Kenji Nagai *        
Kohei Imura Izumi Iwakura Kaoru Ohta Gen Sazaki Yuki Sudo
Shinsuke Takagi Hiromichi Niikura Satoshi Nishimura Tsuyoshi Fukaminato Yuichi Fujita

* 5Years

Invention of high performance bright luminescent proteins used as a nanolight source

Takeharu Nagai

Osaka University
The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research
Vice Director

URL : http://www.sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp/jp/organization/thi/thi_07.html

Research Theme

By means of genetical evolution in vitro, much brighter luciferase and their wavelength mutants will be developed. These luminescent proteins will be used as light souces illuminating restricted region at nano meter scale to enable both single molecule imaging inside living cells and functional imaging in whole body. Furthermore, cells which produces a luminescent substrate for luciferase will be also developed to achieve completely automated luminescence system toward an ultimate bioimaging..