Peptide
Peptide Institute
日本Peptide Institute Inc www.peptide.co.jp
The Peptide Institute traces its beginning to the Peptide Center, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University. In 1958, the late Shiro Akabori (who would later become President of Osaka University) established the Institute for Protein Research in Osaka University (on the former Nakanoshima Campus in Kita-ku, Osaka). This institute was a facility open to nationwide cooperative research.responses.
Professor Akabori foresaw the great importance of peptides to research in life sciences. This was, at the time, the first successful chemical synthesis of peptides. In 1962, when the Peptide Center was established within the Institute for Protein Research, Associate Professor Shumpei Sakakibara (presently Emeritus Chairman) was chosen to manage it. Sakakibara and his staff developed original peptide synthesis technologies and synthesized many valuable biologically active peptides which were being discovered. Those products were the only ones available within Japan at the time and were welcomed by many researchers.
As demands for synthetic peptides increased, it became difficult for the university facility respond to them and in 1966, part of the work was taken over by the Protein Research Foundation. Professor Sakakibara himself retired from the university and became executive director of the Foundation. In 1971, the foundation became independent of the Peptide Center and opened the Peptide Institute in Minoh City. Since that time, the peptide synthesis operation continued to expand and grow to the point where it was no longer suitable for it to be operated by a not-for-profit foundation.
Therefore, in 1977, it was established as a company with Sakakibara as the president. At the beginning, the company was only responsible for the sales activities but in 1983, the research and synthesis work were also included in the company operations. For 20 years since its establishment as a company, the Peptide Institute was headed by Sakakibara. In 1996, he retired and Terutoshi Kimura became the president.
To respond to growing needs for peptides worldwide, in October 2006 we began operations with full of hope at a new Research Center including GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) facility in Saito, Ibaraki City, Osaka.
And now in May 2008, Kimura has assumed the chairman of the board of directors. Concurrently, Tadashi Teshima has taken charge of the president.
