For achieving the important goal of efficient manufacturing of safer and more innovative products, as well as minimizing the adverse effects of newly-developed chemicals and products, Kao is involved in development of a new technology for assessing and predicting the effects of chemicals on humans and the environment.
In the field of health care, considering that the effects of chemicals can be detected as changes in gene expression and metabolite quantity, focus is now on omics technology to analyse biological molecules comprehensively. With this, big data obtained in a variety of experiments are analyzed by using leading-edge technology, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Thus far, we have developed a system for predicting toxicity on the basis of changes in gene expression pattern and another for cyclopedic estimation of target proteins that have mutual interactions with query chemicals on the basis of the chemical structure. Results of these studies will increase knowledge for safer product development and early detection of safety concerns, and thus contribute to development of safe, secure, and innovative products.
Kao intends to further develop omics technology by taking advantage of machine learning not only in the field of health care but also in regard to environmental issues.