Biotechnology Development Responsible

1. What is your current job?

We are involved in the production of recombinant proteins using koji mold and silkworms. Ozeki has been providing contract services for producing genetically modified koji mold since 2009 and genetically modified silkworms since 2014 to produce proteins. We receive many requests from universities and companies, but some projects are not straightforward, requiring the expression of difficult-to-produce proteins or high productivity. For this reason, it is essential to repeatedly gather information from literature and painstakingly examine conditions. We strive to achieve satisfactory results by gradually accumulating results and conducting further investigations. This makes the joy we feel when we are able to achieve satisfactory results all the more intense.

2. Please tell us about your career so far (the themes you have been involved in).

When I first joined the company, I was in charge of raising silkworms and genetic modification. I was hesitant to raise a large number of insects I had never seen before and didn't understand, but as I saw them every day, I gradually got used to them and now they seem a little cute to me. I am currently involved in contract work with koji mold and technology development.

3. Please tell us about any memorable experiences you have had at work (successes, failures, etc.).

I had heard that copper-containing proteins transport oxygen in insect body fluids, and I wondered if silkworms might be good at producing copper-containing proteins, which are difficult to express, so I decided to try producing them. However, the results were disappointing. Upon investigation, I found that insects have trachea throughout their bodies, which supplies oxygen directly to their tissues, so they do not use copper proteins to transport oxygen. Learning from this failure, I now thoroughly research the origins and characteristics of the proteins to be expressed and the hosts to be used before starting any research. I feel that accumulating new knowledge that I did not know before leads to small ideas and the ability to solve problems.