Genetics
News
15 Jun 2026
International Rice Research Institute
Scientists found a gene that helps rice flower earlier, in the cooler morning hours, allowing it to avoid heat stress and protect grain formation and yields in warm regions.
09 Jun 2026
Hiroshima University
Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they're actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. A new study found that the deeper ‘low-light’ waters off Japan's Tanegashima Island harbor a surprisingly distinct and diverse community of these ‘living pink rocks,’ including four species completely new to science. Researchers identified at least 12 species in a small patch of seafloor 35–38 meters deep, but only three were also found in nearby shallow waters, suggesting the deeper habitat is not simply a continuation of the one near the surface.
08 Jun 2026
Hiroshima University
Hiroshima University researchers say a newly proposed three-step “detour” pathway for making dolichol, a molecule cells need to properly process proteins, may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast suggest eukaryotes may rely on overlapping biochemical pathways, including the evolutionarily conserved “detour” and evidence of a possible “backup route,” to produce a molecule essential to life.
22 May 2026
Hiroshima University
Position of a RELA mutation can shape symptoms, severity and treatment response
13 May 2026
More than a decade after the Nagoya Protocol, which aims to fairly share the benefits of utilizing genetic resources, became law, microbiologists and other scientists still face practical challenges and confusion.
A new guide published by a team of microbiologists provides universally applicable frameworks for anyone working with biological resources.
12 May 2026
Osaka Metropolitan University
Cellular changes affect ability to conceive
04 May 2026
Hiroshima University
A Hiroshima-University-led research team has discovered a key gene responsible for the initiation of gemma development, acting as a "master switch" to start asexual reproduction (cloning) in the model plant Marchantia polymorpha (common liverwort).
23 Apr 2026
Tohoku University
Researchers at Tohoku University have discovered hidden genetic damage that has been overlooked for decades, which could lead to more accurate research on aging and diseases like cancer. This groundbreaking discovery opens the door to more reliable technologies for working with DNA in the future.
10 Apr 2026
Hiroshima University
Major international recognition for research exploring largely unknown microbial life in groundwater
09 Apr 2026
Springer Nature
Stem cell transplantation could be a rapid and effective way to restore haemoglobin production in individuals with the blood disorder β-thalassaemia, which affects more than 40,000 children annually worldwide.
07 Apr 2026
National Taiwan University
Researchers have mapped how genetic switches are regulated in East Asian populations, identifying tens of thousands of unique markers linked to complex diseases. This massive dataset bridges a crucial diversity gap in genetics, paving the way for more inclusive translation of genetic discovery worldwide.
06 Apr 2026
Tohoku University
Researchers have confirmed that golden sweeper fish steal the bioluminescence enzymes from their prey rather than produce them naturally.
31 Mar 2026
Hiroshima University
Hiroshima University researchers have developed a practical framework to identify candidate pathogenic variants hidden among the large number of variants of uncertain significance (VUS) detected in comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) of cancers. This framework could improve the accuracy of precision oncology by more reliable prioritization of VUS.
31 Mar 2026
Hokkaido University
A new platform could improve reproductive toxicity testing by enhancing both efficiency and ethical standards
30 Mar 2026
Hokkaido University
A new global review shows countries taking very different approaches to regulating polygenic embryo testing
26 Mar 2026
Springer Nature
According to a 20-year study in mice published in Nature Communications, repeated cloning cannot be sustained indefinitely in mammals.
17 Feb 2026
Tohoku University
DNA - the blueprint of life – can also act as a reaction vessel that guides chemical reactions. This is possible using interstrand crosslinking technology developed by researchers at Tohoku University.
04 Feb 2026
Osaka Metropolitan University
When cultivated tobacco is crossed with a wild relative it erases lethal genes, allowing normally fatal hybrids to survive.
03 Feb 2026
Osaka Metropolitan University
Early marine algae adapted their light-harvesting systems for weak blue-green light, suggesting how photosynthesis evolved.
