News & Events
12 December 2025
Our CSO, Dr. Ichiro Hirao, presented our latest results titled “A New DNA Modality: High-Affinity DNA XenoAptamers as Next-Generation Antibodies Enabled by Genetic Information Expansion Technology” at a RIKEN seminar hosted by Dr. Rikiya Watanabe at the RIKEN Wako Campus in Japan.
4 December 2025
The result of a collaboration project, with Prof. Kurumizaka Lab (The University of Tokyo) was presented at the poster on “Structural and biochemical analysis of nucleosome containing unnatural base pair Ds-Paʼ” at The 48th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan at Pacifico Yokohama, by Mr Tanida Eisho.
11 November 2025
Our CSO, Ichiro Hirao, presented an invited talk on “Genetic Alphabet Expansion Technology and Its Application to High-Affinity DNA Aptamer Generation” at 1st International Symposium on Chemical and Synthetic Biology – ENGINEERING THE FUTURE OF LIFE, Jinan, Shandong, China.
26-28 February 2025
Our COO, Michiko Kimoto, presented an invited talk on “Design and Selection of High-Affinity XenoAptamers for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications” at TIDES ASIA, Kyoto, Japan.
18-21 February 2025
Our CSO, Ichiro Hirao, presented an invited talk on “High-Affinity DNA Aptamers (XenoAptamers) Through Genetic Alphabet Expansion” at First Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Regional Meeting – India 2025, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, India.
25 October 2024
Our CSO, Ichiro Hirao, presented a talk on “High-affinity DNA XenoAptamer by Genetic Alphabet Expansion.” at the RNA and Developmental Biology – A Symposium Commemorating the End of the 12-Year RNA Medical Science Laboratory, sponsored by RIBOMIC Inc and IMSUT.
14-16 October 2024
Our CSO, Ichiro Hirao, presented a special lecture at the 1st International Symposium on Living Systems Design Research on “Genetic alphabet expansion for novel living systems.”
2-6 September 2024
Our COO, Michiko Kimoto, presented at IRT2024 Tokyo (XXV International Round Table on Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Nucleic Acids) on “Six-Letter DNA Aptamer Generation as an Antibody Alternative.”
24 January 2024
Our CSO, Ichiro Hirao, presented at the 1916th Zasshikai Seminar on “New Modality of DNA Aptamers Through Genetic Alphabet Expansion.” The seminar highlighted the innovative development of DNA aptamers using expanded genetic alphabets, showcasing potential applications in research and therapeutics.
23-24 November 2023
Our CSO, Ichiro Hirao presented at FNA Perth 2023 on ExSELEX for high-affinity six-letter DNA aptamer generation by genetic alphabet expansion.
25 October 2023
Our groundbreaking six-letter RNA engineering application, utilizing the combination of guanidine riboswitch and Spinach riboswitch, has been published in ACS Sensors. This innovative approach highlights our commitment to advancing RNA-based biosensor technology. <Systematic Mutation and Unnatural Base Pair Incorporation Improves Riboswitch-Based Biosensor Response Time>
07 September 2023
Discover pioneering enhancements in XenoAptamers’ binding affinities through the innovative use of hydrophobic unnatural bases, as detailed in our publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. <Strict Interactions of Fifth Letters, Hydrophobic Unnatural Bases, in XenoAptamers with Target Proteins>
30 March 2023
Aptamer 2023, held in Oxford, UK on March 29-30, 2023, featured Professor Ichiro Hirao as a keynote speaker. Professor Hirao discussed the advanced ExSELEX technique for generating high-affinity, six-letter DNA aptamers through the expansion of the genetic alphabet. <Speakers in Aptamer 2023>
08 March 2023
Handbook of Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids, Published in 2023 by Springer Nature has included a chapter on the “Genetic Alphabet Expansion of Nucleic Acids”, authored by our COO, Michiko Kimoto and our CSO, Ichiro Hirao. <Read more>
13 January 2023
Our paper (Oh, J. et al. Nature Commun, 2023) presents how T7 RNA polymerase can identify and integrate our unnatural Ds and Pa base pairs into RNA. This discovery advances the capabilities of genetic engineering and synthetic biology.