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Part Promotion of Scientific Research

Until the middle of the 20th century, biology was developing as a science aimed at analyzing, at the substance level, various phenomena resulting from the workings of living things. Biology at that time was still considered a science different frorm physics and chemistry which dealt with nonliving things. With the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953, molecular biology developed and linked biology more closely with physics and chemistry. Through a combination of recombinant DNA technologies (one of the achievements of molecular biology), and a large accumulation of biological knowledge, an entirely new type of biology was formed. It was called bioscience or life science and aimed at analyzing life phenomena through experimentation at the gene level. As a result of the rapid development of life science, the concept has been founded that vital life phenomena are basically controlled by the laws of materials science to which physics and chemistry belong.

Gene manipulation techniques were introduced in clinical medicine, pharmacology, agriculture, engineering and other applied fields and greatly contributed to: disease etiology, diagnosis and treatment; the improvement and increase in breeding of useful animals and plants; the prevention of noxious organisms; the development of medicines; and the promotion of the fermentation industry. As a result of a great increase in fundamental information concerning life, research subjects indifferent fields, especially in the molecular basis studies, have approached each other, not only between the fields of life science and those of other natural sciences, but also between fields which both belong to life science. The development of these fields through cooperation and mutual stimulation is receiving remarkable attention.

Recombinant DNA techniques, which were started with the multiplication, in colibacilli, of genes obtained from different living things further developed, so that larger DNA fragments could be integrated into cells of higher levels of animals or levels of plants. Details of other important gene functions are being discovered. Also, techniques for reproducing a large amount of DNA from a small amount have been developed. These techniques are being applied in many fields including basic research fields, and are exercising great influences.

Along with the development of techniques for integrating genes in the cells of higher levels of animals and plants, biotechnologies for injecting DNA into a cultured cell or egg and then implanting this egg into the foster mother's womb have been developed, enabling the production of transgenic organisms even in mammalian animals and higher levels of plants. Also, analyses were conducted from various viewpoints which had never been thought of before. As a result, new, opportunities have arisen for the creation of useful varieties for the production of animal models of human disease and for gene therapy.

In recent years, research interest has been expanded from the functions of specific genes to their hierarchical functions in the morphogenesis. This development was pioneered by the discovery, firstly, of the genes in fruitflies which determine the body axes and metameres, and secondly, the discovery of a DNA sequence, so-caI1ed homoeobox, which takes part in the development process. It is known that similar sequence exists in other organisms. Furthermore, molecular biological research on higher levels of plants, which have lagged behind those on animals, is becoming very active. Activities of Japanese researchers in this field are outstanding.

Research on intractable diseases, including cancer, has also advanced remark-ably. Especially, research on the detection of oncogenes by the application of gene cloning techniques has brought about rapid progress in the understanding of carcinogenic mechanisms. Cellular technology, including the technique using hybridoma, has helped develop new techniques for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

As for peripheral technologies, it should be mentioned that, due to the application of computer techniques, the development of micro analyzers of nucleic acid and protein, and the advancement of high-grade electronic devices, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and the mass spectrometer, it has become possible to make a precise diagnosis of diseases and to observe and analyze the metabolism of living cells and brains.

During the past ten years, life science has attained remarkable levels of development centering around the utilization or biotechnologies, including the manipulation of genes and cells. This tendency will continue into the future. In the coming years. However, research will proceed, from a wider point of view, toward the elucidation of the mechanisms controlling complex vital activities. Examples of such research subjects will be: the clarification, at the molecular structural level, of mechanisms of gene expression, and of intercelluar information transfer; the study, at the molecular structural level, of the interaction between specific functional molecules and the cell skeleton ; and the research on cellular propagation and differentiation, and senile changes. Also, until now, attention has been paid mainly to nucleic acid and protein as substances related to biological functions. However, in the coming years, the study of the biological functions of sugars and lipids will be promoted, as well as the development of research techniques. Further, the molecular model will be made possible through progress in the analysis of molecular structure with the utilization of the computer. All of this research will contribute to medical and pharmacological fields. With the discovery of oncogenes, cancer has become recognized as a "disease of genes". Cancer still remains the foremost cause of death in Japan, and cancer control is still one of the most important subjects in life science. The further development of biotechnologies is expected, and the increase in the production of biological resources by the use of biotechnological techniques will be possible. Protein engineering as well as research on the synthesis of substances with advanced functions which are similar to those of living organisms will be further promoted.

Important research subjects in the 21st century will be aimed at: the elucidation of the mechanism of biological development and function differentiation; the control of senile changes; and the brain functions. The understanding of brain functions is highly complex and is regarded as the last frontier of biology. However it will be possible to touch upon the core of high-order functions of the human brain, such as thinking and memory, by utilizing molecular, biological, and theoretical computational approaches. The research in brain functions will, in the long run, of DNA in various species including humans, universities are requested to work on the basic problems including the development of analysis techniques and the construction of data bases.

The progress in a series of techniques in life science has made possible the implementation of the gene rearrangement, the organ implant, and other research and medical treatments which identify the essence of life. These techniques are new and powerful. Since they challenge existing ideas about life, it will be necessary to examine and appropriately cope with new problems in bioethics from a wide range of viewpoints.