity
and quality
World food prices increased dramatically during the past decade creating a global crisis and causing
worldwide political and economical instability. This food crisis stems from unprecedented population
growth in developing countries, rising demand for biofuels and farm crop decline due to irregularweather. Food shortages are predicted to become more severe and the food problem is one of themost pressing issues for humankind to resolve in this century. Therefore, innovative improvements inplant and animal production are indispensable. By taking full advantage of our strong backgrounds inplant biology and animal reproduction, we will uncover novel mechanisms for growth and reproductionin plants and animals. Using the knowledge obtained from our achievements and this program, we willdevelop transformative bio-molecules that precisely control biotic function and production. This
research endeavor will have significant impact on food production, biofuel and biomass.
II. Visualization of Biological Systems: Development of molecules that permit innovative
bio-imaging
The discovery of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) resulted in a fundamental change in the form andnature of biological science and technology. GFP is the perfect example of a transformative
bio-molecule. Various related probes and technologies have been developed by improving GFP and
its relatives. However, a bold new direction in bio-imaging molecules is required to open up advanced
systems biology. There have been many issues to be solved in this regard, for example, difficulties
associated with molecular size, labeling methods, labeling sites of molecules, permeability, wave
length of fluorescence, and fluorescence intensity. Integrated chemical and biological technology will
overcome these difficulties and lead to the development of transformative bio-molecules forbio-imaging.
III. Synthesis of New Bio-Functional Molecules: Development of catalysts that enable incredibly
efficient synthesis and molecule-activation on demand
In assembling molecules through forming and breaking chemical bonds, catalysis plays a crucial roleand serves as a fundamental core technology to supply requisite molecular entities in diverse scientificdisciplines. However, current state-of-the-art catalysis technologies are far from ideal, exhibiting
limited ability to activate/convert chemical bonds, limited stability under physiological conditions,limited environmental friendliness, and limited substances and structures that can be created. In thisWPI project, we will develop truly innovative molecule-activation catalysts that can revolutionizeorganic reactions and chemical synthesis. The importance of this research endeavor is obvious not
only to accelerate the discovery of transformative bio-molecules but also to provide sustainablechemical processes for making valuable organic compounds indispensable to modern society.

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(3) Managementi) Center director

Dr. Kenichiro Itami (age: 41)
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University
Specialties: Organic Synthesis, Catalysis, Pharmaceutical Science, Nanocarbon Chemistry
Qualifications
Itami is a world-renowned synthetic chemist with broad vision. His achievements range fromorganic chemistry, synthetic chemistry, catalysis chemistry, to pharmaceutical science andeven to materials science and nanocarbon science. Itami’s unique synthetic chemistryresearch has had a significant influence on many chemistry-related fields. His broad interestsand capabilities are critical to the success of this type of interdisciplinary research institute.
Itami has also been active in serving the global scientific community, as an organizer and aleader. He has served as editor of high-level international journals, as organizer ofinternational conferences, and as a core member of large-scale international and domestic
collaborations. These aspects, together with his research achievements and ongoing
activities, demonstrate that Itami is not only a top-caliber researcher, but also exceptionallywell qualified as the Center Director. Comments written in the six recommendation letters fromeminent scientists from around the world clearly show the capability of Itami.
ii) Administrative director

Dr. Yoshihito Watanabe (age: 59)
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University;
Trustee and Vice-President of Nagoya University (International Affairs and Public Relations)
Qualifications
Watanabe was the project leader of the Global COE Program in Chemistry at Nagoya University
for 5 years (2007-2011). Under his leadership, the Program was conducted as a joint project of
the entire Nagoya Chemistry Community, i.e., professors and researchers in the Graduate
School of Science and the Graduate School of Engineering worked together to run research
programs, classes, seminars, and symposia. The GCOE activity received the maximum score
during evaluation by the review committee. Watanabe has also been appointed as aVice-President of the Chemical Society of Japan since 2011 and he is currently engaged in the
management of society activities. More importantly, Watanabe has been responsible for theInternationalization Initiatives of Nagoya University including the Global 30 program for morethan 3 years. Among his achievements in this mission, he launched International undergraduate
and graduate courses, in which all the classes are delivered in English. Currently 5 programs,
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Automotive Engineering, and Social Science for the undergraduate
courses and 6 programs, Physics/Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Economy, Language, andMedical Science at the graduate level are available. In order to launch the International Courses,
he convinced Nagoya University faculty members to conduct all classes related to Global 30
programs in English.
Important Advantages of Assigning Dr. Yoshihito Watanabe, a Vice President of
Nagoya University, as the Administrative Director(1) Coordination of host institutes and WPI research centers has been a problematical issue inall WPI programs. Vice President Dr. Watanabe can directly coordinate our Center andNagoya University.
(2) One of the important aspects of the WPI program is to accelerate system reform inJapanese universities, including their internationalization. The intensive commitment of
University trustee Watanabe to this WPI Center is a significant measure to accelerate thissystem reform in not only our WPI Center but also the entirety of Nagoya University.
(3) His strong expertise in biological chemistry provides significant advantage for the
management of our Center according to decisions by the Center Director.
(4) In order to manage his time between the various projects he is involved with, we will assign
two “Associate Administrative Directors”, who are high-level experts in administrative
affairs with a good command of English.
（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

9iii) Administrative staff composition
In organizing the administration of the WPI Center, two issues are of paramount importance. The
first is to set up an efficient and effective administration, which can assist the researchers inconcentrating their efforts on their research activities. The second is to appoint talented staff
capable of handling business matters with a global vision. Key appointments are as follows.
1) The Administrative Director should have high business acumen and be a highly skilled
manager with a good command of English and a good scientific background. The
Administrative Director manages six units of administration: 1) general affairs unit, 2)
accounting unit, 3) international promotion unit, 4) research administration unit, 5) public
relations unit, and 6) environmental affairs unit, with the support by Associate Administrative
Directors. We are fortunate in already having secured the services of Dr. Yoshihito Watanabein this role.
2) Two Associate Administrative Directors will be appointed. One is for internal affairs (to manage
the general affairs unit and the accounting unit) and the other is for external relations (tomanage the international promotion unit, the research administration unit, the public relations
unit, and the environmental affairs unit). We are fortunate in already having secured theservices of Mr. Hidenori Deguchi and Dr. Tsuyoshi Matsumoto as the Associate Administrative
Directors.
3) Beneath the Administrative Director and the Associate Administrative Directors, a total of 18
experts will be involved in 6 units: 4 in general affairs unit, 3 in the accounting unit, 3 in the
public relations unit, 3 in the research administration unit (including 2 Ph.Ds. to support foreign
PIs in their applications for Japanese domestic research grants), 3 in the international
promotion unit (including 2 Ph.Ds.), and 2 in the environmental affairs unit. Each unit will have
1 unit chief.
4) A total of 15 bilingual laboratory secretaries will be assigned to assist the Principal
Investigators. These secretaries will assist with paper work and matters regarding foreign
researchers and students.
iv) Decision-making system
The Center Director will have the authority to make final decisions over the appointments ofpersonnel, the Center budget and research priorities etc.
The Center Director needs to maintain good communications with Administrative Directors andthe Principal Investigators in the Center. To this end, we envisage establishing the following
councils and committees. In order to ensure sufficient time for the scientific goals of the Center,
the number of meetings will be kept to a minimum.
1) Joint Management Council
Mission: To discuss and to propose issues of fundamental importance to the Center
Members: The Center Director, the Vice Center Director, the Administrative Director, theAssociate Administrative Directors, the President of Nagoya University, the Director-General of
Nagoya University, any member of the International Advisory and Review Board, and/or the
representatives of Cooperating Institutes may also be invited to join the Council Meeting.
2) Research Council
Mission: To discuss important issues regarding research projects and other matters
Members: The Center Director, the Vice Center Director, the Administrative Director, theAssociate Administrative Directors, and Principal Investigators at Nagoya University.
3) Personnel Committee
Mission: To make the final short list of candidates for new positions
Members: The Center Director, the Vice Center Director, the Administrative Director, theAssociate Administrative Directors, and 2 members appointed by the Center Director andselected from the Principal Investigators
4) Budget Committee
Mission: To design a budgetary plan
Members: The Center Director, the Vice Center Director, the Administrative Director, the（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

10

Associate Administrative Directors, and 2 members appointed by the Center Director selectedfrom the Principal Investigators
5) Internal Evaluation Committee
Mission: To evaluate research activity within the Center and the Cooperating Institutes, and toprepare reports to the External Evaluation Committee
Members: The Center Director, the Vice Center Director, the Administrative Director, theAssociate Administrative Directors, and 2 members appointed by the Center Director selectedfrom the Principal Investigatorsv) Allocation of authority between the center director and host institution
The Center Director
The Center Director will have the authority to make the final decisions over the appointments ofpersonnel, the Center budget, and research priorities etc. For that purpose, Nagoya University
has taken the significant step of revising its rules in order to give executive authority to thedirector to make top-down decisions. Nagoya University will also reform its regulations to allow
the Center the prerogative to establish its own system for pay structures, employment periods,
and other preferential treatment such as the conferment of appropriate titles for its members
including project managers and guest researchers.
Host Institution (Nagoya University)
The host institution has the authority and responsibility to allocate some part of the University
budget for appropriate financial support of the Center. The host institution has the authority toinspect the management of the Center, and to audit the Center accounts.
(4) Researchers and other center staff, satellites, partner institutionsi) The “core” to be established within the host institutiona) Principal Investigators (full professors, associate professors or other researchers of comparable
standing)
Numbers
At beginningThose inexisting

