On Monday, December 14, 2009, a Malaysian delegation led by their country’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili, visited Prof. Yusuke Nakamura, Director of the Human Genome Center at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo (IMSUT).

　The purpose of the Malaysian delegation’s visit was to learn more about the BioBank Japan facility that Prof. Nakamura oversees, which houses patient samples of DNA etc. that are used in research to identify disease predisposition factors, promote our understanding of various cancers, and in general, optimize patient treatment based on genetic and disease variations among patients (“individualized medicine”). BioBank Japan is the biggest resource of its kind in the world.

　Accompanying the Minister were Dr. Daud Mohamad, Director General, Nuklear Malaysia, Dr. Muhd Noor Muhd Yunus, Deputy Director General, Nuklear Malaysia, Maria Bernard Sinsoi, Senior Private Secretary to the Minister  and Mrs. Rina Hanis, First Secretary, Embassy of Malaysia. The Minister showed particular interest in advances made by medical scientists from the Nakamura laboratory into the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis. During their visit, the delegation seemed delighted to discover that Prof. Nakamura’s rather international laboratory includes two current graduate students from Malaysia, not to mention a former student who have already returned and holds a position at a university there. Such international research ties can be expected to continue and deepen.