By anyone's standards, the revelation of the molecular mechanism of life must be considered one of the highlights of the history of natural science. To make this revelation more meaningful and beneficial to mankind, those engaged in research on biological molecules must begin to think of possible practical applications of the molecular mechanism of life. For this purpose, a committee was formed in Japan about a year ago to examine and explore industrial applications of biological molecules with special emphasis on enzymes and other functional biopolymers. This is one of the projects under the auspices of the Council of Science and Technology in Japan for the promotion of life science. The committee is still carrying out its work, but wishes to present an interim report on the general image of what these applications might be, in the hope that it will stimulate a response from those who are engaged in biopolymer research.