At end of FY 2012

Final goal
(Date: March, 2017)

center-building
project

Researchers from within
the host institution
Foreign researchers invitedfrom abroad
Researchers invited from otherJapanese institutions

7

N/A

7

7

3

N/A

3

5

0

N/A

0

3

Total principal investigators

10

N/A

10

15

In addition to the 10 PIs as listed in Appendices 1 and 2, when the Center starts, we plan to hire 3
Co-PIs. Candidates for Co-PIs will be recommended or publicly-advertised by corresponding
foreign PIs and reviewed by the Personnel Committee. If these Co-PIs have significantly
contributed to our Center after some time, they can apply for the position of full PI. Theirapplication will be considered by the review process comparable to that employed withpublicly-advertised PIs.
In addition to the three Co-PIs, we will recruit 5 more PIs. All applications will be completely
open, while the specific field might be chosen according the strategy of our Center. Applications
will be reviewed by the Personnel Committee. We will hire at least 2 young foreign PIs. To attract
prominent young PIs from overseas, we will provide significant internal support for them,including a support team for domestic research applications and dual career support for spouses
and partners.
（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

11

b) Total members
Numbers
At beginningThose in existing
center-building

At end of FY
2012(Date: March, 2017)

Final goal

25
<6, 24%>[5, 20%]10<3, 30%>[2, 20%]15<3, 20%>[3, 20%]
15
10
50

70
<35, 50%>[14 , 20%]
15
<5, 33%>[3, 20%]55<30, 55%>[11, 20%]
40
20
130

project

Researchers

Principal investigators

Other researchers

Research support staff
Administrative staff
Total number of people
who form the “core” of theresearch center

20<5, 25%>[4, 20%]10<3, 30%>[2, 20%]10<2, 20%>[2, 20%]
10
10
40

N/A

N/A

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

In addition to the 10 PIs mentioned, when the Center starts we plan to hire 10 additional
researchers including Co-PIs and postdoctoral researchers, 10 research support staff including
laboratory secretaries, and 10 administrative staff including 1 Administrative Director and 2
Associate Administrative Directors.
By the end of FY 2012, 25 researchers (10 PIs, 3 Co-PIs, 12 postdoctoral researchers), 15 researchsupport staff, and 10 administrative staff will be hired. In 2013, we plan to hire 15 PI and 3 Co-PIs
and 36 postdoctoral researchers, 20 research support staff, and 20 administrative staff. Postdoctoral
researchers and research support staff will increase approximately by 10 and 5 people per year,
respectively. By the end of FY 2016, we expect the total number of people who form the core of theCenter to reach 130.
We will collaborate with all Nagoya researchers in related fields in a dynamic fashion. We will also
make a strong commitment to nurture the next-generation of researchers through a productive
cooperation with the Nagoya University Program for Leading Graduate Schools and Global 30
International Programs.
ii) Collaboration with other institutions
Satellite institutes are NOT applicable in our WPI Research Center Project.
We will start the Center with overseas PIs—these are young eminent chemists and biologists inthe world. Overseas PIs will have double affiliation, and their present host institutions will betreated as Cooperating Institutes to our Center as mentioned in the Project Summary (page 3).
We will carry out research in cooperation with these institutions, which will also serve the functionof overseas gateways.
In order to facilitate this cooperative research, “Agreements for Academic Exchange andCooperation” will be concluded by taking advantage of our significant experience with overseas
exchanges.
For example, our host departments of graduate school of science have directed thefollowing programs: JSPS/DFG Japanese-German Graduate Externship ~ International
Research Training Groups (IRTG), “Complex Functional Systems in Chemistry”(FY2005-2011), JSPS, Re-Inventing Japan Project – Campus Asia Program, “Cutting
Edge Science and Technology in Chemistry and Materials ~ A Cooperative Asian
Education Gateway for a Sustainable Society” (FY2011-2015), two G-COE programs forchemistry and biology (FY2007-2011), JSPS Institutional Program for Younger
Researcher Overseas Visits (FY2009-2012), JSPS, Strategic Young Researcher（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

12

Overseas Visits Program for Accelerating Brain Circulation, “Innovative Molecular
Catalysis and Novel Functional Materials” (FY2011-2014),.
In order to facilitate the collaboration between the Center and the Cooperating Institutes,
meetings will be organized on a regular basis, and the exchange of graduate students andresearchers will be promoted.

Cooperating Institutes:
Queen’s University, Canada
University of Washington, USA
ETH Zurich, Switzerland(５) Research Environmenti.

Provide an environment in which researchers can devote themselves exclusively to theirresearch, by exempting them from duties other than research and related educational
activities, and providing them with adequate staff support to handle paperwork and otheradministrative functions.

Mix-Lab System
To realize truly cross-disciplinary research projects and to nurture the next generation
researchers in this field, we will create special laboratories we refer to as “Mix-Labs”. Rather
than doing research in a small laboratory consisting of one research group, we will ask young
researchers of different fields to work together in a large laboratory (Mix-Lab). We strongly
believe that this working style will not only accelerate the mixing/merging of people, ideas,
equipment, and research, but also help nurture a new generation unrestricted by the bounds of
traditional disciplines.
An efficient administration run by talented staff will be introduced to free Principal Investigatorsfrom administrative duties.
Co-supervising system
To reinforce the value of the Mix-Lab concept, all postdoctoral researchers and students will besupervised by two PIs from different fields for accelerating collaboration and nurturing the next
generation of cutting-edge research, unrestricted by the bounds of traditional disciplines.
In order to recruit excellent PIs and Co-PIs, we will provide the following [see (5)-viii for details]:(a) a team that is responsible for supporting their applications for competitive domestic (Japanese)
research funds; (b) opportunities for partners/spouses to hold positions in the University on thebasis of proper evaluation (Dual Career Support); and (c) adequate information on education
opportunities for the children of foreign PIs who may join them during their time at Nagoya.
Through these mechanisms, we expect foreign PIs to spend significant amounts of time at
Nagoya.
We will locate the world’s most advanced equipment and facilities in a single space at Nagoya
University, staffed with expert equipment managers such that it is fully accessible for promoting
research, international collaboration, and discovery. A substantial body of postdoctoral
researchers and technical assistants will be hired to ensure smooth operation of analytical
instruments etc.
In order to reduce the educational and administrative burden of Principal Investigators, theUniversity will furnish the original faculty of Principal Investigators with additional staff (a total of 7
associate professors).
A total of 15 bilingual secretaries will be assigned to the Principal Investigators in 2013 to help theInvestigators cope with their paper work and any matters regarding foreign researchers andstudents in the groups.

（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

13

ii.

Provide startup research funding as necessary to ensure that top-caliber researchers invited
to the center do not upon arrival lose momentum in vigorously pursuing their work out ofconcern for the need to apply immediately for competitive grants.

Provide each of the new researchers with research space and start-up funds with an averagevalue of 125,000 USD. If necessary, the start-up money will be increased for top-caliber
researchers by using a discretionary budget allocated to the Center Director.
Furnish the new researchers with full access to instruments in the Center.
Except for the start-up funds, all of the following costs are covered by our Center: lab spaces feeof 200-300 m2, utility costs including electricity and water fees, employment costs of two
postdoctoral researches, one secretary, and one technical staff.

iii.

As a rule, fill postdoctoral positions through open international solicitations.

We will engage in high-profile recruitment campaigns to attract highly qualified postdoctoral
researchers using web sites with global appeal describing the current efforts of the Center,
University, and Nagoya City for internationalization.
Keep channels open to world premier chemists and biologists, and solicit their recommendations
for suitable candidates as post-doctoral researchers.
iv.

Establish English as the primary language for work-related communication, and appoint
administrative personnel who can facilitate the use of English in the work process.

The research groups of the Principal Investigators are international in outlook, and haveexcellent track records in inviting foreign researchers as visiting professors, post-doctoral
researchers, and exchange students. English is routinely used in their research groups.
Not only our WPI Center but also all of Nagoya University is internationalized as Nagoya
University has started the Global 30 International program to accept foreign undergraduate andgraduate students (all classes and experimental courses are taught in English). The G30
students are also in the laboratory of the Principal Investigators.
The Administration Director is fluent in English, and the projected administrative staff will also havehigh English skills.
v.

Adopt a rigorous system for evaluating research and a system of merit-based compensation.
(For example, institute a merit-based annual salary system)

A rigorous evaluation of researchers will be made by an external evaluation committee, with theassistance of the International Advisory and Review Board.
The annual salary of researchers hired from outside the host institute will be adjusted based on theevaluation. There will also be a merit-based fringe benefit system for internal hires.
vi.

