HomeConstruction of biological systems with dynamic multiponent functions and robust development processes The aim of this COE-project is to open the"Complex Systems Life Science", as a new research field thatwill work over the next 50 years, as a guiding priniciple at a post molecular biology age. With this project we will plan to establish the Komaba Campus of Univ. of Tokyo as the Center of Excellence for the world wide activities of the new life science. For this, we organize an excellent interdiciplinary science from three research areas of complex systems theory, developmental biology, biophysics and biomolecullar science, in which Komaba campus has already become a world leading place.
The project leader, Kunihiko Kaneko, is one of the pioneers in complex systems science. Collaborating with a biologist Tetsuya Yomo, he has recently developed complex systems studies for life science, including development and evolution. The organization of this project consists of three groups. (1) Group for Constructing Artificial Life System(Sugawara, Segawa, Yomo, Ikegami), (2) Group for Analysis of Dynamic Life Processes (Kawato Kamimura, Sasa), (3) Group for Developing Depelopment Processes (Asashima, Mabuchi, Yomo, Kaneko). 1) Group for Constructing Artificial Life System mainly concerns synthesis of self-reproducing cell systems from a rather loose reproduction system.The experiment is carried out at polymer and genetic levels. 2) Group for Analysis of Dynamic Life Processes develops a new technique to study dynamic processes of cell-cell communications of artificial cellular systems and neuronal cells. To understand qualitative changes of cells by hormonal communications and adhesions rather than by genomic one is the key issue here. 3) Group for Developing Depelopment Processes mainly concerns reconstruction of robust developmental process from artificial, or abnormal conditions. In one approach, activin proteins as one of the signal molecules are used to find developmental process as it could be, while in another group cancer cells and/or artificial replicating system adopted to find possible developmental process. This group seeks for a logic how robust developmental processes is possible.
For the above studies, tight collaboration between theoretical and experimental studies are seeked for. By constructing artificial life systems in computers, theoreticians in each group simulate artificial self-reproduction, developmental processes and cellular assemblies. Through this study, a logic why biological `system' works as a whole will be extracted, from which novel experiments will be proposed to confirm a new principlefor life system. The goal of our COE is to integrate three approaches from biological science, material science and mathematical science, and to construct a logic for life as a `system' by experimentally creating basic processes of life.