Our team was established in 2000 to realize personalized medicine to each individual's genetic background.
We have developed large-scale genome analysis technologies and applied them to various diseases.
In the early stages, we established a high-speed SNP genotyping system combining multiplex PCR
(J Hum Genet)
and the Invader method, contributing to the international HapMap Project
(Nature).
Since 2005, as the core research institution for genetic analysis
under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) commissioned project
"Tailor-made Medical Treatment Program", we have been advancing genome-wide association studies
targeting over 200,000 patients with various diseases collected by BioBank Japan
(Nat Genet,
Nat Genet, etc.).
Recently, we have focused on "rare variants", which are rare within a population
but significantly contribute to disease onset.
We have established a unique targeted sequencing method
(Hum Mol Genet)
and are advancing research with a focus on hereditary cancer.
To date, we have analyzed 23 cancer types in more than 140,000 people,
clarifying the relationship between genes and disease risk, clinical characteristics, and interactions
with environmental factors
(JAMA Oncol,
N Engl J Med, etc.).
The results have been reflected in many domestic and international clinical guidelines
and are being utilized in actual clinical practice.
Additionally, we are expanding the research strategy to other diseases such as dementia,
as well as to companion animals such as dogs and cats, which are important models for human diseases.
Furthermore, our team actively provides large-scale genomic analysis technologies to researchers
both domestically and internationally to support their analyses
(Nat Med,
Nat Cancer, etc.),
with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of people suffering from diseases.