Provide equipment and facilities, including laboratory space, appropriate to a top world-levelresearch center.

Nagoya University will provide 6,000 m2 of research space for the Center.
The Science and Agricultural Building and Science South Building are regarded as
the premier global facilities, and 3,000 m2 of the building space will be allocated to the
WPI Research Center. These two buildings, which are directly connected, were built
in 2011 to accelerate the collaboration of science and agriculture research within
Nagoya University. A brand-new live-cell imaging center space of 300 m2, which
was originally part of our GCOE program and will be further developed by our WPI
program, is also in the Science South building. A teatime space of 70 m2 will also beplaced in the Science and Agricultural Building to facilitate communication among
members of our WPI Center.
（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

14

Nagoya University will provide additional laboratory space of 3,000 m2 for the Center
including the Institute for Advanced Research (1,500 m2). Two large rooms (each 500
m2 room) will be used for the Mix-Lab [as described in (5)-i, the research environment
section]. In total, 500 m2 will be assigned for the administration office space including
rooms for the 6 administrative units, a Center Director room, and meeting rooms.
To further promote the WPI-catalyzed interdisciplinary research and a number ofrelated activities, Nagoya University is planning to build a new building within thecontext of University’s strategy for research system reform.
Nagoya University will provide financial support for maintaining the research environment at aworld-class level including the enforcement of appropriate safety measures.
Nagoya University is very well equipped with top-level major instruments necessary for our WPI
research. The quality and number of these instruments rivals the best institutions in the world.

vii.

Hold international research conferences or symposiums regularly (at least once a year) tobring the world’s leading researchers together at the center.

A large-scale international research conference will be organized each year, primarily at Nagoya
University.
A limited number of international workshops of a small-to-medium size will be organized eachyear.
For the first year of the Center, the 1st international research conference is scheduled at the endof FY2012 in March 2013.
In Japanese universities, such international meetings are usually managed mainly byresearchers, including administrative matters. However in our WPI Center, the Administrative
Office directed by the Administrative Director and Associate Administrative Directors will
manage meetings according to the decision of the subject, candidates of invited speakers, andschedule of each meeting by PIs, in order to avoid further encroachment on researcher’s time.
viii.

Other measures, if any, to ensure that top-caliber researchers from around the world can
comfortably devote themselves to their research in a competitive international environment.

As our foreign Principal Investigators are truly world-leading scientists, we are confident that they
can maintain their excellent funding profiles in the future. However, there are special challenges tocarrying out research in Japan for foreign PIs, in particular access to information only in Japanese,when they seek competitive funding in Japan. We wish to strongly encourage PIs and Co-PIs to
become actively involved in the procurement of external funding from Japanese sources,
therefore, the Center will provide a support team, which will collect Japanese information andtranslate application documents (Japanese to English and English to Japanese). The team in the
research administration unit includes two Ph.D. administrators from chemistry and biology fields.
To facilitate both domestic and international research collaboration by our foreign Principal
Investigators, the Center and Nagoya University will establish a more efficient and flexible
administrative structure to process travel expenses and acceptance of outside researchers.
The Center and Nagoya University will provide opportunities for partners/spouses to holdpositions in the University on the basis of proper evaluation (Dual Career Support).
Nagoya University will give priority to the principal and collaborative researchers in assigning
university accommodations. In addition, the WPI Center will collect and provide information oninternational education opportunities, which are increasingly developed in Nagoya City, for thechildren of overseas researchers.
Nagoya University established a nursery in its campus (as a part of the program to support female
employees and researchers), and it will accept the children of foreign researchers at the Center.
Nagoya University is very well equipped with top-level major instruments necessary for our WPI
research. The quality and number of these instruments rivals the best institutions in the world. We（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

15

will hire some expert operators and computer programmers for these facilities, which includes 5
postdoctoral researchers. They will strongly support the leading-edge research by the foreign PIs
and other researchers.
Nagoya University has grasped the opportunity offered by being selected to host numerous
Global-Centers of Excellence and the Global-30 program both to accelerate globalization of its
campus and to promote high-level international research. In addition, we have implemented the
mid- and long-term mutual exchange of doctoral students and young faculty members, as
exemplified by the very successful “International Research Training Group (IRTG)” Program with
the University of Münster (FY2005-2011). This program was followed by another Strategic Young
Researcher Overseas Visits Program for Accelerating Brain Circulation, “Innovative Molecular
Catalysis and Novel Functional Materials” (FY2011-2014). The Center will take full advantage ofthese international programs to ensure active international research activities.

（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

16

(6) Indicators for evaluating a center’s global standingi) Criteria and methods to be used for evaluating the center’s global standing in the subject field
The global standing of the Center depends firstly on the performance of the individual
researchers, and we will use a set of quantitative metrics combined with more qualitative methods
to assess the performance of individual researchers and their contributions to the Center. We
consider there are three aspects important to the global standing of the WPI:
1) research quality and impact, 2) breakthrough from the interdisciplinary research
activities, and 3) human resources development.
ii) Results of current assessment made using said criteria and methods
1) Publishing our work in top journals is essentially required. The number of papers published in
top journals will be counted for evaluation. A selection of such data for our PIs clearly indicates wehave a group of outstanding individuals that together will give our Center a very high global profile.
Total number of papers published in top journals by the 10 PIs:
Journals*

Number of Papers

Nature9

Science3

Nature sister journals

3

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA

9Journal of the American Chemical Society

114

Angewandte Chemie-International Edition

69

Nano Letters

2

Advanced Materials

1

ACS Nano

5

Chemical Science

9

Accounts of Chemical Research3

Chemical Reviews

2

Coordination Chemistry Reviews

1

Genes & Development

3

Developmental Cell

1

EMBO Journal

2

Current Biology

4

Plant Cell

6

Annual Review of Plant Biology

1

Current Opinion in Plant Biology

5International Review of Cytology

1

Total

253

* Representative top journals (Impact Factors >9) are listed. Colored backgroundindicates fields of journals as red for general journals, blue for chemistry journals, andgreen for biology journals.

Highly cited work is clearly an indication of high quality research and a significant impact. Citations（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

17

can be quantified by bibliometrics such as total citations, citations per paper, and h-index.
Total number of papers cited more than 80 times (10 PIs): 86

These types of bibliometrics will be gathered for the researchers and used in evaluation
throughout the life of the Center. Two more important indicators of research quality and impact are
success in obtaining external funding and the number of invited lectures at international
conferences and these will also be monitored.
Total number of keynote/plenary/invited lectures by 10 PIs in the last 4 years: >500
With the concentration of research talent and resources at the Center, in the longer term weenvisage some of our members to be rewarded with significant international prizes in the fields
related to the mission of this Center. The number of such prizes will be a good indication of theCenter’s impact on the wider scientific community. Honors and prestigious positions will also bemonitored for the same reason.
Awards, honors, and prestigious positions:
Itami
2012
2012
2012
2011
2011
2011
2008
2007
2006
2005
2005
2004
2000

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
German Innovation Award “Gottfried Wagener Prize 2012”
Novartis-MIT Lectureship Award
ACP Lectureship Award, China
ACP Lectureship Award, Malaysia
Nozoe Memorial Award for Young Organic Chemists
Merck-Banyu Lectureship Award
Banyu Young Chemist Award
Minister Award for Distinguished Young Scientists
Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award of Encouragement
The Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemists
Thieme Journals Award
Nissan Chemical Industries Award in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Higashiyama
Vice President of International Association of Sexual Plant Reproduction Research
2010
2009
2007
2000
1999
1999

JSPS Prize
Hirase Awards, The Japan Society of Plant Morphology
Botanical Society Awards (for Technical Development), Botanical Society of Japan
Botanical Society Awards for Young Scientists, Botanical Society of Japan
Inoue Research Aid for Young Scientists
Young Scientist Awards, The Japan Society of Plant Morphology

Bode2011 Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution (ACS)2010 Hirata Memorial Lectureship and Gold Medal, Nagoya University
2009 Novartis Lectureship Award
2008 Discover Magazine, Best Brains in Science List, “Top 20 under 40”
2008 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (American Chemical Society)2008 Roche Excellence in Chemistry Award
2007 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship2007 Bristol-Myers-Squibb Unrestricted Grant in Organic Chemistry2007 Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (SSOCJ) Lectureship Award
2006 David and Lucille Packard Foundation Fellowship2006 Eli Lilly Grantee Award
2006 MIT Technology Review TR35: Top 35 Innovators Under 35
2006 AstraZeneca Excellence in Chemistry Award
2006 Research Corporation Cottrell Scholars Award
2006 Beckman Young Investigator Award
2006 Amgen Young Investigator Award
2006 UC Regent’s Junior Faculty Fellowship2004 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
2003 Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award
2001–2003 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship
1996–1999 National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

18

1996 William Crews McGavock Award, Trinity University

CruddenPresident of Canadian Society for Chemistry
2012
2008
2007
2006
2006
1998
1997

Global Centers of Excellence Visiting Professorship, Kyoto University
Merck and Company Academic Development Award
Visiting Professorship, Catalan Government
RCMS Professorship, Nagoya
Johnson and Johnson Focused Giving AwardInternational Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Travel Award
Research and Innovation Award

