Message from the Founder: “We are dedicated to contribute to human health by confronting cancer and viral diseases, leveraging the rich natural resources of Okinawa.”
Humankind has been forced to face numerus negative legacies of civilization. Cancer and virial diseases, which both create significant threat to human life are one of the symbolic diseases created as its legacies alongside with the obesity which we can describe as a diseases of civilization.
With a strong determination to improve the health of people today, who are suffering by legacies of civilization I establish this research institute to pursue solutions through science and new perspectives. Okinawa, located in a subtropical regions, has a rich biological resource that has been passed down since the Ryukyu era and I determent to continue to support human health by confronting cancer and viral diseases today and in the years ahead with this institution. -Nerome Kuniaki
Profiles of Our Institution Founder: Nerome Kuniaki
1983: Born in Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture. Dropped out of Hokkaido University Graduate School (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
1966: Joined the National Institute of Health (now known as National Institute of Infectious Diseases)
- Became international leader in virus research with numerous achievements, including elucidating the origins of the Spanish flu virus.
- Served as the head of the Respiratory Virus Laboratory in the Virus Division at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Director of the WHO Influenza and Respiratory Virus Collaborating Centre, International AIDS Treatment Evaluation Committee member at Harvard University, Technical Advisor to the Hebei Provincial Government in China, Concurrent Professor at Iwate University (Graduate School), Concurrent Professor at Osaka Prefecture University (Graduate School), member of the Ministry of Education Gene Recombinant Experiment Review Committee, and member of the Ministry of Health and Welfare Pharmaceutical Affairs Review Committee.
1990: Awarded the Foreign Scientist Achievement Award (Hebei Provincial Government, China)
1993: Awarded the International Virology Award (Influenza Suppression Strategy Conference; Australia)
2001: Became the Director of the Biological Resource Utilization Research Institute
2003: Awarded the International Virology Award (Russian National Academy)
2004: Established the Biological Resource Research Institute, serving as Representative Director/President
2009: Received the Ryukyu Shimpo Award (Academic Achievement).
Research on Sendan Extract: Ryukyu Shimpo Morning Edition, November 11, 2016 (Excerpt)
Researcher have identified that compounds extracted from the leaves of the chinaberry tree(Sendan) which is indigenous of Okinawa, induce autophagy in cancer cells, ultimately leading to their elimination by the November 10th.
This discovery was made through collaborative research between Dr. Kuniaki Nerome, Director of the Institute of Biological Resources (Nago City), a renowned authority in virology,and Professor Masashi Yamamoto of the Cell Signal Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).
Effectiveness was confirmed across 70 different types of human cancer cells.
The anticancer effects of chinaberry tree had been already reported by Dr. Nerome in 2004,but the underlying mechanism had been remained unclear, and this study marks a breakthrough.
Dr. Nerome administered extracts from the chinaberry tree, purified to remove toxic components, to mice transplanted with colorectal, lung, and gastric cancers, resulting in the elimination of cancer cells. Moreover, administration to 30 dogs with cancer led to tumor regression or growth arrest in 76% of cases.
This further analysis identified 11 chemical compounds within the extracts that inhibit cancer cell division and DNA synthesis. In 2014, without knowing the exact mechanism, Dr. Nerome sought collaboration with Professor Yamamoto. By January 2016, they discovered that the chinaberry tree leaves induce autophagy in cancer cells.
Dr. Nerome emphasized the greater effectiveness and lack of side effects of the chinaberry extract compared with conventional anticancer drugs, expressing hope that this discovery could contribute not only to cancer treatment but also to the development of new industries in Okinawa.Professor Yamamoto added, “There is no doubt that it suppresses the growth of cancer cells. This is encouraging news for cancer patients, and at the same time, it contributes to fundamental autophagy research.”
*The study was published in the American Journal of Cancer Research.