The Foundations of IMS

RIKEN IMS was established in 2013 with the aim of “contributing to future healthcare through new medical science.” It was formed by merging the SNP Research Center (renamed RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine (CGM) in 2008), which had been working since 2000 to elucidate the relationship between genomics and multifactorial diseases, and the Research Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI), which has been focused on comprehensively understanding the immune system since 2001. Together, these centers have worked to elucidate the mechanisms of disease onset from both genomic and immune perspectives.
Additionally, with recent advancements in technology and the recognition that cells are characterized by various RNA functions, the research of RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC), which has made significant contributions to understanding RNA expression and function since 2008, was reorganized into the Division of Genome Technologies (DGT) at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies in 2013. This merger of the former RIKEN IMS and DGT formed the new RIKEN IMS in April 2018.
Starting in April 2025, the Structural Molecular Biology section from the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) and the Advanced Data Science Project from the RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters will join IMS. This will further enhance our efforts to clarify the mechanisms of disease development from both genomic and immunological perspectives, including omics analysis to visualize biological phenomena at various levels, such as genomes, proteins, cells, organs, and individuals.