Osaka University (OU), the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. (Kirin Holdings) held a joint online symposium on 10 November 2021. These three institutions began collaborative research on plant cell bioprocessing of human growth factors and other bioactive proteins in 2018. The latest research outcomes for producing bioactive proteins, such as human growth factors for stem cell cures, were shared at this symposium.


The symposium opened with greetings to attendees from Executive Vice President of Global Engagement, KAWAHARA Genta from OU, Professor Emeritus Raymond Rodriguez from UC Davis, and Mr. YAJIMA Hiroaki from Kirin Holdings. Opening remarks were followed by research presentations from OU: Professor MURANAKA Toshiya (Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering) and Ms. Nguyen Kim Dua (PhD Student, Graduate School of Engineering).


Proceeding the presentations from the researchers from UC Davis and Kirin Holdings, Professor FUJIYAMA Kazuhito, Director of the International Center for Biotechnology at OU, summed up this international industry-academic collaborative research project with the following observations:
 

(a) Techno-economic analysis of the production process for plant-made bioactive proteins (e.g., human growth factors) shows that production costs are significantly lower than that using mammalian cells.
(b) Plant-made human bioactive proteins were found to be functional, although more research is needed on their stability, potency, purity, and molecular structure.


Professor FUJIYAMA also expressed his sincere appreciation to Kirin Holdings for their generous financial support of the symposium and for their support of academic exchanges that promote the globalization of collaborative research involving students and young researchers.