The Advanced Bioimaging Support (ABiS), a supporting platform for life science research in Japan, is a joint effort of bioimaging experts affiliated with 20 universities and research institutions nationwide which operate various types of advanced and specialized imaging equipment and aims to provide assistance in the field of life science-related advanced imaging in Japan. NIBB and NIPS are supervising this platform as the core organizations of ABiS. 

Euro-Bioimaging (EuBI) is the largest and well established imaging network in Europe, and has been expanding globally to form the Global Bioimaging (GBI) network which boasts participants from other areas such as India, Australia, Singapore, the Republic of South Africa, Canada, Mexico and the USA.

In this time, ABiS joins the Global Bioimaging (GBI) project as a representative of the Japanese bioimaging community. A signing ceremony was held at the 3rd Exchange of Experiences (EoE) meeting convened on September 15th 2018 in Sydney, Australia.

A photo of GBI representative, Dr. Jan Ellenberg and NIBB’s Professor Naoto Ueno.  Professor Ueno was charged with bringing the agreement signed by NIBB Director General Masayuki Yamamoto and NIPS Director Genreral Keiji Imoto.

It is hoped that through GBI, ABiS will be able to raise the quality of present support to that of the currently accepted international benchmarks, and that further observations, analysis and research methods will be able to be better shared globally. Furthermore, it is also hoped that this collaboration will lead to set up a better environment of the bioimaging research field in Japan not only by providing training courses for young researchers and the staff of imaging facilities but also through discussions about the implementation of career paths. GBI also aims to establish a data sharing system infrastructure, promote academic/industrial cooperation and formulate of a global strategy for bioimaging research.

And then it has been decided that a GBI event “The fifth EoE” will be held at Okazaki, Japan in autumn of 2020.