Systems Biology(BI)
This Program is one of the most unique graduate programs in the world for giving students access to the wealth of research opportunities and resources of two locations: the Computer / Bioinformatics Laboratories at Keio University SFC, and the Biological / Systems Biology Laboratories at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences located at Tsuruoka Town Campus of Keio (TTCK). The following are examples of some of the practical computer courses using the advanced computer network systems offered at Keio University SFC:
- "Biosimulation"
- "Programming for Genome Analysis"
The following are examples of some of the experimental courses offered at TTCK that use cutting-edge analytical systems such as CE / MS, LC / MS, GC / MS as well as DNA sequencers and bioreactors
"Genome Engineering Laboratory"
"Metabolome Analysis Laboratory Practice"
"Proteome Analysis Laboratory Practice"
"Metabolic Engineering Laboratory Practice"
The curriculum of the Systems Biology program is project-oriented. The Program offers many advanced research projects, for instance, metabolomics, proteomics, genome engineering, metabolic engineering, genome informatics, biological simulation, and cellular metabolism simulation. Projects encourage students to develop individual initiatives, and place importance to the "co-education / co-learning" policy of Keio University. Students, together with faculty members, pursue their research interests in a free atmosphere.
Affiliated Projects
- Systems Biology
Graduate School of Media and Governance > Registration Numbers of Graduation Project
Interview
Understanding Life as a System & Making Contributions to Medical Care, Food & the Environment
Masaru Tomita
Professor, Program Chairperson
The human body is an extremely complex system made up of approximately 60 trillion cells, 40,000 types of protein, 30,000 genes, and 10,000 types of metabolite. Until now, emphasis was placed on understanding the workings of each of the body's individual components, but the current trend is a new kind of life science that tries to explain how the entire body acts as a system.
In 2001, the Institute for Advanced Biosciences located at Tsuruoka Town Campus of Keio developed a 'metabolomic analysis' technology, a cutting-edge componential analysis technology that can simultaneously and quickly measure all of the metabolites inside a living body. Patented in 2002, this technology has attracted national and international recognition and has received numerous awards. The technology has been applied in various fields: to analyze the behavior of cancer cells; to make an early diagnosis of cancer, mental disorders, hepatitis and other diseases through blood analysis; to provide an exhaustive analysis of the health-functional ingredients of agricultural products; to provide an exhaustive analysis of microbes living in extreme environments; to analyze the metabolism of algae that can be used to produce oil from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; and in many other ways. The Institute has also been a world-famous pioneer in the field of bioinformatics where advanced information technology is used to compare the genomic sequencing of various living things and to simulate cellular metabolism. Refer to the following website for details: http://www.iab.keio.ac.jp/en/
'I want to make a contribution to humankind through life science.' 'I want to solve environmental problems by making biofuels a practical reality.' For those of you with lofty ambitions like these, SFC can be the beginning of the realization of your dreams.
Faculty Members（as of April, 2016）
Note: "◎" indicates the Program chairperson.
| Name | Title | Research Interrest(S) |
|---|---|---|
| ITAYA, Mitsuhiro | Professor | Genome Designing, Genome Engineering, Molecular Biology, Molecular Genetics, Synthetic Biology |
| KANAI, Akio | Professor | Molecular Biology, Molecular Evolution, Developmental Biology |
| KURODA, Hiroki | Associate Professor | Developmental Biology |
| NAITO, Yasuhiro | Associate Professor | Theoretical Biology |
| SOGA, Tomoyoshi | Professor | Metabolomics, Analytical Chemistry |
| ◎ TOMITA, Masaru | Professor | Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology |
| WATANABE, Mitsuhiro | Professor | Health Science, Anti-aging, Metabolic Disease, Naturopathic Medicine, Preventive Medicine |
Possibilities after Graduation
Graduates of this Program are playing leading roles in the pharmaceutical, food, and computer/technology industry (research and development section) and consulting firms. Students who aspire to pursue advanced scientific careers have opportunities to proceed to the Doctoral program. Many of its Ph.D. graduates have become exceptional researchers in universities or research institutes in Japan and overseas.