We have heavily utilized various biological resources since the beginning of human history. Since we assigned a high degree of priority to economic efficiency in industrial development, our irreplaceable Earth has been terribly damaged, resulting in environmental destruction and global warming, among others.

We are fostering «One Earth Guardians«, a group (network) of scientists who will identify problems caused by human use of the earth’s resources from a bird’s eye view, research scientific solutions, and implement those solutions while continuing human life activities for the sake of coexistence of living things on the earth, including human beings. In 2017, our university launched an education/research program, “One Earth Guardians Development Program”, to shift the paradigm of society from «economic value overemphasis» to «nature (earth) capitalism» through activities that transcend age and national borders. Now, this course has around 60 enrolled students and 15 students who have completed their studies, and around 50 university staff members and 50 stakeholders belonging to other universities, companies, and foundations support the program.

Through this program, we found that mass production and consumption of food based on economic capitalism is one of the causes of the depletion of Earth’s resources and increased burden on the Earth, followed by a crisis of humanity’s existence. How can we solve these problems? If we can evaluate the amount of food needed to maintain health to reduce consumption of food, eliminate food loss, and reduce excessive poverty and inequality in food distribution, we conclude that we don’t need to increase food production.

Our research group has been investigating the molecular mechanisms by which protein malnutritional status induces growth retardation and fatty liver. In the process, we have found that individual amino acids and their combinations can regulate metabolism directly. These results indicate an adequate approach that recognizes nutrients such as amino acids as signals and uses machine learning to analyze the output of metabolism and the diseases caused by these abnormalities. Currently, we are developing a technology to simulate the amino acid profile in blood by varying the amount of each amino acid in the diet. If this is achieved, it could prevent and treat diseases caused by changes in the blood amino acid profile. Such research is highly significant in the field of nutrition and medicine to pave the way for the realization of the concept of “food for the future” that is friendly to humans and the earth.

In this activity to develop realistic solutions, using our technology described above, we proposed ”Creation of Next-Generation Food Supply Industrial Chains for a Natural Capitalism Society” to Moonshot Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research and Development Program supported by BRAIN and this grant was also approved as a social implementation study.

We hope that you agree with our ideas and join “One Earth Guardians Development Program.” The Guardians are a network of scientists who will take actions aimed at securing the future of the Earth for the next 100 years as a place where all living beings, including humans, coexist in harmony.