KASUZA DNA RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Located on the Boso Peninsula facing Tokyo Bay, the Kazusa DNA Research Institute (KDRI)
supports sequencing and functional analysis of the genomes of biologically as well as
biotechnologically important organisms.
KDRI is operated by the Kazusa DNA Research Foundation established by the Chiba
Prefecture Government and authorized as a nonprofit organization by the Ministry of
International Trade and Industry and the Science and Technology Agency. Annual
budget, mostly supported by the Prefectural Government through the Kazusa DNA
Research Foundation, was about 1.8 billion yen (16 million dollars). KDRI houses
about 25 scientists and 50 support staff.
Projects include the following:
- Sequencing of the 3.6 Mb genome of a cyanobacterium (photosynthetic
bacterium)
- Sequencing of chromosomes 3 and 5 from the genome of Arabidopsis
thaliana, as members of an international consortium.
- Sequencing of full-length cDNAs from cultured human cells (including brain).
- Development of new technologies, particularly for large-scale DNA sequencing.
- Explorations of the molecular mechanisms of nuclear fusion in fission yeast.
- Determinations of the most efficicient ways to compile and transmit vast amounts
of sequence information obtained from DNA databases
- KDRI also publishes the international bimonthly journal, DNA Research, which
carries papers on genome sequence, DNA analysis technologies, and informatics topics.
Nobuo Nomura
Kazusa DNA Research Institute
1532-3 Yana, Kisarazu, Chiba 292 JAPAN
Tel +81-438-52-3930; Fax: -3931
nomura@kazusa.or.jp