Vol.3 No.1 2010

12/110

Research paper : A bioinformatics strategy to produce a cyclically developing project structure (M. Suwa et al.)−9−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.3 No.1 (2010) prediction technologies were accelerated. Our research center does not conduct experiments, but we feel it is necessary to collaborate with experimental researchers at all times in all researches in the future. 3) Place of incubationThe Project started in 2000, around the time of the establishment of the Computational Biology Research Center. It was not necessarily a good start. It was totally new without any model, and we tried to figure out how to start things and groped along the way. Of course, we did have some idea of how the Project should progress. While I had an image of “this can be done by doing this” as a researcher who has been studying the cell membrane protein for a long time, I could have never come up with a method toward specific realization on my own. Working with Dr. Akiyama, a specialist in parallel computing environment, and Dr. Asai, an expert in mathematical models, a powerful analysis could be done using a parallel supercomputer environment and advanced mathematical methods. To this day, discussions with other researchers are inspirational in various scenes. This could not have been possible if it were not done at the Computational Biology Research Center where researchers of various backgrounds are gathered in one place, and I am grateful for this opportunity.6.2 Achievement of the research objectives The objective of the Project at its start was to present information that may contribute to the design of experiments by predicting the experimental result to reduce major experimental risks using the bioinformatics technology in GPCR research. Compared to 2000, proteins other than GPCR such as Kinase and protein complex formation inhibitors dominate the higher percentage as drug discovery targets. However, the importance of GPCR has not faded, and the number of academic papers on GPCR is increasing with the increase of bioinformation. Did we achieve our objective in all this? SEVENS has already analyzed genes that show potential expression in the body as well as GPCRs whose expressions have been confirmed by experiments. Therefore, it is unique since it is capable of a truly comprehensive analysis. We are certain that it can contribute greatly to the general understanding of GPCR and the related drug discovery. Whether it does contribute or not can be indicated by how often the developed tools were used and how much feedback was received. Currently, it is linked to the portal sites of international journals and Integrated DB Organization of MEXT and METI. There are on average about 1,000 serious accesses per month from companies and government organizations in Japan and other countries (such as United States, Germany, France, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Taiwan). It is also reviewed in international literatures[16][17] as one of the major web DB for drug discovery. GRIFFIN is competing for the top position as a web tool for predicting the G protein Fig. 5 Conceptual diagram of the research project structure that undergoes cyclical development.(a) The process from the development to publication of the comprehensive DB for GPCR at the beginning of the Project was Full Research in a small scale. This phase was incorporated into the Type 1 Basic Research-like phase (hop, hop again) of the greater research development phases, followed by the cyclical development of Type 2 Basic Research-like joint research (step, step again) and Product Realization Research-like joint research (jump, jump again). This is a form that continues to develop through the interaction of directions of joint researches at each step and the direction of the life science fields that continue to advance rapidly. (b) Relationship of the three factors that serve as the driving force of the joint research at each step. (1) The core technology that matured over a long period continues to grow and mature further in (2) the research environment that nurtured technological incubation. The cyclic movement (3)with feedback from the close collaboration between bioinformatics researchers and experimental researchers, based on (1) and (2), determines the direction of the vector of joint research. This is much like the determination of the axis direction by the rotation of a gyro. Type 2 Basic ResearchType 2 Basic ResearchDirection of life science fieldJump again, future research developmentStep2003Type 1 Basic ResearchComprehensiveGPCR DBSEVENSElemental technologySEVENS PipelineHop2000Jump2004Hop again2006Step again2007Building of core technology(a)Type 2 Basic ResearchProduct Realization research・Various gene identification and functional analysis tools・Findings of GPCR gene characteristic・Technology for using large-scale parallel computersDirection of researchFeedback from bioinformatics researchersClose collaboration with experimental researchersCore technology matured over timeFeedback from experimental researchersPlace oftechnological incubation(b)

※このページを正しく表示するにはFlashPlayer9以上が必要です