English

From Japanese society for quantitative biology

What is the Japanese Society for Quantitative Biology
(Q-BioJP)?

The Japanese Society for Quantitative Biology (Q-BioJP) is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that is dedicated to the advancement of the field of quantitative biology.
The mission of the Q-BioJP is to

  • bring together the various fields of biological research that will benefit from quantitative analysis
  • provide an interdisciplinary forum for research, and to provide opportunities for collaboration in quantitative biology
  • promote the field of quantitative biology and to advance our understanding of biological systems.

Japanese "Main Page"

Background of the foundation

A PERIOD OF TRANSITION
Biology is in a period of transition, from being a mostly descriptive and qualitative discipline towards being more analytical and quantitative. It is hoped that this change in emphasis will produce insights, and also new technologies. These approaches will be carried out by a new kind of biologist who can deal with the requirements of this new field.
A FUTURE GOAL OF BIOLOGY
While most of modern biology was focused on the properties of individual molecules, a future goal will be to understand their dynamics, and will require finding new ways of thinking and analysing these processes at a level beyond the individual components and their static properties. For solutions to these comprehensive questions, biology is now looking to other disciplines. Systems Biology has built strong links between Biology, Computer Sciences, and Mathematics to develop integrated approaches to deal with recent explosive increase in biological knowledge.
HOW TO APPROACH THE PRINCIPLES
Now to approach the principles that underlie their dynamical behaviors, the Physical and Chemical Sciences may provide a useful precedent. We also notice biological systems may have design principles that can be understood from an Engineering point of view.
Japanese "About us"

The Aim of the Q-BioJP

TO PROMOTE SPONTANEOUS ACTION
Our purpose is to promote spontaneous action of each scientist for the development of quantitative biology.
TO ESTABLISH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENT
To achieve this objective we plan to establish an interdisciplinary research environment; such an environment will accelerate the natural convergence of different but related fields, and the expansion research into at the interface of different areas of research.
The interactions fostered by us will transcend the boundaries between Biology and Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics and Computational sciences.
TO FORM A COMMUNITY FOR DEVELOPMENTS OF THE FIELD
Above all, we aim to form a community that will be nourished by, and contribute to, the new developments which arise from the interdisciplinary research environment, and will provide the means for people with different approaches to related problems to come together and find novel and interesting solutions.
Japanese "About us"

Targeting Subject

We explore techniques and methods to quantify the physical properties that determine the dynamics of biological phenomena. Our main focus is on cellular-level biology, but we are also concerned with the structure and organization of cells. The behavior of cells is influenced by events at a molecular level and upwards to the tissue and organism level. A new-generation model of Q-BioJP can take initiatives at medical sciences such as pharmacokinetics and cancer research. Q-BioJP will strive to understand the various levels of biological systems and the relationships that exist between them.
Japanese "About us"

Agenda

To these ends, we operate the following three strategies:

1. An annual meeting to - foster excellence in research and education -

We organize an annual scientific meeting which consists of technical tutorials and sessions focused on selected topics.

  • target audience: Scientists that have already begun a research in the field of quantitative biology or have concrete plans to start.
  • objective: The meeting provides a program for the interdisciplinary community of quantitative biologists to promote sharing of information to solve technical problems in their research, and to promote discussions of our future direction.

The 5th Annual Meeting will be held on 23rd - 25th November 2012 at the Convention Hall in Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo.
5th Annual Meeting
Japanese Events

2. Caravan - scholarly dissemination of research -

  • target audience: researchers who are interested in quantitative biology but require guidance in starting a research program in this area “quantitative biology”.
  • objective: To showcase exciting examples of quantitative biology with an emphasis on the importance of the quantitative point of view in biology.

3. Mailing list

  • objective : exchanging information on topics relating to quantitative biology.
  • members in the list: There is no condition to participate our mailing list except your motivation. You can join anytime via a direct invitation by a core member. (This mailing list is basically managed in Japanese.)


All are welcome who would strive together to ensure the future of this new basic scientific field!



Links in English on q-bio.jp

Core members

  • Kazuhiro Aoki (Kyoto University)
  • Yoshiyuki Arai (Osaka University)
  • Yukinobu Arata (RIKEN, Advanced Science Institute)
  • Hiroshi Ito (Kyushu University)
  • Naoki Irie (The University of Tokyo)
  • Seiichi Uchida (Kyushu University)
  • Miki Ebisuya (RIKEN CDB)
  • Hiromasa Oku (Gunma University)
  • Yu-ichi Ozaki (RIKEN, Quantitative Biology Center)
  • Rinshi S. Kasai (Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences,Kyoto University)
  • Kazuhisa Kinoshita (RIKEN Advanced Science Institute)
  • Akatsuki Kimura(Cell Architecture Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics)
  • Hiroshi Kimura(Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tokai University)
  • Hiroshi Kohsaka (The University of Tokyo)
  • Tetsuya J. Kobayashi (Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo)
  • Satoshi Sawai (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo)
  • Kaoru Sugimura (iCeMS, Kyoto University)
  • Takao Suzuki (National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) Transgenic Silkworm Research Center)
  • Madoka Suzuki (WASEDA Bioscience Research Institute in Singapore (WABIOS))
  • Hiroaki Takagi (Department of Physics, School of Medicine, Nara Medical University)
  • Jun-nosuke Teramae (Osaka University)
  • Yuki Tsukada (Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University)
  • Hidekazu Tsutsui (Osaka University)
  • Itoshi Nikaido (RIKEN)
  • Takahiro Harada (Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo)
  • Kayo Hibino(RIKEN, Quantitative Biology Center)
  • Noriko Hiroi (Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University)
  • Toshihiko Fujimori (Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology)
  • Akira Funahashi (Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University)
  • Yusuke T. Maeda (The Hakubi Center, Kyoto University)
  • Yutaka Matsubayashi (University of Manchester)



tentatively away:

  • Shuji Ishihara (Meiji University)

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to Dr. Aitor Gonza ́ lez (Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Japan) , Dr. Jonathan James Ward (Cellular architecture Group, Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, EMBL-Heidelberg, Germany), Kris Popendorf (Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Bioscience and Informatics, Keio University, Japan) for kindly editing of the English manuscript of this webpage with helpful comments.

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