Irle
Advisor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Core member in the “Theoretical & Computational Chemistry Initiative” (TCCI)
Kinoshita
2007
2003
1998

Minister Award for Distinguished Young Scientists
The Japan Society of Plant Physiology Award for Young Scientist
Inoue Foundation Award for Young Scientist

Ooi
2011
2010
2008
2006
1999
1997

IBM Japan Science Prize
JSPS Prize
ACP Lectureship Award, Taiwan
Thieme Journals Award
Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemists
Chugai Pharmaceutical Award in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Torii
Elected Fellow of AAAS
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Investigator(first and only Japanese woman investigator in HHMI)
Featured Scientist, SCIENCE Magazine/L’Oréal Women in Science Booklet“Remarkable Women in Science”
2010 University of Washington Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
2008 JSPS Prize2006 SJWS Prize, Society for the Japanese Women Scientists

Yamaguchi
2009
2008
2008
2007
2006
2005
2002
1999
1997

DIC Award from Synthetic Organic Chemistry, JapanNISTEP Nice Step Researcher
Nozoe Award for Young Scientist
Tokyo Techno Forum 21 Gold Medal
ACP Lectureship Award, Taiwan
Young Scientist Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology
The Chemical Society of Japan Award for Distinguished Young Chemists
Young Scientist Award of the Silicon Chemical Society of Japan
Chisso Award in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan

YoshimuraSociety of Biology Fellow,
2010
2009
2009

Hoffenberg International Medal, Society for Endocrinology
JSPS PrizeJapanese Society of Animal Science Prize2009 Shizume Lecture, Japan Thyroid Association2005 Japan Prize of Agricultural Science for Young Scientist from the Foundation of Agricultural
Sciences of Japan
2004 Young Scientist Award from the Japanese Society for Chronobiology

2) Breakthroughs from the interdisciplinary research activities will be monitored and evaluated bynumber of joint papers by PIs from chemistry and biology fields. Grants and patents resulting fromcollaboration of PIs from chemistry and biology fields will be also monitored.

We have already begun some interdisciplinary collaborations, which are expected to be
published in the initial phase of our WPI program.
3) The development of human resources is key to the future development and global standing of（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

19

the Center. To evaluate our progress, we will use indicators such as the career paths andacademic success of former researchers of the Center and the flow of visitors to and from otherinternational institutions. Six Japanese PIs from Nagoya University have been involved in many
international exchange programs and already have good track records of exchanging
researchers. In the last three years alone, they have welcomed 75 foreign visitors and arranged
for 85 students and researchers to be sent abroad.
The number of student awards garnered will be also monitored as an important evidence of
nurturing the next-generation. For example, the prospective Center Director Itami has produced anumber of talented young chemists who have been recognized in the community. The following
are representative previous and current students.
Shuichi Yanagisawa: Winner of 1st JSPS Ikushi Prize in 2011. The top award for graduate
students in Japan from all areas. He was the only chemistry graduate student selected.
Kirika Ueda: Winner of L’Oréal-UNESCO Young Woman Scientist Award in 2011. The top award
for female graduate students. She was the only chemistry graduate student selected.
Debashis Mandal: One of three winners of Reaxys PhD Prize in 2012. Selected from 350
chemistry graduate students throughout the world.
Our focus on quantitative measurements of achievements reflects a worldwide trend in theevaluation of research. However, we are also aware that some aspects of research cannot beeasily quantified. The importance of truly original contributions may not be recognized
immediately and citation numbers may not directly reflect the quality of research. In using
research metrics to assess the performance of individual researchers, it is important to take into
account their age and career stage. In addition, because our Center will consist of researchers
from diverse fields, we will also be conscious of the ways in which these metrics may be
influenced by different research styles and conventions in different fields.
We will, therefore, establish an Internal Evaluation Committee consisting of directors, PIs
administrative directors to evaluate research activity within the Center. These results will be used
together with the recommendations of the International Advisory and Review Board to carry out arigorous evaluation of the Center and PIs by an external evaluation committee.

iii) Goals to be achieved through the project (at time of interim and final evaluations)
Our ten-year WPI project will be consisting of two phases with the following emphases and goals.
Phase 1 (FY2012-2016, 4.5 years)- Development of key synthetic bio-molecules and molecular functions.
- Establishing truly effective and productive ways to conduct interdisciplinary research.
- Establishing a new building to further promote the WPI-catalyzed interdisciplinary research.
- Creating strong ties with overseas/domestic cooperating institutes, centers, and companies.
- Increasing internationalization at Nagoya University by the establishment of an English-based
research environment and administrative offices, and by putting in place measures to attract
and retain talented foreign researchers.
- Establishing a system to support young, talented researchers to focus on research.
- Introducing a performance-based salary system.
Phase 2 (FY2017-2021, 5 years)- Development of truly innovative synthetic bio-molecules (transformative bio-molecules).
- Providing researchers worldwide with access to the transformative bio-molecules developedat Nagoya (International Promotion Unit).
- Accelerating WPI-catalyzed system reform of Nagoya University.
- Establishing mechanisms to ensure the continuous growth and perpetuation of the Institute ofTransformative Bio-Molecules.
- Establishing the reputation as a world-leading molecular research institute, which can designand synthesize brand new molecules for the discovery, visualization, and manipulation of（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

20

biological systems.
(7) Securing research fundingi) Past record
The total amount of research funds secured by the Principal Investigators. Only the funds
acquired through external competitive funding are counted.
FY 2007
FY 2008
FY 2009
FY 2010
FY 2011Ave

3,808,779
5,391,104
4,142,444
9,613,810
15,605,005
7,712,228

USD
USD
USD
USD
USD
USD

(JPY/USD=80)ii) Prospects after establishment of the center
Prospects for securing resources for each fiscal year (full-year basis)- Salaries of Principal Investigators who hold posts at Nagoya University,
Administrative staff and new hired additional researchers
1.4 million USD / year
- Partial support to the costs of utility, maintenance and renovationof laboratory and office space, provided by Nagoya University
0.8 million USD / year
- Competitive funding based on the past record by PIs
7.7 million USD / year(the average of FY
2007-2011)
Sum:

9.9 million USD / year

* At least the following amount of funding (Japanese grants) has been already acquired by PIs:
the total amount of 5.5 million USD / year for the first (FY 2012) and the second (FY 2013)
years, and the total amount of 4.0 million USD / year for the third (FY 2014) and the fourth (FY2015) years.

（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

21

(8) Exploiting the results of previously-initiated center-building efforts (when applicable)
Not Applicable
However, we will exploit the results of following past and current projects:(1) Chemistry Global COE program (JSPS)“Elucidation and Design of Materials and Molecular Functions”
Yoshihito WATANABE, FY 2007 – 2011(2) Biology Global COE program (JSPS)“Advanced Systems-Biology: Designing the Biological Function”
Takao KONDO, FY 2007 – 2011(3) Program for Leading Graduate Schools (JSPS)“Integrative Graduate Education and Research Program in Green Natural Sciences”
Kunio AWAGA, FY 2011 – 2017(4) Research and Education Funding for Inter-University Research Project (MEXT)“Integrated Research on Chemical Synthesis”
Kazuyuki TATSUMI, FY 2010 – 2016
(5) Japanese-German Graduate Externship (JSPS/DFG)
International Research Training Groups (IRTG), “Complex Functional Systems in Chemistry”
Kazuyuki TATSUMI, FY 2005 – 2011
(6) Re-Inventing Japan Project – Campus Asia Program (JSPS)“Cutting Edge Science and Technology in Chemistry and Materials ~ A Cooperative Asian
Education Gateway for a Sustainable Society”
Takahiro SEKI, FY 2011 – 2015(7) Leading-edge Research Infrastructure Program (MEXT)“Japan Advanced Plant Science Research Network; Research Center of Live Imaging(Nagoya University) ”
Tetsuya HIGASHIYAMA (Representative of Nagoya University), FY 2011– 2012

（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

22

Others
Nagoya University has committed to sustain the Center’s pioneering research activities after the
WPI-grant period ends. In order to accomplish this, Nagoya University will include the Center aspart of the Institute of Advanced Research, which has been established as an instituteindependent from the other departments and research centers at Nagoya University. The
activities, which should be continued even after project funding ends, include the strong ties thatwe plan to create between the overseas PIs as well as the international cooperating institutes.
During this WPI project, Nagoya University will accelerate system reform of the university toensure that the Institute of Transformative Bio-molecules is maintained. The activity of theInternational Promotion Unit of our Center will also be continued.
The ripple effects of our WPI program and the molecules we will develop will be multidirectional
and unlimited. The potential impact of our program could reach almost every conceivable area of
science and technology, but we envisage it will also influence the organization of many different
research institutes: set new standards not only for the achievements of research but also in theway in which it is conducted. The issues we highlighted for establishing the framework of this WPICenter (multidisciplinary interaction, excellence in research with a high international profile, anoutstanding research environment, nurturing of young scientists, and laying firm foundations for
future growth) are all essential for building world-class research institutes.
Nagoya University has recently launched the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science incooperation with Graduate Schools of Science, Bioagricultural Sciences, Engineering, andMedicine. The central area of Japan, represented by Nagoya City, is very famous as the industrial
center of Japan. The establishment of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science in Nagoya
University was based on strong demand from industrial community. The achievements of our WPICenter will be directly applied through the activities of Nagoya University and Nagoya City. Thus
profound ripple effects are expected not only in Nagoya University but also in other research
institutions in central Japan.
To establish a truly top world-level research center, the commitment of the host institution isessential. In particular, setting up an efficient and effective administration is crucial. The benefits
to the research goals of the Center through assisting the researchers to concentrate on their coreresearch activities cannot be overestimated. In addition, appointing talented individuals, who arecapable of handling administration with a global view, is also an essential ingredient toestablishing a truly world premier research center.
The word “transformative” implies that our molecules will also make a marked change in humansociety. Thus another important measure is how novel products based on our molecules andresultant new plant species developed by overcoming reproductive barriers are spread andrecognized by general public.

