| Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology | Pages |
Letter:
Research Programs in Japan
To the Editor:
I first came to the National Cancer Center Research Institute for one month in the fall of 1993 at the invitation of Dr Takao Sekiya, which was made possible by a fellowship from the Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research. This visit was very productive and, I believe, stimulating for both Dr Sekiya's group and me so I approached Dr Sekiya with a view to a second year. I still direct an active research group and until 1993, I had never been absent from my laboratory even for a month in forty years as a research leader. Since then I have continued to visit NCCRI annually, each time for approximately a month, this visit being my fifth. I am keen to continue this relationship with the Division of Oncogene Research because I find these short sabbaticals very attractive. I have had long associations at different levels with a large number of Japanese scientists, many of whom have risen to key scientific positions in Japan and I find it very stimulating to watch the Japanese devotion to work, to observe their discipline and experience their culture.
In the first two years, I carried out experiments for at least part of the time and was shown many techniques new to me. Dr Sekiya is particularly known for having pioneered the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique as a tool for the study of single point mutations in DNA. I learned this elegant technique and later, the remarkable technique of restriction landmark genomic scanning (RLGS) introduced by Dr Y. Hayashizaki. However, my own contributions to Dr Sekiya's research program could be only minor in view of my short stay and my preoccupation with experiments limited my time for communicating with his group. I realized that it would be more useful to devote more time to intellectual interaction with Dr Sekiya's group members.
Consequently, in the last few years I have given high priority to getting to know the young people in the lab, their research objectives and, more importantly, their backgrounds and future ambitions. My productive interactions with senior and established members of the group, Dr M. Murakami, Dr M. Shiraishi and Dr M. Iizuka are easier and more open. However, I found that for developing informality, openness and spontaneous communication with younger people in the lab, being truly interested, patient with their expressing themselves in English and having a lot of time for them, was necessary and very important. All these aspects are encouraged by the following: (1) frequent seminars (at least twice-weekly) that must be in English; (2) having lunch and spontaneous get-togethers in the seminar-library-lunch room; (3) having group dinners in the hospital cafeteria and talking about science and other topics: (4) an annual one-day hike to a mountain on a Sunday which has become a popular tradition. This has proved to be a great help in breaking down barriers. As a result of this, I found that very soon informality and accessibility developed and the group members, initially shy, became more open and less hesitant to talk about themselves, asking me questions that were of scientific interest to them.
I would like to comment on two more points. The first concerns fluency in English. Nowadays all scientists need to be able to communicate in English at international meetings. Whenever I work in Dr Sekiya's laboratory all the seminar presentations have to be in English. Everyone must prepare and rehearse before the seminar and make certain that I understand. There is great intensity and critical cross-examination during these seminars and the people giving them have to think on their feet in English; a great challenge. Often we continue discussion over dinner.
A specific example of the above is that soon after I arrived, Dr H. Kon was preparing for the monthly English seminar at the Institute. He rehearsed one week ahead of time in front of the group. I felt that Kon's presentation and style in English could be improved. He wrote out his seminar, which I revised, and we spent one day on it. Kon continued to practice up to the 20th of October when he gave the seminar.
I have attended a number of international meetings in Japan. I suggest that the young Japanese scientists need to devote more effort to developing fluency in English speech and conversation.
My second point concerns young scientists including PhDs and MDs coming from the US and other Western countries to spend one or more years carrying out research in Japanese institutions. I know that the Japanese Government has initiated very generous fellowship programs for the purpose. My impression is that awareness of these programs, for example, in the United States, is lacking. This year a student from MIT is spending a year researching in Dr Sekiya's division. She is very happy and enthusiastic about her opportunity here. However, she found out about the possibility only through her Professor at MIT, who sent her to me because of my knowledge of Japanese research centers. The mechanisms of establishing contacts between young scientists interested in the programs available in Japan could be expanded. Those of us who have developed working relations with Japanese institutions should make ourselves available as contacts, offering detailed information about opportunities in Japan. Also, some visits from officials of Japanese institutions to the US could be organized to increase awareness of the opportunities in Japan.
H. Gobind Khorana
Department of Biology and Chemistry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Cambridge, MA, USA
Prof. Khorana is joint winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis. The co-recipients are Robert W. Holley and Marshall W. Nirenberg.
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Last modification: 19 May 1998
Copyright© Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 1998.
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