Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. Announced Its First Biotechnology Laboratory and Incubator in Collaboration with MJIIT, UTM

_{From the left, 
Prof. Dr. Hirofumi Hara, Head of Memo-Bio iKohza, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
Prof. Dr. Ali, Dean, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) 
Ms. Nami Akinaga, Managing Director, Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Mr. Abdul Hakim Sahidi, Director, Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.}

 

Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. completed the soft-launch of a joint venture lab with Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Kuala Lumpur on 19 January 2019 to foster partnership and cooperation in supporting the needs of Malaysian researchers and biotechnology startups.

Between Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and MJIIT, UTM will organize for a joint laboratory called Nest-Bio Venture Lab together with MEMO-Bio (Metabolic Engineering & Molecular Biology) innovative Kohza (iKohza) for 4 years starting from 2019. MEMO-Bio is a research group that specializes in genetic engineering and waste utilization at MJIIT, UTM. Nest-Bio Venture Lab will have an incubator for biotechnology startups and incubatees will have the privilege to use the lab space, access to one of a kind, high-end machines such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) machine, and obtain expert consultations from MJIIT, UTM.

The collaboration is also to support the grooming of effective science communication skills among postgraduate candidates through human resource training. Apart from that, Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and MJIIT, UTM will develop and conduct educational programs such as science workshop for young researchers from secondary and primary schools in the near future.

Two successful biotechnology startups from Japan, euglena Co., Ltd. and Metabologenomics, Inc. (Metagen) have agreed to participate as premier international partners for Nest-Bio Venture Lab. Both startups will conduct some of their research work at the lab. Metagen is developing an “intestinal design” technology that controls the intestinal environment by analyzing it through Metagen’s proprietary technology “Metabologenomics®,” an integrated analysis of the genetic information of gut microbiota and intestinal metabolite profiles. The company is very much interested to study local samples and profiles.

Meanwhile, euglena Co., Ltd. has the technology to grow a species of algae called “euglena”. euglena Co., Ltd. has produced related supplements, food products and cosmetics from the species and successfully completed the world’s first outdoor mass culture of euglena back in 2005. The company has embarked on green energy and is ready to start the mass production of bio-jet fuel and biodiesel out of algae and waste oil with the completion of its refinery plant in Yokohama, Japan last November. euglena Co., Ltd. is already listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange market. The company is currently in search of new algae.

We hope local biotechnology startups will be inspired by the achievement of these two companies and will take full advantage of the facilities that Nest-Bio Venture Lab has. Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is looking forward to nurture passionate researchers through this collaboration. It is an exciting time to see what the future holds for us. Join us in Advancing Science and Technology for Global Happiness.

About Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. was established on 13th October 2013. It is the second international office outside Japan for Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. which is a a science venture company founded in June 2002 by 15 science-major university and postgraduates students. The first project by Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. was an educational science workshop for primary and secondary school students. Leave a Nest Malaysia has started a seed acceleration program that focuses on innovative real technology called TECH PLANTER since 2015 and engaged in bringing Japanese SMEs and MNCs to Malaysia to explore business opportunities with local companies. From 2016, we started to hire local members and by 2017, we have four local members under Strategy Development Division, Frontier Development Division, Education Development Division, and Research Development Division, all of whom are the alumni of Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, UTM. In its effort to bridge the knowledge of science and technology and communicate it effectively, Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. has started to offer never-been-seen-before and unique concept by marrying the best of Japanese and Malaysian practice in our programs such as Science Castle, Great Teachers Seminar, Career Discovery Forum and Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference in 2018 and 2019. We hope to continue spreading and sharing our vision in Advancing Science & Technology for Global Happiness.

For more details, contact Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., email : [email protected]

About Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
MJIIT was founded in 2011 upon an initiative by the Malaysian and Japanese governments as a new and vibrant entity at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur, the long-established research university. MJIIT combines the advantage of the Malaysian systematic outcome-based education with the research-intensive approach of Japanese education. MJIIT also works with the Japanese universities and industries to enhance international culture and holistic approach in its programs. Students will learn from basic to advanced, cutting edge in each research field. In addition, to empower professional knowledge, discipline and teamwork, unique programs that take advantage of the strengths of the Japanese education system are available at MJIIT. MJIIT offers undergraduate programmes, postgraduate programmes and R&D activities leveraging on the strength of Japanese technology and education system which is based on intensive research, close relations between academicians and students, professional ethics and high-value work. There are more than 10 Japanese professors and other international professors. All programmes are conducted in English for global human resource development for all students.

For more details information, visit :http://mjiit.utm.my