09 Jan 2026
Hiroshima University
A research team led by Hiroshima University and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have proposed a neuroendocrine mechanism in bony fish that signals ovulation from the ovaries to the brain, using the medaka fish as a model; the first step to elucidate the neural circuits for facilitation of sexual receptivity in female teleosts.
12 Dec 2025
National Taiwan University
A newly discovered promoter element “start” points to a shared regulatory syntax for controlling transcription initiation in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes.
09 Dec 2025
Asia Research News
Brain atlas, From perfume to plastic, Stable solar power, Plant aging switch, Anti-cancer droplets, Greener gold, Extreme star factory and How research shapes sustainability policy. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
08 Dec 2025
Duke-NUS Medical School
Scientists have developed a new computational tool that maps multi-gene pathways more comprehensively than ever before.
The study uncovered a previously unknown protein pathway that, when blocked, kills blood cancer cells.
The discovery could lead to new therapies for patients with drug-resistant blood cancers.
14 Nov 2025
Asia Research News
Untangling cosmic knots, Samurai jellyfish, Controlling rogue antibodies, Search for anti-ulcer vaccine & Metal-recovering yeast. Plus next SciCom coffee talk on experiences in science journalism in the AI era and WHO guide to reporting on non communicable diseases. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
14 Oct 2025
Ateneo de Manila University
SOSE researchers are looking at a possible vaccine for H. pylori, a widely common bacterium that causes stomach ulcers and raises the risk for stomach cancer.
03 Sep 2025
Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University
A customizable protein has been developed to help the body remove harmful cells, such as those involved in cancer or autoimmune diseases, offering a potential new direction for treatments.
29 Aug 2025
Duke-NUS Medical School
• International researchers led by Duke-NUS identify rare mutations in the SPNS1 gene as the cause of a previously undiagnosed multi-organ disorder
• Faulty fat recycling in cells triggers damaging build-up in muscles and liver
• Findings lay the groundwork for new therapies for affected families
30 Jul 2025
The University of Osaka
A group of researchers led by The University of Osaka have identified a novel genetic mutation in Streptococcus pyogenes, a common bacterium which causes strep throat, significantly associated with severe invasive infections. A single mutation in the bacterial ferric ion transporter enhances bacterial growth in human blood. This mutation, unique to Japanese isolates, indicates a novel pathogenic mechanism. This world-first discovery offers a potential new target for treatments and preventive measures.
25 Jul 2025
Tohoku University
Researchers are one step closer to finding a common target for treating ALS - a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive muscle weakness.
21 Jul 2025
Asia Research News
Echoes of grief, Unexpected mineral, Insulin on edge, Fingerprinting bacteria, Beefing up taste & Power of glass. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice
Events
11 Sep 2025
Join us in celebrating our 25th anniversary at the #GIS25: Genome Innovation and Precision Medicine Conference!
The Khwarizmi International Award (KIA) acknowledges the efforts made by researchers, innovators and inventors from across the globe and to appreciate their high quality research work and contributions to different fields of science and technology.
South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has organized a grand celebration event in celebration of the 10th anniversary of its opening and 12th anniversary of its establishment on Tuesday, May 12, 2019.
28 Aug 2019
The 2019 Genome Expo is scheduled to be held at UNIST from August 28 to 29, 2019.
Researchers
A public health researcher and educator specializing in epidemiology, biostatistics, and molecular biology, with a passion for advancing global health, infectious disease control, and data-driven public health solutions.
I am an efficient Professor able to Develop courses with IT skills & sound teaching skills in a manner attractive to students. I have vast experience in supervising postgraduate research & Contribute in a well manner to the ongoing academic development of the School’s postgraduate courses and research.
Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University
Prof Jun Suzuki is a biochemist and the deputy director at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Japan.
Dr Sarkar is a senior research fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. She is
actively engaged in collaborating with academic and industry stakeholders and leads multiple projects for the development of novel therapeutics/vaccines to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Prof Matthew Tan is a Food Security Specialist and an Aquaculture veteran with more than 20 years’ experience in the Agri-Tech Industry.
