Professor Kiyoko F. Aoki-Kinoshita Receives the 2026 JSBi Prize

Professor Kiyoko F. Aoki-Kinoshita of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Soka University has received the 2026 Japanese Society for Bioinformatics (JSBi) Prize.

The JSBi Prize is awarded to scientists who have made outstanding scientific contributions in the field of bioinformatics. The prize is presented to a maximum of one recipient each fiscal year.

Glycans, the area of research pursued by Professor Kinoshita, are regarded as the “third major biomolecule,” after DNA and proteins. They play important roles in a wide range of biological phenomena, including intercellular communication, immunity, and disease. However, because glycans have complex and highly branched structures, they are difficult to digitize and have been challenging to integrate and handle as data in the field of life sciences and bioinformatics.

Professor Kinoshita received the JSBi Prize for her work entitled “Towards understanding life science through the integration of glycoscience.” With the goal of integrating life sciences and bioinformatics, Professor Kinoshita has worked for many years to establish foundational infrastructure and promote international collaboration in the field. These longstanding contributions led to her receiving the JSBi Prize.

On Friday, August 28, the prize ceremony and commemorative lecture were held at the Odakyu Hotel Century Sagami-Ono in Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Professor Kinoshita delivered her commemorative lecture under the same title as her prize-winning work.

Professor Kinoshita commented:　

“I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious prize. When I first entered the field of glycan science, there were no databases or standards in place. I am very pleased that the JSBi has recognized the work we have steadily carried out to build the foundations of this field.
This prize is by no means the result of my efforts alone. It is the outcome of collaboration with my family, who have supported me in my personal life, the students and staff in my laboratory, our collaborators in Japan and abroad, and the members of the JSBi who have supported me over many years. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of them.
Now that data, standards, and an international community have been established, I feel that glycan information has entered a new stage in which it can contribute to our understanding of life and to medical science. As I continue to pursue the goal expressed in the title of my prize-winning work, “Towards understanding life science through the integration of glycoscience,” I will keep moving forward.

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