| July 14, 2004 |
Waseda University
Olympus Corporation |
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| Waseda University and Olympus Corporation |
| Establish Research Institute in Singapore |
| Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research
Institute |
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| SINGAPORE, 14 July 2004 - Waseda University and Olympus Corporation have today officially opened the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute, a joint research facility based in the Biopolis that will focus on the investigation of higher brain functions such as intellect and awareness. |
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| The research conducted at the institute will integrate Olympus' strengths in the bioscience research area gained through its wealth of experience developing biological microscopes and genome analysis systems, together with the research expertise offered by Waseda. |
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| The institute has its origins with Waseda University's
Institute for Biomedical Science where for two years Olympus had been sending
its researchers and participating in other exchange activities that deepened
involvement between the two organizations |
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| Situated at the information crossroads between the United
States, Europe, China and India, Singapore provided the ideal location
to establish the institute. The Singapore government has made efforts to
forge the country into a bioscience research hub, boasting some 2,000 researchers.
Biopolis is also home to Singapore government related research organizations
and the R&D units of biotech related corporations. Given this favorable
environment, the institute will work to take advantage of the world-class
human network of researchers to foster the dissemination of knowledge. |
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| "The Biomedical Sciences industry is a key driver for
Singapore's economy, and several initiatives have been put in place to
encourage and further develop the growth of this industry," said Philip
Yeo, Chairman of the Agency for Science and Technology and Research and
Co-Chairman of EDB, the Singapore government authority supporting the institute. "Substantial
investments in infrastructure such as research laboratories and specialised
workforce training have created the right, supportive environment for bioscience
research projects such as the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute." |
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| The results of the research conducted at the institute
will aid Olympus in the development of ubiquitous terminals, services,
and other human-ware that utilize sensors to recognize expressions, emotions,
and feedback from the brain activity of users. The institute's work will
bring to fruition solutions that significantly enhance the quality of life
and create the future value like a secure and safe society . |
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| In order for Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute
to deepen its roots and accelerate collaboration with local institutions,
Waseda and Olympus plan to jointly fund the institute's incorporation sometime
around October 2004. According to the mid-term plan, this change of status
will mean the hiring of non-Japanese researchers and other activities. |
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| About Waseda University |
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| Established in 1882, Waseda University is a private university
with 11 academic departments, 17 areas of graduate research, and approximately
50,000 students. Waseda also operates a number of businesses with the slogan, "Cooperating
to expand human knowledge in the Asia-Pacific region."Waseda is aggressively
moving forward with research activities in cooperation with private industry
and government. The university has assembled a cross-section of researchers
from both inside and outside of its halls for its research institutes and
conducts research through obtaining competitive research funds from external
sources. |
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| About Olympus Corporation |
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| Olympus launched its business in 1919 and today enjoys
a reputation for excellence in digital cameras as well as endoscopes, microscopes,
and other medical equipment developed under the concept of opto-digital
technology, which is a fusion of traditional optical and advanced digital
technologies. In recent years, Olympus has been channeling its energies
into developing business operations for human genome analysis systems and
regenerative medicine to develop operations in the medical life science
business. |
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| Institute Outline |
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| Official Name |
Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute |
| Date Established |
July 14, 2004 |
| Address |
11 Biopolis Way, #05-01/02 Helios,
Singapore 138667 |
| Telephone |
+65-6771-8185 (Waseda University Singapore Office; Mr. Hirano) |
| Director |
Dr. Toru Yoshioka |
| Researchers* |
Principal Investigators: Total 5
(4 Japanese and 1 U.S. national)
Post-Doctoral Research Fellows: Total 3 (all Japanese nationals) |
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| * As of July 14, 2004 |
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| Attachment |
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| Institute Objectives |
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| In Japan, efforts are now being undertaken to develop collaborative schemes such as the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute that link academia and industry in scientific and technological areas. The establishment of this institute represents our dedication to achieve research results that contribute to society in totally new ways. The goal of the institute is to bring about tangible results from the research conducted in approximately five years. |
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| Research Themes |
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| 1) |
Deepen Understanding of the Principles of brain function |
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The research will attempt to shed light on brain functions such as thoughts, emotions, and consciousness, through the perspective of the right/left division of the brain and gender differences. This area of study borders the disciplines of psychology and neurology, and as such each has been researched independently. The institute will conduct psychological research based upon stimuli confirmation, neurology based upon response, and physical science with data analysis. |
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| 2) |
Clarification of the suppression mechanism |
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In the central nervous system, stimulants and neurological inhibitors exist simultaneously, both contributing to the balance needed for proper brain activity. This research project will use multiple GBA receptors with different features to clarify the basic mechanisms that broaden the intellect. |
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| 3) |
Sleep Research |
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Basic research to understand how rest and sleep habits can effect overall quality of life will be conducted. By recording the brain function and neurological ignition pattern of mice, methods of analysis can be developed, while at the same time, the importance of different elements can be determined through immunohistochemical techniques. In this way, development of monoclonal antibodies in proteins that are thought to play an important role in the transaction of information can be achieved. |
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