Bioproduction in plants

Our mission is to produce beneficial substances in plants. This includes the improvement of host plants for the production and the development of technologies for this purpose. It also includes elucidating the production mechanisms of the substances and transferring them to other organisms through synthetic biology concept.

Beneficial substances include wood, lignin, cellulose, glucose and other sugars, carbohydrates, and latex, which can be used as raw materials for bio-plastics, biofuels, paper, construction materials, tires, etc., antibodies, antigens (vaccines), proteins, glycoproteins, and secondary metabolites that can be used as pharmaceutical materials.

In addition to poplar, eucalyptus, pine, rice, and other grasses, rubber tree, sugar beet, and other plants cultivated for industrial purposes, we also handle tobacco as a protein production host, quinoa, vegetable crops, and Arabidopsis as an experimental plant.

Technologies to be focused on include the use of plant viruses, mass production of proteins, epigenetics, genome editing and transcriptional control technologies, utilization of symbiotic microorganisms, and cultivation management technologies including plant factories and horticultural facilities.

We will collaborate with private companies and partner institutions to develop these technologies and contribute to the construction of a sustainable society through social implementation of these technologies.