Division of Innovative Research and Development Advanced Research & Development Programs for Medical Innovation(AMED-CREST)

Promotion and support of this Research and Development (R&D) Area was transferred from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as of April 1, 2015. The original English texts were based on those provided by the courtesy of JST.

Development of Fundamental Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy Based upon Epigenome Analysis (Completed)

[Research and Development Objective] Creation of the basic technologies for disease analysis and elucidation of stem cell differentiation mechanisms by using epigenomic comparison toward the realization of treatments and regenerative medicine used to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases

Outline of the Research & Development (R&D) Area

For healthy life and development of novel strategies for disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapy, this R&D area focuses on discovery of new principles and establishment of fundamental medical technologies based on epigenome analyses accompanied by biological analyses.

Specifically, this R&D area invites proposals that identify epigenome alterations useful for identification of etiologies or those critically involved in development and progression of cancers or other chronic disorders, such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, neurological diseases, and autoimmune diseases. The findings should lead to identification of novel mechanisms for induction of epigenome alteration or maintenance of epigenomes or to innovative strategies for disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. This area also invites proposals that, by comparing epigenome profiles during stem cell differentiation, reveal mechanisms of cellular differentiation and establish technologies for robust directed differentiation of various cells to specific lineages. Furthermore, this area invites proposals that develop key technologies for more efficient analysis of methylomes and histone modifications, and for control of epigenomes.

In this R&D area, AMED cooperates with the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) through some proposals.

Year the Area adopted

2011

Management and Evaluation Framework

Program Supervisor (PS)

YAMAMOTO Masayuki
Professor, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Program Officer (PO)

USHIJIMA Toshikazu
Chief, Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute

R&D Area Advisors

TAKAGI Toshihisa
Professor, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
TAKAHASHI Masayo
Project Leader, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research
TAJIMA Shoji
Professor Emeritus, Osaka University
CHIBA Tsutomu
Director, Kansai Electric Power Hospital
NISHIJIMA Kazum
Fellow, Clinical Development Planning and Management, Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
FUKAMIZU Akiyoshi
Professor, Life Science Center Survival Dynamics, TARA, University of Tsukuba
MOTOHASHI Hozumi
Professor, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC), Tohoku University
MOROHASHI Ken-ichirou
Distinguished Professor, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University
YOSHIDA Minoru
Group Director, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science

Brochure

Last updated 02/26/20