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23

Vision Statement by the Director
Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM)

Kenichiro Itami
Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University
Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University
November 14, 2012
Changing the world with molecules
Molecules are small but essential parts of all life on the planet. Molecules are groups of
atoms chemically bound together that behave as a single unit. They are central to theoperation of all industries, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, electronic materials,
solar cells, displays, petrochemicals, automotive manufacturing, plastics, polymers andmany more sectors. It is my strong belief that molecules have the power to change the way
we do science and the way we live. A few examples of molecules that have changed theworld include penicillin (the first miracle drug, and the beginning of the field of antibiotics),
the Haber-Bosch catalyst (necessary for the production of ammonia from nitrogen gas andhydrogen gas, the critical step in the synthesis of fertilizer, without which many people
would starve), and green fluorescent protein (GFP, the essential imaging tool for bio-relatedscience, that is used to help doctors differentiate cancerous tissue from non-cancerous
tissue during surgery). This is a small sampling of cases where a single molecule changed
the world. Such innovative molecules are defined as “transformative molecules”. The focal
point of our proposal is to develop transformative bio-molecules that will be key to solving
urgent problems at the interface of Chemistry and Biology.

Chemists and biologists have the common goal of understanding and manipulating therelationship between molecular structure and function. The placement of atoms relative to
one another in a molecule can have a huge impact on the properties and function of amolecule, and understanding and controlling this relationship is one of the key goals of thesynthetic chemist. For example, there are two stable forms of C2H6O. In the first, the two
carbons are bound directly to each other, which makes ethanol (CH3-CH2-OH), a liquidboiling at 78 °C, that has intoxicating properties. However, if the oxygen is inserted
between the two carbons (CH3-O-CH3), the product is methyl ether, which is a gas at room
temperature and is a refrigerant or a fuel substitute for propane! Even more remarkably,molecules can have dramatically different properties simply by changing the arrangementof atoms in space, without any other differences in bonding. Such changes are so dramaticin terms of biological interactions, that they can turn medicines into poisons. Thankfully
chemists are able to control and manipulate the arrangements of atoms in space, and thus
can synthesize molecules such as ethanol or methyl ether at will. This type of control of1

structure, and thus properties, is the basis of a considerable amount of chemistry, and is
widely exploited by biologists. Even biological systems, which seem highly complex, aretypically comprised of macromolecules (large molecules, such as hemoglobin) interactingwith simple “small” molecules, (such as oxygen and carbon dioxide), that function inaccordance with well defined laws of science and nature.

Other examples of macromolecules that play a significant role in biology include DNA,
which is a well-defined orientation of bases and sugars that twists into a double helix.
Proteins are carefully arranged sequences of amino acids, whose detailed molecular
structure controls the three dimensional shape of the protein and that shape controls
function. For example “mis-folding” of protiens, as observed in prions, can cause
dramatically different properties of otherwise identical molecules. Thus it is clear that theorganization of these biologically relevant macromolecules, which is derived from atomic
level structure, is critical for biological function.

Our dream is to take advantage of the dramatic relationship between structure andfunction and, by marrying state-of-the-art synthetic chemistry with systems biology,
develop new ways of creating designer bio-active molecules with targeted properties. These
new synthetic paradigms will permit the design and synthesis of bioactive molecules bothin a beaker and actually inside living organisms (ex vivo and in vivo). Most importantly, ourultimate goal is to solve urgent problems in science and technology that have an impact onsociety.
The Institute of Transformative Bio-molecules (ITbM)
The core members (partners) of the Institute have been selected as a logicalconsequence of the main goals of the Institute. In order to address the next level ofcollaboration between chemists and biologists that will have a global impact, we havechosen to put plant- and animal-based molecular biologists side-by-side with synthetic
chemists. The fundamental problems that will be addressed by this type of collaboration link
directly to global issues such as food production and land-use management, which will be ofincreasing concern as our planet warms and arable land becomes more and more scarce.
Most importantly, chemists and molecular plant biologists all speak in a molecular language,
with biologists having an understanding of the types of molecules needed to affect a given
biological event, and chemists knowing how to make these molecules. With these broad
goals in mind, researchers were then chosen for their significant achievements in the field,
as described later in this document.

Thus, synthetic chemistry, catalysis chemistry, systems biology, and plant/animal
science will be the key components of the Institute. These research foci build on existing
strengths at Nagoya University, which will be key to the establishment of the newinterdisciplinary molecular institute: The Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM),
whose aim is to create cutting-edge science with potentially significant societal impact. The
raison d’être of ITbM is to establish a world-leading molecular research institute for designingand synthesizing molecules directed towards the discovery, visualization, and manipulation of
biological systems. The unique approach of ITbM is to apply recent discoveries in molecular
activation-transforming catalysis, with the support of molecular design and theoretical2chemistry, to solve fundamental and urgent biological problems and to explore advanced
systems biology. This is an unprecedented endeavor and the first such research institute in
the world.

In ITbM, we primarily focus on developing key molecules for two major problems inbiology; (1) molecules that precisely control biotic function and production, and (2)molecules that realize innovative bio-imaging. To accomplish these projects, we will (3)develop catalysts that enable incredibly efficient synthesis and molecule activation on
demand and under a variety of biologically relevant conditions.
The followings are our three core projects, representative subprojects, and target
molecules:(1) Control of Biological Systems: Development of molecules that precisely control
biotic productivity and quality(a) Molecules that dramatically enhance plant growth [A solution to potential
global food/biomass crises](b) Molecules that improve animal reproduction innovatively [Directed towards
potential global food crises](c) Molecules that overcome the genome barriers to produce novel crops[Generation of new bio-energy](2) Visualization of Biological Systems: Development of molecules that permit
innovative bio-imaging(a) Target biological models [Real-time all-molecule live bio-imaging](b) Highly efficient, full-color fluorescent molecules [Real-time all-molecule live
bio-imaging](c) Specific conjugation technologies [Visualization of small molecules](3) Synthesis of New Bio-Functional Molecules: Development of catalysts that enable
incredibly efficient synthesis and molecule-activation on demand(a) Catalysts activating C-H bonds [Direct transformations of bio-molecules](b) Catalysts acting without heavy metals [Environmentally benign moleculartransformations](c) Catalysts for protein ligation [De novo synthesis of bio-macromolecules](d) Catalysts for in vivo chemical transformations [New frontiers in chemistry
and biology]

The interface of chemistry and molecular biology has already resulted in important new
research fields of significant scientific impact, such as chemical biology and medicinal
3

chemistry, which have in turn led to incredible advances in modern medicine. We plan tobring this to a new level by exploiting newly developed molecule-activation chemistry
partnered with fundamental biological systems of plants and animals. This researchendeavor will have significant impacts in the closely related fields of chemical biology andmedicinal chemistry, but most importantly, on areas that are of urgent global importanceincluding world food production.

The identity of ITbM is its capability to develop completely new bioactive molecules withcarefully designed functions. With biologists knowing what functions they need inmolecules and chemists knowing how to install these functions, huge advances are
predicted from our Institute. This unique approach will attract the top researchers
worldwide and also nurture the next generation of cutting-edge research, unrestricted by
the bounds of traditional disciplines.
Interdisciplinary research is the key

The importance of interdisciplinary research cannot be overemphasized. It is obvious
from the history of science and technology that many significant discoveries emerged at
the interface of disciplines. Marshaling the accumulated wisdom of all modern science iscritically important to solve urgent global issues such as food production, thereby
establishing a sustainable society. In addition to working to understand the best ways tomitigate effects of global environmental change, it is absolutely critical that scientists also
develop a plan that permits us to adapt to these changes and, moreover, to provide the newmaterials, techniques and processes that are needed to develop a sustainable society.

