The Osaka Bioscience Institute Ranked As Having One of the Highest Ratios of Scientific Papers Citing in the World On March 25, 2002, ISI Thompson Corporation, the world's leading scientific information resource company, released its rankings of citation frequencies in scientific papers over the preceding 10 years. These findings placed the Osaka Bioscience Institute in the top position in the world for the number of times cited per paper in the fields of molecular biology and genetics. The data used for this ranking was based on an objective comparison of the frequency with which announced documents and papers are cited by other researchers. As such, it serves as an indication of how much impact the cited papers have on the research of others. Compared with universities and national research organizations, the size and research budget of OBI is relatively small, and having been established in 1987, the Institute is also relatively young. Still, based on the number of times cited per paper, a guideline that is unaffected by the size of an institution, OBI has achieved the top ranking in the world. Although this ranking encompasses a very limited scope of scientific fields, it is still a great honor for OBI. The research environment of OBI, one fostered since the founding of the Institute to be an environment of freedom, creativity, and originality, was undoubtedly the motivational force behind the many achievements that led OBI to its number one ranking. OBI is dedicated to the ongoing enhancement of its research environment and the continued advancement of the level of research conducted at the Institute. ■Professer Arthur Kornberg, our special advisor, passed away on October 26 2007 Stanford University news ■Dr.Nakanishi received the Gruber Prize Gruber Foundation