He is currently driving several sustainability projects in the area of Carbon Neutral Engineering and specializes in Aquaculture & Agriculture carbon credit & sequestration with regards to regenerative & restorative activities in the areas of habitat conservation, biodiversity, CSR aquaculture and use of climate smart technologies with the aim to develop true impact projects to reduce carbon emissions, plastic waste, protect biodiversity, and drive conservation and investment into local communities as he assist companies with their Carbon Transition Strategy and Planning.
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Angeli Ambayya is a Scientific Officer (Ministry of Health, Malaysia). She is passionate about research in the field of hemato-oncology.
Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University
Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Shah 'اشفاک,' born on 6 June 1992, from south Kashmir, Dodarkoot ددیرکوٹ Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India, is the microbiologist whose broad area of specialization incorporates infection immunity. He served as a researcher at the Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, UK, India, from 2020 to 2025. Currently he is working as Postdoctoral researcher and Junior Scientist in the KIET School of Pharmacy at KIET University. As a microbiology scientist, Dr. Shah has pursued novel dimensions of infection immunity pertaining to the correlation and impact of elicitation-triggered phytoalexins and phytoanticipins on the benign immune system of human beings. This parameter of immunology is termed phytoalexin-immunomodulation scrutiny in the contemporary era. Dr. Shah's research encompasses a range of areas, including the indagation on anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds, evaluation of antibiotic resistance, study of immunomodulatory activities, disease model studies, protease isolation against specific protein antigens, study of novel compounds via the hyphenated techniques of GCMS, HPLC, FTIR-MS, etc., and the discipline of kalology, including tyrosinase inhibition, PPO inhibition, skin whitening agents, kerato-peeling, etc. Dr. Ashfaq is a scientist, doctoral researcher, reviewer, and editorial member of several journals and books of national and international repute. He has contributed extensively to scientific literature by publishing his research in journals of national and international repute. So far he has published more than forty infection/immunology/pharmacology scientific papers in Scopus and SCI-indexed journals, including two international books. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Shah received the Young Scientist Award in August 2023 for his groundbreaking academic performance in the field of infection immunity. Dr. Shah has also been an active editor of Wikipedia pages in the field of medical science since 2015, with more than 1000 edits in medical topics available to medical literature worldwide.
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK)
Dr. Yan is an assistant professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong (CityU). His current research focuses on developing genomic tools to dissect lncRNA function and mechanism in diseases and to identify genetic variations that contribute to disease pathogenesis.
Kyoto University
Dr. So Iwata is a Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University and the Group Director of the SACLA Science Research Group, RIKEN SPring-8 Center. He has investigated how specialized membrane channels remove antimicrobial drugs from inside bacterial cells.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Dr Owen Rackham is an expert in the development of computational approaches for cell reprogramming and disease-gene association.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Department of Microbiology / Biomolecular Sciences
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Malaysia
Osaka City University
Takashi Hashimoto's major expertise is clinical and basic research for both autoimmune bullous diseases and hereditary skin diseases.
Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)
Myungin Baek is currently an Assistant Professor at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST).
Duke-NUS Medical School
Prof. Patrick Tan's research focuses on developing genomic approaches to unlock the molecular and clinical diversity of gastric cancer (aka stomach cancer)- a leading cause of global cancer mortality.
Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University
Prof. Ganesh Pandian Namasivayam's research goal is to create "Smart Genetic Switches" that precisely ON and OFF the genetic and epigenetic factor(s) of interest.
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Dr. Tengku Haziyamin Tengku Abdul Hamid's recent discovery of a novel strain has enabled a new patent to be drafted and was awarded gold medal in Malaysian Technology Expo 2021 for his new probiotic prototype called ProAquaVcare.
Dr. Indika Neluwa-Liyanage is a senior lecturer in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. His research focuses on the metabolic alterations underlying autism spectrum disorders and inherited metabolic disorders.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Dr. Connie Cassy Ompok is an early childhood education expert and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She Started her career in Early Childhood Education as a preschool teacher (2004-2007), a lecturer in early childhood education at the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education (2008-2016) before serving as a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at UMS (2016 until now).
Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tony Z. Jia is a researcher at Japan’s Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. His research focuses on astrobiology, prebiotic chemistry, and origins of life.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Dr Paul Cliff Simon Divis is the director of Malaria Research Centre at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
Tohoku University
I am engaged in the development of a new device for embryo evaluation which measures embryo oxygen consumption and a new medication for infertility. Recently, I focused on causative genes of disorders of sex development and searched pathogenic variants using a whole-genome reference panel constructed by Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization.
Hokkaido University
Ji-Won Lee is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Dental Medicine at Hokkaido University, Japan,
Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University
My research background covers multidisciplinary fields such as Pharmaceutics, Cancer Nanomedicine, Bioengineering and Organ-on-a-chip platforms. My current research focuses on the development of dynamic biological barriers on a chip such as blinking human cornea on a chip.
Hokkaido University
Hidemitsu Kitamura is an associate professor at the Section of Disease Control, the Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Tohoku University
Viteroretinal surgeon working on developing treatments for retinal dystrophies and many other retinal diseases.
Kanazawa University
Dept of Medical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Professor, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Professor and Head of Microbiology and Immunology Department,
Faculty of Medicine, Lincoln University College (LUC) Malaysia.
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
Currently Associate Professor at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Holds a PhD from University College of Wales and BSc (Hons) Genetics from the University of Liverpool
Giants in history
Ruby Sakae Hirose (1904 – 1960) was a Japanese-American scientist whose research contributed significantly to our understanding of blood clotting, allergies and cancer.
Pakistani botanist Azra Quraishi (22 September 1945 – 22 November 2002) is recognised for developing virus-free seed potatoes that increased potato production in Pakistan by an estimated five per cent.
Indian botanist Shipra Guha-Mukherjee (13 July 1938 – 15 September 2007) made a breakthrough discovery that enabled the genetic study of plants and, by extension, the development of improved varieties of rice, wheat, potatoes, and other crops.
Irene Ayako Uchida’s (8 April 1917 – 30 July 2013) strides to understand genetic diseases such as Down syndrome paved the way for early screening of chromosomal abnormalities in foetuses.
Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) and Tsuneko (7 June 1933) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
Syed Qasim Mehdi (13 February 1941 – 28 September 2016) was a Pakistani molecular biologist who was a founding member of the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP), which assessed human diversity by studying human migration, mutation rates, relationships between different populations, genes involved in height and selective pressure.
Hitoshi Kihara (1893 – 1986) was one of the most famous Japanese geneticists of the 20th century. One of his most significant contributions was identifying sex chromosomes (X and Y) in flowering plants.
Kono Yasui (16 February 1880 – 24 March 1971) was a Japanese botanist who researched the genetics of poppies, corn and spiderworts and surveyed the plants that had been affected by the nuclear fallout after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Maqsudul Alam (14 December 1954 – 20 December 2014) was a biologist from Bangladesh who is renowned for his research on genome sequencing
Barry Paw (29 August 1962 – 28 December 2017) was a biologist and oncologist who discovered several novel genes and their functions in red blood cells.
Janaki Ammal Edavalath Kakkat (4 November 1897 – 7 February 1984) was an Indian botanist who studied plant chromosomes and genetics.
Motoo Kimura (13 November 1924 – 13 November 1994) was a Japanese theoretical population geneticist who is best remembered for developing the neutral theory of molecular evolution.
Eminent Filipina scientist and educator Clara Lim-Sylianco (18 August 1925 – 23 July 2013) is remembered for her extensive research on mutagens – often-carcinogenic agents that permanently alter genetic materials such as DNA – antimutagens and bioorganic mechanisms.
In his over 30 year career in rice research, Munshi Siddique Ahmad (1924 – 19 October 2011) developed more than 30 varieties of high-yielding rice, including the BRRI Shail strain, which was responsible for increasing the rice production of Bangladesh from 8 million tonnes in 1965 to 20 million tonnes in 1975.
Tsuneko (7 June 1933) and Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.