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Project Lecturer Tomonori Nishida Receives the Young Scientist Award of the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for 2021

　Takeo Kubo, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

Tomonori Nishida, Project Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences

Tomonori Nishida, Project Lecturer in the RNA Biology Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences, has received the 2021 Young Scientist Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. As Head of Department of Biological Sciences, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Nishida.

Dr. Nishida's research targets are piRNAs, non-coding RNAs that are specifically expressed in reproductive tissues. piRNAs are very small, about 30 bases long, and their biological functions were unknown until recently. However, recent studies by Dr. Nishida and other researchers in Japan and overseas have revealed that piRNAs play a major role in protecting the quality of the germline genome by suppressing the expression of transposons (moving genes) in the germline cells. In humans, of course, piRNAs are indispensable. If the function of piRNA is lost due to genetic mutation, the transposon expression suppression becomes ineffective, resulting in genome damage. This leads to abnormal egg and sperm formation and sterility, resulting in the inability to produce offspring. Dr. Nishida has worked to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of piRNA biosynthesis, and has elucidated the functions of multiple piRNA factors and proposed the world's first model of piRNA biosynthesis mechanism. He also possesses the technology to produce high-quality monoclonal antibodies, and has contributed to the development of this research field not only through his own research but also by distributing his antibodies to researchers in Japan and overseas. The results of this research have the potential to lead to medical applications such as fertility treatment, and the future development of Dr. Nishida's research is attracting attention from a wide range of fields.

Faculty of Science News May 2021

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