The value of sharing knowledge freely, or learning from others with complementary
expertise is inestimable. Catalyst-enabling synthetic chemistry with broad directions has
been the focus of the Itami lab since it was first established at Nagoya University. By
coordinating a broad multidisciplinary effort to generate new functional molecules useful inthe development and understanding of bio-related science and materials science, we havebeen able to make significant advances in a variety of chemistry-related fields. Many ofthese advances came from interactions with researchers outside our traditional area ofsynthetic organic chemistry. For example, our lab has been able to synthesize structurally
uniform carbon nanotubes, nanographenes, and small-molecule modulators of enzymes,
which were inspired by and initiated by discussions with top researchers outside of organic
chemistry.
Thus the direction of the proposed institute, in which synthetic chemistry and systems
biology will be married, is a dramatic, but logical leap considering the strength in both ofthese areas at Nagoya University. Setting up an environment where the best researchers inthese disciplines are able to interact frequently and informally is the goal of the current
proposal.

Molecule-activation chemistry for advanced systems biology – Perfect match andperfect timing
4

Recent years have seen a remarkable reintegration of chemistry and biology,
particularly in the field of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. However, the synthetic
tools that have been applied in the molecule synthesis part of these collaborative efforts are
typically still based on “classical” organic reactions manifesting limited efficiency withlengthy sequences and operations. Remarkably, in many cases the reactions employed aremany decades old. Given that the molecule-making step is often the bottleneck in suchresearch, overall synthetic efficiency is critical for almost all areas of chemistry and biology.

Methods that can directly activate and transform simple organic molecules under avariety of conditions are clearly the key for streamlining the synthesis of biologically
relevant target molecules. Indeed, the quest for such methods has been the driving force
behind enormous recent efforts in the synthetic community including in the Itami lab,culminating in a wealth of useful catalytic systems for reactions directly converting simple
building blocks into useful molecular entities. For example, the groups of Itami and Crudden
have developed efficient and unique catalysts for activating aromatic and heteroaromaticcompounds, which are privileged structures in bio-active molecules. The groups of Ooi and
Bode have developed catalysts that can activate bio-related molecules such as amino acidderivatives and peptides. By using these sophisticated catalysts, designed in the labs of ourPIs, the rapid synthesis of a number of biologically active compounds and pharmaceutically
relevant molecules is now possible. In particular, some of the most recent results from the
Itami lab on the discovery of novel potent inhibitors of important enzymes using
molecule-activation chemistry make it clear that a truly efficient catalyst can have a huge
impact in biology. With the advent of this exciting field of catalyst-enabling
molecule-activation chemistry, the way that chemists plan and execute chemical synthesis ischanging. Indeed, a number of pharmaceutical and agricultural companies as well as
chemical industries have already started to use catalysts developed in the Itami labs on adaily basis.
In parallel to the progress of catalyst-enabling synthetic chemistry in Nagoya University,
our biology groups have made a number of breathtaking discoveries at a rapid pace while
exploring extremely important and fundamental biological issues. For example, Higashiyama
discovered key molecules in plant reproduction including pollen tube guidance and double
fertilization, which are directly involved in crop production and plant breeding. Kinoshita
recently uncovered the long-thought mode of action of the plant hormone auxin for plant
growth. Torii discovered several peptide molecules that promote plant growth. Yoshimura
identified key hormone TSH regulating seasonal reproduction in animals.

Thus recent discoveries by biologists at Nagoya University have clearly demonstrated
the impact of individual molecules on biological systems. The next, critical phase of thisresearch is designing properties in specific molecules, synthesizing them in a truly practical
way and studying or imaging their actual interactions in the biological system. In order toengineer such breakthroughs, we plan to partner the discoveries of our biologists withtechnologies developed by our chemistry groups. In particular, the application of theemerging field of catalyst-enabling synthetic chemistry to systems biology research to solve
compelling biological issues such as food production problem and bio-imaging is a timely
and important goal.
5

Our cutting-edge catalysts will be able to activate and transform “seed” or “lead”
biofunctional molecules, discovered by our biology groups, into more selective and more
active molecules in a single operation. In addition, this new molecule-making and-manipulating technology will allow us to synthesize rationally designed candidate
molecules, provided by our theoretical groups, in a straightforward and rapid manner.
Moreover, our molecule-activation catalysts will be applied for the in vivo manipulation of
biofunctional molecules such that we can employ the existing biochemical machinery forthe synthesis of the core structure, and then employ an artificial small-molecule catalyst to
decorate and manipulate these products to enhance their activity and control theirproperties. Finally, in order to understand the action of our molecules in biological systems
beyond macroscopic effects, we will use state-of-the-art imaging techniques also developed
as part of this program.
Experiment-theory synergy for rational design
In addition to the chemistry-biology collaboration, experiment-theory synergy is alsoessential to fulfill our goal of developing transformative bio-molecules. Although it is clearthat our highly efficient catalysts will dramatically accelerate the development anddiscovery of key bio-functional molecules, the synthesis-testing experiments alone cannot
provide a detailed understanding as to how the molecules, empirically shown to be effective,
exert bioactivity at an atomic level. Theoretical support is critically needed to rationallydesign truly effective molecules with high potency and selectivity. As a pioneer in thequantum chemical study of complex systems, Irle will spearhead this task. He recently
established quantum chemical molecular dynamics techniques to study transformative
processes in materials sciences on realistic timescales. Parameter development is an
integral part of his research, and the method itself is now being incorporated infragmentation and genetic algorithms that will allow the simulation of small bio-moleculeswith entire proteins under realistic timescales on the basis of accurate quantum chemical
potentials.

In addition to the above-mentioned computer-assisted studies, it is also essential todesign the next generation of imaging molecules, by taking advantage of the understanding
chemists have of structure-function relationships. In this regard, Yamaguchi is indispensable
to this Institute. With a strong command of physical organic chemistry, organo-element
chemistry, and synthetic chemistry, Yamaguchi has designed and synthesized a large
number of structurally unique molecules possessing unusual photophysical and electronic
properties. Yamaguchi is an international expert in this field, knowing exactly how to designand synthesize new molecular structures that will display a desired optical property (i.e.
fluorescence, luminescence, phosphorescence). Thus, Yamaguchi’s molecular design and
Irle’s theoretical methods will play critical roles in the development of highly efficient
full-color fluorescent small peptides for new bio-imaging tools. Very recently, theYamaguchi–Irle–Itami team established an extremely reliable methodological platform forunderstanding and designing fluorescent molecules. These newly developed methodologies
will be an essential element of ITbM.
Our dream team6

A team of Principal Investigators (PIs) has been assembled to permit us to addressthese critical issues in Chemistry and Biology. This is the ideal moment to initiate thisurgent research, based on predicted global need, and current advances in both synthetic
chemistry and systems biology. There is no doubt that with the team we have assembled,
great things will happen within the new WPI-funded research environment. The scientificstrengths of our PIs and their roles in ITbM are described briefly below.
Kenichiro Itami (41) Director of ITbM, Nagoya University

Organic synthesis, catalysis, molecule activation, pharmaceuticals, organic materials

In addition to holding the role of director, I will also be one of the PIs in the Institute andthus will actively collaborate with all PIs, playing a key role in synthesizing molecules using
our catalysts. My research group has developed a number of unique and highly efficientmolecular catalysts for C-H coupling, an ideal approach to rapidly increase molecularcomplexity in organic synthesis. Our synthesis-oriented catalyst development campaign has
provided opportunities for markedly different connection/disconnection strategies in theconstruction of useful organic molecules, including pharmaceuticals, natural products, andnew enzyme inhibitors.
As the Director, I have taken into consideration several important issues that need to be
implemented while assembling the team described below: potential for interdisciplinaryinteractions, excellence in research with a high international profile, ability to nurture
young scientists and lay a firm foundation for the continued growth of ITbM. The Institutemust be ambitious but maintain realistic goals, we must routinely assess our progress
based on real deliverables, and adapt in order to maximize the success of the institute. I will
make every effort to fulfill our mission and to ensure that ITbM is ranked the best in theworld.
Tetsuya Higashiyama (41) Vice-Director of ITbM, Nagoya University

Plant reproduction, peptides, micro-genomics, cell manipulation, live cell imaging

Higashiyama is one of the most recognized plant biologists focusing on the identification of
key molecules of plant reproduction. In particular, his discovery of the long-sought (~140years) pollen tube attractant molecule “LURE”, which is essential for plant reproduction, has
secured his position as a world-renowned biologist. The identification of LURE peptides
provide us with a major breakthrough to study and control pollen tube guidance offlowering plants and to break reproductive barriers. Moreover, he has also made significant
technical development of micro-genomics and live cell imaging. Currently, he serves as oneof the youngest directors of prestigious ERATO funding program supported by the Japan
Science and Technology Agency. He will be involved mainly in the development of moleculesthat can overcome species barriers as well as innovative bio-imaging tools, collaboratingwith the groups of Yamaguchi, Irle, Torii, Itami, Ooi, Crudden, and Bode.
Jeffrey W. Bode (38) Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland
7

