Yuzuru Husimi Collection

Dr. Yuzuru Husimi is currently Professor Emeritus at Saitama University and Professor of Functional Molecules at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Saitama University. He began his career at the University of Tokyo in 1969, and has also worked at Saitama University Faculty of Engineering; West German Max Planck biophysical RIKEN as a visiting fellow (1985); the Saitama Bio Project; and the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Dr. Husimi has published over 60 original papers on DNA and evolutionary molecular engineering. His specialty is in molecular biophysics, evolutionary molecular engineering, clarification of the principles of the emergence of functionality in fast molecular evolution as it is carried out in the laboratory and the actual creation of highly functional biological macromolecules, wetware artificial life, physics of the origin of biological information, and development of a rapid DNA sequencer for the Human Genome Project.

In Japan, the aim of the Human Genome Project was redirected not only to sequence the genome but also to include functional analysis of genes and elucidation of tertiary protein structures. This successful approach placed emphasis on the promotion of functional genomics, comparative genomics, analysis of genomic diversity, and the development of DNA chips or microarrays.