Japan Science and Technology Agency
PRESTO
RNA and Biofunctions
PRESTO, Basic Research Programs
TOP > Research Perspectives
Research Perspectives
Strategic Research targets:
"Establishment of technology to utilize RNA molecules (RNA technology) that contributes to medical applications"
photo Research Supervisor:
NOMOTO, Akio, Ph.D. (Chairman of Board of Directors, Microbial Chemistry Research Foundation, Director, Institute of Microbial Chemistry (Biology) )

Research Scope

"RNA and biofunctions" area seeks to discover the various functions of RNA molecules to better understand the basic principles of RNA's 'life-support' mechanism, and also to develop innovative technological seeds based on creative ideas of each researchers for medical and other applications of RNA molecules.
More specifically, this area is designated for studies to seek new RNA functions to support and control life phenomena and studies that are intended to utilize known RNA functions. The latter includes technologies to improve the design and functions of functional RNA, to control cellular functions using functional RNA, to detect specific RNA at the single-molecule level, and other technologies such as drug delivery systems to deliver RNA to target tissues and cells. The studies that are solicited in this Area are those that are likely to engender the development of new technologies to apply functional RNA molecules to advanced medical technologies and other fields.

Expectations

Although the existence of viruses that carry RNA as their genome has been known for decades, RNA was thought by many to be a messenger that works when proteins are expressed by DNA with genetic information. In recent years, however, ribozymes, miRNA, RNA molecular mimicry, and many other functional noncoding (nc) RNA types have been discovered. They have brought the recognition that RNA has equivalent functions to those of proteins. It is now apparent that RNA is indispensable for genetic information expression and the control of metabolism. RNA is also deeply involved with the movement of high-order complex characteristics such as development, differentiation, and the onset of diseases.
In life science research in the post-genomic era, RNA research is positioned as one of the most important issues, comparable to proteomes. There are plenty of important RNA functions that remain unknown, and exploratory research for such functions is extremely important in order to understand life phenomena. The origin of RNA research is considered to lie in the RNA genome. Consequently, studies in this field should also become much more active.
In the field of known functional RNAs, despite the still insufficient understanding of the essential functions in life forms, approaches to extract and use the only known functions have begun to progress rapidly, suggesting the possibility to become a very promising technology that will contribute to applications in medical and other fields. Studies subject to this Research Area are those that seek new RNA functions in life phenomena, as well as those on RNA technologies including medical and other applications using known RNA functions.
Japan's RNA research has a long history. Many RNA molecules have been discovered, and a large pool of excellent human resources in nucleic acid chemistry is available. Now that pleural RNA with brand new functions is expected to be discovered, we hope that this Research Area will find newer functional RNA types which would be the key to explain life phenomena. We also hope that this Research Area will produce and establish such innovative technology of RNA molecules as to be applied in applied and advanced medical and related world.

Copyright c RNA and Biofunctions. All Rights Reserved.