Organic synthesis, carbene-catalysis, protein synthesis, bioconjugation, oligomerization
Bode is a gifted young rising star in synthetic chemistry. The work of Bode is directed
towards the chemical synthesis of molecules and conjugates that are currently outside thereach of conventional synthetic methods. He is developing new chemical reactions andcatalysts for making molecules of biological importance such as proteins, glycopeptides,sequence and length-controlled polymers, and covalent conjugates of these large structures.
Recently, he developed a novel method for the ligation of unprotected protein segments,
producing synthetic proteins very efficiently. He is also known as one of the pioneers of an
entirely new branch of catalytic asymmetric synthesis, commonly known as “chiralN-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis”. His catalysts will be applied in the development ofmolecules that selectively induce plant growth and molecules that can overcome species
barrier. In addition, collaborating with the group of Ooi, he will also be involved in thedevelopment of small-molecule catalysts that can activate and transform bio-molecules invivo.
Cathleen M. Crudden (46) Queen’s University, Canada

Organometallic catalysis, organo-element catalysis, nanoporous materials

Crudden centers on the use of catalysis for organic synthesis and materials chemistry. A key
focus is the use of boron chemistry to achieve these goals in an efficient and green manner.
She will be involved mainly in the development of molecules that selectively induce plant
growth as well as in our bio-imaging projects. In addition to her expertise in synthesis andcatalysis, Crudden is one of the most visible and capable leaders of the chemistry community
in the world. Most notably, she was one of the Canadian organizers for Pacifichem 2010, thelargest chemistry conference worldwide, and will continue on as one of two Canadian
representatives for 2015. Even more importantly, she is now serving as the President of theCanadian Society for Chemistry. Her visions combined with her enthusiasm and energy are
unmatched and essential to ITbM.
Stephan Irle (45) Nagoya University

Quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, approximate density functional theory

The central theme of Irle’s work is the quantum chemical study of complex systems. On thebasis of approximate density functional theory (DFT) techniques, his group can conduct theroutine, fully quantum chemical simulation of large molecular systems containing 1000’s of
atoms on timescales into the 10’s of nanoseconds, and thus provide a theoretical means tounderstand and design efficient chemical synthesis in complex molecular environments andto characterize and create novel molecules for bio-related applications. In this Institute, hewill mainly apply his density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) method for the understandingof ligand-protein interactions as well as the rational design of fluorescent molecules forbio-imaging, collaborating with virtually all members.
Toshinori Kinoshita (44) Nagoya University
8Plant molecular biology, plant chemical biology, stomata, auxin, plant growth
Kinoshita has been studying signaling pathways of stomatal opening and closing, andmolecular mechanisms of plant cell growth in response to the phytohormone auxin. By
using genetic, biochemical, and physiological approaches, he has identified the key
components regulating stomatal opening and closing reported by Darwin in 1898. Morerecently, he reported evidence for the existence of an unidentified auxin receptor
responsible for plant growth, which became the basis of one of the core projects in thisInstitute. He will be involved mainly in the development of molecules that selectively induce
plant growth, collaborating with the groups of Itami, Crudden, Ooi, and Torii.
Takashi Ooi (47) Nagoya University

Organic ion pair catalysis, molecular recognition, molecule activation, pharmaceuticals

Ooi has been creating a bold stream of research on the molecular design of various chiralorganic ion pairs and their rational structural modifications for eliciting unique functions
as molecular catalysts, providing a solid basis for safe and sustainable supply of usefulorganic compounds. His accomplishments have had a significant impact on the frontiers ofchemistry in terms of developing a fundamental understanding of the relationship between
the three-dimensional structure of a chiral organic ion pair and its catalytic andstereocontrolling abilities. He will be involved mainly in the development of molecules that
selectively induce plant growth, molecules that improve animal reproduction, and moleculesthat can overcome species barrier, collaborating with the groups of Kinoshita, Yoshimura,
Higashiyama, Bode, and Itami.
Keiko Torii (46) University of Washington, USA

Plant development, cell-cell communication, peptides, receptor kinase, stomata

Through being selected as an HHMI-GBMF investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
Torii has been recognized as one of “the 15 most innovative plant scientists in the US". Torii
has elucidated the molecular and genetic basis of cell-cell communication and dynamics ofcellular behaviors that coordinate plant organ morphogenesis and tissue patterning. She
has also identified two peptides, EPFL4 and EPFL6, that act as ligands for receptor kinases
to promote plant growth. She will be involved mainly in the development of molecules that
selectively induce plant growth as well as the bio-imaging project, collaborating with thegroups of Higashiyama, Kinoshita, Itami, Yamaguchi, and Irle.
Shigehiro Yamaguchi (43) Nagoya University

Fluorescent molecules, molecular design, physical organic chemistry

Yamaguchi works on a variety of topics in the general fields of main group chemistry andphysical organic chemistry. In particular, emphasis is placed on the development of new
functional π-electron materials possessing unusual photophysical and electronic properties.
On the basis of the new design concepts emanating from his lab, he is able to exploit the9

features of various main group elements as well as the newly developed synthetic
methodologies, various types of functional materials have been developed; including the key
molecule in commercial organic electroluminescent devises. He will be involved mainly inthe development of innovative bio-imaging tools, collaborating with the groups ofHigashiyama, Irle, Itami, and Crudden.
Takashi Yoshimura (42) Nagoya University

Biological clock, systems biology, animal production, pharmaceuticals

Yoshimura’s research focuses on the regulatory mechanisms of biological clock and signaltransduction pathway regulating seasonal reproduction in vertebrates. The uniqueness of
his research lies in the use of non-model animals and the systems biology approach. Most
importantly, he has identified a “springtime hormone” that triggers seasonal reproduction
and clarified the signal transduction cascade for animal seasonal reproduction. Yoshimuraalso identified a key gene regulating seasonal reproduction in birds, and later demonstrated
that the discovered reproduction mechanism is conserved in seasonal mammalian species.
These breakthrough findings became the basis of one of the core projects in ITbM. He will
be involved mainly in the development of molecules that improve animal reproduction,
collaborating with the groups of Ooi, Bode, Irle, and Itami.
Nagoya University – Suitability and support

Nagoya University is the ideal place to establish this new interdisciplinary research
institute. This proposal builds not only on the strong tradition of research in chemistry andbiology at Nagoya University but also on the free and vibrant academic culture that has
traditionally nurtured the creativity of young scientists. This is clearly evidenced in thefreedom given to academic stars emanating from Nagoya University, including Osamu
Shimomura (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2008) and Ryoji Noyori (Nobel Prize in Chemistry,2001). As evidence of this continuing strategy, Nagoya University is fully supportive of oneof its youngest full professors in the University as the leader of this largest research
program in Japan.
The enthusiastic support for this initiative offered by Nagoya University is remarkable.
For example, Nagoya University has agreed to revise the University rules to give executive
authority to the Director such that he may make top-down decisions on the importantmatters of the Institute; they have agreed to enable the Institute to be independent in theexecution of its budget; and will allow the Institute to develop its own personnel policies andmanagement. For a Japanese institution, this is remarkable latitude. In addition toestablishing an efficient and effective administrate office to ensure both research andadministrative business can be carried out in English, Nagoya University has also agreed toprovide financial/personnel assistance and building space to the Institute.

Last but not least, Nagoya University has agreed to permit Yoshihito Watanabe, aTrustee and a Vice-President of Nagoya University and a Vice-President of the Chemical
10

Society of Japan, to take up the position of Administrative Director of this Institute. He has
already demonstrated his talents in making the Global COE program in Chemistry a great
success as the Project Leader, and also has been responsible for the Internationalization
Initiatives of Nagoya University including the Global 30 program. Among his achievementsin this mission, he launched international undergraduate and graduate courses, in which allclasses are delivered in English. Thus by committing University Trustee Watanabe to thisInstitute, Nagoya University is clearly illustrating its strongest support for the Institute, andits willingness to accelerate reforms in the entire system of Nagoya University.
Final remarks
I am simply thrilled to head this ambitious, full-scale collaboration of synthetic chemists
and systems biologists that is the crux of this application. What became obvious throughextensive discussions between the chemists and biologists that are part of our team was thecommon recognition that “molecules” are the key not only for chemistry and biology, butalso for exploring a new interdisciplinary research fields. With the recent exciting progressin molecule-activation chemistry and systems biology, the time has come to put in place thenecessary means to develop a collaboration that will have impacts on science and society
for decades to come.

