When people hear of a scientist who artificially creates life, many likely think of "Dr. Frankenstein," a familiar figure from novels and movies.

In the story, Dr. Frankenstein created a humanoid from corpses, but what Associate Professor Fujiwara works on in his lab is a "constructive biology" approach of assembling substances to reproduce "cells."

First, E. coli used as material is crushed to create a cell extract. Once life activities are ended and it becomes a collection of disjointed materials, "genomic DNA" necessary for determining the traits of an organism is added to create life from zero. Conventional biology is a so-called top-down discipline that attempts to understand completed life forms found in nature through observation and dissection. In contrast, Associate Professor Fujiwara's method is a bottom-up type that combines parts one by one to reproduce biological phenomena.

"It has been known that the genome contains information about life, such as heredity, but it was not known in detail how life is actually made. To use a plastic model as an analogy, it's like having a parts list but no instruction manual, and looking at the final product and imagining, 'Maybe this part goes like this?' In constructive biology, we check each part one by one, actually assemble them, and draw them into a blueprint. Then, things that cannot be understood through observation alone become visible."

Associate Professor Fujiwara says that this research process makes him realize that what is written in textbooks is actually different or that something has been left out. "For example, in the metabolic pathway called glycolysis, it was thought that energy is produced by consuming sugar, but when we actually tried to create it, we found that it behaves in unexpected ways when combined with energy consumption."

According to Associate Professor Fujiwara, "constructive biology" is a concept close to "biochemistry," which studies chemical reactions within living organisms.

The term biochemistry is said to have been first used in the 1880s, and as it became possible to observe cells in detail, molecular biology, which studies organisms and their functions from the perspective of molecular structure, progressed. Both biochemistry and molecular biology progressed by looking at and investigating elements, but from around 2000, a perspective of creating life from elements emerged by combining with the field of synthetic biology.

In Japan in particular, research into creating life became active with the birth of a researcher community called the "'Cell-Free' (Creating Cells) Society" in the mid-2000s. It began to pick up steam overseas from the mid-2010s, and Associate Professor Fujiwara says, "In this field, Japan has been about 10 years ahead."

Furthermore, research into artificial life leads to the study of "mirror-image life," where the molecular structure is reversed left-to-right.

Most life on Earth, including us humans, has DNA with a "right-handed" helical structure. This is because it is composed only of components that form a right-handed structure. However, although extremely few, components with a "left-handed" structure also exist. Research is underway to use these to create life with left-handed DNA (mirror-image life).

Why do such a thing? In fact, mirror-image life is expected to potentially help solve various social issues.

"One of the benefits cited is in the field of drug discovery. Our bodies decompose and digest drug components (right-handed) before they reach the affected area, but if the components were flipped to left-handed, they might become indigestible. It is hoped that drugs can be made that are difficult to decompose in the body and can reach the affected area effectively even in small amounts."

Associate Professor Fujiwara says it might also revolutionize building materials, not just drug discovery.

"It is said that by creating mirror-image life trees, we might be able to produce wood that is resistant to rot. Wood rots because bacteria occur and multiply, decomposing the wood, but with mirror-image life trees, bacteria might not be able to decompose it, meaning it won't rot."

Associate Professor Fujiwara is also enthusiastically working on outreach, wanting the general public to know more about mirror-image life research, which has the potential to overturn human common sense. In August 2025, in collaboration with SF writers and others, he published a science fiction novel exploring future possibilities themed on mirror-image life, titled "Creating Creatures of the Looking-Glass World: The World of Mirror-Image Biology Stepping Out with SF."

On the other hand, it is a fact that there are voices concerned about the dangers of artificial life research. One of these is the risk of creating "killer bacteria" that cannot be eliminated by human immunity. For example, in the case of the plague, one factor in the spread of infection was that the plague bacteria entered human cells and released substances that prevented the immune system from working, allowing them to multiply.

If, by any chance, mirror-image bacteria leaked to the outside were not recognized by the human immune system and there was no mechanism to exclude them, it might cause a situation like a plague pandemic—.

In response to such concerns, Associate Professor Fujiwara emphasized the importance of risk avoidance and appealed for the need to maintain a calm perspective.

"In the first place, will mirror-image bacteria with different molecular structures view human skin as 'easy-to-eat material' like natural bacteria do? We should carefully determine that point. To use an analogy, if you take a goat to a meadow, it will happily eat the grass, but a human wouldn't give it a second look. The same thing might happen. Our thinking is that rather than 'stopping because it seems dangerous,' we should clarify whether it is truly dangerous before making a judgment."

Associate Professor Fujiwara's start in artificial life research dates back to 2009.

The theme of the first laboratory he belonged to in his Master's program was the "origin of life." In his Doctoral Programs, he researched the formation process of proteins. Later, he decided to research the questions he had during his Master's program based on what he learned in his Doctoral Programs.

"We can't go back 3 billion or 4 billion years, so we can't create the origin of life on Earth. But maybe we can create life as it exists now."

With that thought, he began research on artificial life when he was a postdoc (postdoctoral researcher). He says he had a conviction that "it seems easy and I absolutely must do it."

By putting genomic DNA into a cell extract made from crushed cells, one can create a state where materials and blueprints exist. He thought that life would then assemble spontaneously, but when he actually tried it, various barriers stood in his way.

While research results were also being reported from overseas, days continued of accumulating knowledge and clearing issues one by one.

"When I started running toward the big goal of creating artificial life, it was very painful at first... Along the way, I would overtake the person running in front of me, or get a sense that 'I've become able to run faster.' While working steadily, I found something incredible. That is the state I am in now."

Comparing it to his hobby of running, Associate Professor Fujiwara continues:

"The research data that students are bringing in now are all shocking things that make me think, 'This will change the world.' Thrilling moments come every day, and in terms of running, it feels like I'm in the middle of the course but getting a 'runner's high' where I feel like I can go forever."

One of the things supporting his steady research is the research environment unique to Keio University. He says that in addition to the strength of a private school that is less susceptible to public financial conditions compared to national and public universities and research institutions, there is a unique Keio "sense of fellowship."

"For example, in mirror-image life research, including the writing of books, I was supported by a fund donated by graduates. They invest with the spirit of 'Go and raise the reputation of Keio,' so it's easy for us to do bold things. There is an organizational culture of supporting each other."

Research on artificial life is progressing by leaps and bounds. According to Associate Professor Fujiwara, it is said that artificial life will be realized within the next 10 years, and mirror-image life by 2050.

In the not-so-distant future, how will our view of "life" change?

Associate Professor Fujiwara says, "Perhaps we will begin to find 'object-likeness' within living things?"

"Until now, life was a difficult-to-handle existence like a 'black box' where we didn't know what was inside. However, as research on artificial life progresses, in the future, opinions may be divided between those who think of it as an 'object' whose creation method is known, and those who resist that idea. Regarding the difference between life and 'objects,' we have been thinking about it deeply in philosophy until now, but from now on, I think we will be able to feel it rather than just philosophize about it."

Composition: Toru Tamakawa, Editor-in-Chief, Asahi Shimbun GLOBE+

Interview/Text: Kaori Sawaki

Photos: Hiromi Shinada