Riken BRC

Riken BRC is a major Japanese biological resource center that preserves and distributes cultured cells, microorganisms, plant materials, and genetic resources to support life sciences research. Founded within RIKEN, the center interfaces with international repositories such as the ATCC, DSMZ, JCRB, ECACC, and BRC Japan Network while servicing researchers affiliated with institutions like University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Keio University, and Tohoku University. It contributes to large-scale projects connected to organizations including the World Health Organization, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Overview

RIKEN BRC curates living and non-living biological materials to support experimental reproducibility for investigators at National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Max Planck Society, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and regional partners such as NITE and NARO. Its remit aligns with standards promulgated by bodies including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Organization for Standardization, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The center interfaces with databanks like GenBank, DDBJ, EMBL-EBI, UniProt, and PDB while contributing metadata to infrastructures such as BioSample, FAIRsharing, ELIXIR, and ORCID.

Collections and Services

The BRC maintains repositories of mammalian cell lines, microbial strains, plant resources, and genetic tools that complement collections at ATCC, NBRC, CCUG, NCIMB, and CGMCC. Holdings include human and murine lines connected to studies from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, MIT, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Scripps Research Institute; microbial taxa referenced in projects by Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Kew Gardens, JSTOR Global Plants, and International Mycological Association; and plant materials relevant to International Rice Research Institute, CIRAD, CGIAR, Bayer, and Monsanto. Services cover authentication, cryopreservation, cell banking, strain verification, material transfer agreements modeled on OpenMTA and influenced by Nagoya Protocol, accessioning that cross-links to BioProject, BioSample, and SRA", and user support for researchers at Riken Center for Advanced Photonics, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, and RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science.

Research and Collaboration

RIKEN BRC collaborates on research with universities and institutes including Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, UCLA, University of Toronto, McGill University, Seoul National University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Indian Institute of Science, and National University of Singapore. Joint projects have interfaced with consortia such as the Human Genome Project, International HapMap Project, 1000 Genomes Project, ENCODE Project Consortium, HapMap, GTEx Consortium, Human Cell Atlas, iGEM Foundation, International Stem Cell Initiative, Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, and International Society for Stem Cell Research. The center supports translational research that connects to pharmaceuticals and biotech firms including Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Astellas Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, Biogen, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Moderna.

Governance and Funding

Governance structures reference models used by RIKEN, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan), Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, and funding pathways common to Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Société Nationale de Recherche, and philanthropic entities like Keidanren affiliates. The center’s policies reflect legal frameworks such as the Nagoya Protocol, intellectual property regimes analogous to WIPO norms, and data-sharing principles endorsed by FAIR Principles. Advisory relationships extend to international committees including members from WHO Expert Advisory Panels, OECD Working Party on Biotechnology, Global In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Consortium, and panels drawn from Royal Society, Japanese Academy, National Academy of Sciences (US), and Academia Europaea.

Biosecurity and Quality Control

Quality control protocols align with standards from ISO 9001, ISO 17025, Good Laboratory Practice, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), and guidance from WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual. Biosecurity coordination involves stakeholders such as Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan), National Police Agency (Japan), Japan Self-Defense Forces, Interpol, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, and regional biosecurity networks linked to APEC, ASEAN, and G7 policy fora. The center participates in external proficiency testing alongside facilities like NIH Biodefense Research units, USAMRIID, Public Health England, Institut Pasteur, Robert Koch Institute, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure traceability, authentication, and safe distribution of biological materials.

Category:Biological resource centers