In addition to these impacts, the present WPI project is also critical to further enhance
the prestige and international visibility of Nagoya University, and also to lead a remarkablereformation of research culture. The importance of department-based conventional
research and education is obvious. However, we believe that ITbM will be the lead example
in drastically reforming the University in the long term. We will establish the “stage” onwhich researchers, sharing responsibility and problem awareness, can talk about their
dreams freely and can put their innovative ideas into practice immediately. What our future
success brings will not be limited to innovations in bio-molecular research. I strongly
believe that the Institute, with researchers of various backgrounds, will accelerate themixing/merging of people, ideas, and research, and also help nurture a new generation ofscientists unrestricted by the bounds of traditional disciplines. This will surely have apositive influence on the way Japanese universities carry out research and education. In
this regard, we must succeed by all means.
The Institute will connect molecules, create value, and change the world, one molecule ata time.
Kenichiro Itami

November 14, 201211

Host Institution’s Commitment
June 28, 2012
To MEXT
Nagoya University
Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi, President

I confirm that the measures listed below will be taken faithfully if “Institute ofTransformative Bio-Molecules” is adopted under the World Premier International ResearchCenter Initiative (WPI).
＜Provision in host institution’s mid-to-long-term plan＞
Nagoya University (hereinafter referred to as “NU”) promotes its research
activities based on our Midterm Objectives, which include establishingworld-leading research centers. In addition, the manifesto of the incumbent
President—also known as the “Hamaguchi Plan”—identifies the strong promotion ofworld-class research and the globalization of NU as top priorities.
This proposal for the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (hereinafterreferred to as “the Center”) coincides wholly with the current conception of NU. If
this proposal is adopted, NU will amend its Midterm Plans and Research Promotion
and Strategy Plans to specify the WPI and the Center, and fully commit to providing
support for the Center based on clear objectives.
＜Concrete Measures＞(1) How it will support the center’s need to secure resources that match orexceed the project grant through such means as competitive grants
obtained by researchers participating in the project, in-kind contributions
and other forms of assistance by the host institution (including partial
payment of salaries, provision of research space), and/or external
donations. In the case of project exploiting previously-initiatedcenter-building efforts, how it will assist the center in securing sufficient
independent resources to continue to secure the same scale of themeasured amount through independent resources after that funding
eventually ends.
1) NU endorses the fully committed financial support for the Center that is larger
than the support from WPI.
2) NU will continue to cover the equivalent amount of the salaries of thoseresearchers at the Center who already hold posts at NU, and will provide 6,000
m2 of the research space for the Center. Additional space will be given according
to the progress of the research.
3) The total sum of competitive funding for those researchers at the Center who
already hold posts at NU is $5.9 million (in FY2012), and receipt of competitive
funding at an equal or greater level is promised from FY2013 onwards.
4) To help with the establishment and smooth operation of the Center, NU willassign 4 staff to the center and cover their salaries as well as employing new
bilingual staff.
5) Although this proposal does not exploit previously-initiated center-building（Host institution：Nagoya University

1

Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

efforts, NU has actively accepted some national projects such as the Global COE
Program (“Advanced System-Biology: Designing The Biological Function”,“Elucidation and Design of Materials and Molecular Functions”) and the resulting
research systems and facilities have made this proposal possible.
6) This proposal will affect not only related research fields but also all of theresearch activities in NU, coupled with the other national projects such as theProgram for Leading Graduate Schools “Integrative Graduate Education andResearch Program in Green Natural Sciences” and “MEXT Project of Integrated
Research on Chemical Synthesis”.

(2) How it will institute a system under which the center’s director is able to
make substantive personnel and budget allocation decisions necessary to
implementing the center project—a system, which in practice, allows thecenter director autonomy in making decisions regarding the center’s
operation.
1) NU will reorganize the Institute of Advanced Research, which is established as
an institute independent from the other departments and research centers, andwill place the Center as part of the Institute.
2) NU will support the Center Director in his leadership and give full mandate for his
decisions on important matters such as personnel and the execution of the Center'sbudget.
3) In addition, the Vice Director and Administrative Director will make decisions
depending on the matter, to avoid placing an excess burden on the Center
Director and enable the progress of daily work at the Center.
(3) The support it will provide to the center director in coordinating with otherdepartments within the host institution when recruiting researchers for thecenter, while giving reasonable regard to the educational and research
activities of those departments.
1) NU will assign 7 associate professors, who will mainly take charge of education ineach department to take PIs duty, and to maintain high-level education.
2) NU will give priority to female researchers at the Center to enable their children toenter the nursery school operated by NU.
3) NU will support foreign researchers at the Center in their daily life and theeducation of their children, making full use of facilities and knowledge base which
has been obtained through the operation of international projects such as the“Global 30 Internationalization Program (G30)” and “CAMPUS Asia Support for theFormation of a Core Center”, and so on.
4) NU will provide opportunities for partners/spouses of foreign PIs to hold positions
in NU on the basis of proper evaluation (Dual Career Support).
(4) Its flexibility in applying, revising, or supplementing the host institution’s
internal systems as needed for the center to effectively implement new
management methods (e.g., English-language environment, merit-based
pay, top-down decision making) unfettered by conventional modes ofoperation.
1) NU will give full mandate to the Center Director for a flexible management
system by implementing the Center as a “Special Research Zone”, and by
introducing ground breaking working rules and salary system which give the（Host institution：Nagoya University

2

Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

researchers and staff extra allowance to encourage their activities.
2) NU will gradually implement the Center’s trial across the entire university in orderto give other researchers and staff incentives to apply.
(5) Its accommodation of the center’s infrastructural requirements (forfacilities, e.g., laboratory space; equipment; land, etc.).
1) NU commits to accommodate the Center with research space equivalent to 6,000
m2.
2) 7 PI candidates who work for NU already occupy approximately 3,000 m2. NU will
provide additional 1,500 m2 by the end of FY2012, and the other 1,500 m2 as soon
as possible.
3) NU will rearrange and relocate the facilities of the existing departments andcenters, and will establish the Center’s core facility, making it possible tocollaborate intensively with the researchers of other departments and research
centers.
4) NU will reauthorize the University’s Facility Management Plan and will make theCenter’s core facility a top priority.
(6) How it will support to sustain the center as a world premier international
research center after the WPI-grant period ends.
1) NU commits to sustain the Center’s pioneering research activities after the
WPI-grant period ends. In order to do so, NU will allocate the Center as part of theInstitute of Advanced Research, which has been established as an instituteindependent from the other departments and research centers at NU, and will
ensure permanent positions for the newly employed researchers.
2) Depending on the achievement and influence of the Center, NU will advance thescheme to reorganize the departments and institutes.
(7) Other types of assistance it will provide to give maximum support to thecenter in achieving its concepts and objectives and becoming a world
premier international research center in both name and deed.
1) Learned from the existing WPI centers, sustainability is the vital issue they face,but still they are struggling against their host institution’s leadership.
2) To overcome these issues, NU has decided to assign a member of Board ofTrustee/Vice-President as the Administrative Director to bridge the gap between
the Center and the University’s headquarters.
3) The Administrative Director will organize a team with his two associates and keep
the administrative office active enough to enable the Center’s research activities
at a maximum performance.
Two associates are; Associate Administrative Director for Management who is ahigh-level expert of administration affairs, and Associate Administrative Director
for External Relations who has strong expertize in chemistry related science, witha good command of English.
4) We recognize one of the important aspects of WPI is to accelerate system reformof Japanese universities such as deregulation, internationalization, and so on.
5) Intensive commitment of NU’s leadership to the Center is critically important toaccelerate the system reform in not only the Center but also the entire university.

（Host institution：Nagoya University

3

Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

(Appendix 1)

List of Principal Investigators

Name

Academic
degree andcurrent
specialties

Age

Current affiliation(organization,
department)

Dr.EngSpecialties : Organic
Synthesis, Catalysis,
Pharmaceutical Science,
Nanocarbon Chemistry

Notes

1

Kenichiro ITAMI*

41

Department of Chemistry,
Graduate School of Science,
Nagoya University

2

Tetsuya
HIGASHIYAMA*

41

Division of Biological Science,
Graduate School of Science,
Nagoya University

Dr.Sci
Specialties : Live Cell Biology,
Plant Reproduction, Bio-active
molecules, Peptides
Doctoral of Natural Science
Specialties : Organic
Synthesis, Peptide andProtein Chemistry, Catalysis,
Ligation and bioconjugation
reactionsDouble Affiliation

Double Affiliation3

Jeffrey W. BODE*

38

Department of Chemistry andApplied
Biosciences, ETH Zürich,
Switzerland

4

Cathleen M.
CRUDDEN*

46

Department of Chemistry,
Queen's University, Canada

Ph.D
Specialities : Catalysis,
Organic Synthesis, Materials
Chemistry, Chirality
Ph.D.
Specialties : Electronic
Structure Theory,
Computational Materials
Science, Quantum Chemistryof Complex Systems

Dr.Sci
Specialities : Plant Molecular
Physiology

5

Stephan IRLE*

45

Department of Chemistry,
Graduate School of Science,
Nagoya University

6

Toshinori
KINOSHITA*

44

Division of Biological Science,
Graduate School of Science,
Nagoya University

47

Department of Applied
Dr. Engineering
Chemistry, Graduate School of Specialties : Organic
Synthesis, Catalysis,
Engineering, Nagoya
Molecular Recognition
University
Ph.D.
Specialties : Plant
Development, Signal
Transduction, Stem Cell
Maintenance/Differentiation in
Plants7

Takashi OOI*

8

Keiko TORII*

46

Department of Biology,
University of Washington,
USA

9

Shigehiro
YAMAGUCHI*

43

Research Center for Materials
Science, Nagoya University

Dr. Engineering
Specialties : Main Group
Chemistry, Physical Organic
Chemistry

10

Takashi
YOSHIMURA*

42

Department of Applied
Molecular Biosciences,
Graduate School of
Bioagricultural Sciences,
Nagoya University

Dr. Agriculture
Specialties : Animal
Physiology, Systems Biology,
Neuroendocrinology

Double Affiliation（Host institution：Nagoya University Center name：Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules）

1