Reverse Translational Research Project: Center for Rare Disease Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition

KAGAMI Project: National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition

Center for Rare Disease Research (CRDR)

A reverse translational platform of drug discovery for rare and intractable diseases

The Center for Rare Disease Research (CRDR) was established in 2017 as a platform for rare disease research and development in Japan. CRDR is an intellectual, technological, and informative hub that propels an industry-academia-government-clinic cooperation for the development of the nationwide research of rare diseases.

Information and technology are the key for the research in rare and intractable disease. One obstacle of rare disease research is lack of sufficient information of diseases due to the limited number of the patients. As a platform for rare disease research in Japan, we organize and analyze the limited but available information of rare diseases with an aim to provide the essential information for reverse translational study on rare diseases. We also provide the clinical evidence for rare and intractable diseases using cutting-edge technology.

Due to their complex pathogenesis and rareness, it is very important to approach rare and intractable diseases from reverse translational research's (RTL's) points of views. From the observation of the patients in the real world, RTL researchers uncover the mechanisms of diseases and direct therapeutics research.

Reverse Translational Research (RTL) Project

RTL Project was established as a section of Center for Rare Disease Research (CRDR). RTL Project aims to solve clinical problems by pursuing basic research themes replaced from the clinical problems. RTL Project utilizes informatics of rare and intractable diseases and high-end technologies such as chiral amino acid profiling in close collaboration within the CRDR center, with KAGAMI Project, and with research groups of rare and intractable diseases. RTR Project aims to develop the methods for the diagnosis or treatment of diseases. The main target is rare and retractile diseases, but we also cover common diseases like life-style related ones.

KAGAMI Project

D-Amino acids for clinics

KAGAMI Project has identifed D-amino acids, long-term undetected enantiomers of L-amino acids, as key biomarkers for several diseases, especially kidney diseases. KAGAMI Project now advances to the clinical application of our findings. This project also aims drug discovery based on D-amino acids.