One example is a novel chip-type glucose sensor. Many glucose sensors have been developed since the first biosensor reported by Hicks and Updike in 1967, which combined glucose oxidase with an oxygen electrode. Several glucose sensors using microfabrication technology have been commercialized and these sensors are used by diabetes patients everyday. Although such glucose sensors are frequently used, these conventional sensors cannot detect hypoglycemia. Administration of insulin induces hypoglycemia when diabetes patients do not feed appropriately, sometimes resulting in critical situations. We have developed a highly sensitive chip-type biosensor which is used to detect low concentrations of glucose found in hypoglycemic patients. This glucose sensor technology has already been transferred to a company and commercial products will be introduced into the Japanese market soon.

The second example is biosensors for environmental analysis. We have developed biosensors for BOD, phosphate, detergents, plankton, dioxin and cyanide.

The third example is DNA chip technology. Typical DNA chips or DNA arrays are fabricated by embedding DNA in the polymerized thin films (e.g. 30 angstroms) using microfabrication technology such as plasma polymerization. Such methods can be used not only for DNA array fabrication but also for protein arrays. Since semiconductor technology allows mass production of biochips or arrays, several biochips for high throughput DNA detections have already been commercialized.

The biopchips markets will continue to increase in the next decade because medicine will demand tailor-made medical services using these chips as powerful tools. The competition in the development of DNA and protein chips will become more intense worldwide.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Isao Karube is Dean, School of Bionics at the Tokyo University of Technology. He is also the Director of Research at the Center of Advanced Bionics, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. He joined TUT in 1974 as a Research Associate in the Research Laboratory of Resources Utlization, became an Associate Professor of Biotechnology in 1980 and a Professor of Bioelectronics and Biotechnology in 1985. He then became a Professor of Bioelectronics at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo (1988), where he also served as Director of the Center for Collaborative Research (1999-2001). He rejoined TUT in 2002, as a Professor and became Director of the Laboratory of Advanced Bioelectronics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

Dr. Karube received his B.S. in Food Science from Tokyo University of Fisheries in 1966, his M.S. and Dr. Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1969 and 1972, respectively. He also holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Lund, Sweden (1994). His current research focusses on the development of biosensors, the design and development of DNA and proteome chips, the design and synthesis of biofuntional molecules, environmental bioengineering, and the design of bionics concepts.

Dr. Karube is recipient of numerous prizes, awards, and recognitions, including the Division Award of the Chemical Society of Japan (1986), The Ichimura Prizes in Technology-Academic Contribution (1990), the Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun 7th Award of Science and Technology (1991), The Honorable Citizen of Ceret, France (1993), The Toyko Prize for Science and Technology (1994), The Invention Prize, Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (1995), The Takeda Science Award (1996), the Biosensors 2002 Award, and the Commendation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2003). He is also a Foreign Member of the Ukraine Academy of Science since 1998.

Dr. Karube has served on numerous professional editorial boards or editorial advisory boards of many international journals, including Regional Editor of "Journals of Biocatalysis and Biotransformation" and of "Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology"; Journal of Biotechnology, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Biotechnoloy and Bioengineering, Analytical Letters, Electroanalysis, Senors and Materials, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, and Bio-medical Materials and Engineering.

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