Prof. Eiji Haramoto of the Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment received the Awards for Science and Technology (Research Category) of the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

　On April 17, 2024, the ceremony for the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) was held at the MEXT, and Prof. Eiji Haramoto of the Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment received the Awards for Science and Technology (Research Category).
　This award is given to researchers who have conducted original research or development that is highly expected to contribute to the development of science and technology in Japan, and Prof. Haramoto received the award for his research achievements entitled “Research on the establishment of a system for monitoring the incidence of infectious diseases through wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).”
　One of the factors causing the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections is the presence of people with mild illness or asymptomatic infection who do not require medical attention, and the current infectious disease surveillance system is unable to grasp the actual incidence of infection.
　Prof. Haramoto has conducted research on WBE, which capture the incidence of COVID-19 in a region by measuring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in influent of wastewater treatment plants, published the world’s first review paper proposing the effectiveness of WBE, and developed virus detection methods from wastewater and a model to predict the number of infected persons.
　Through this research, Prof. Haramoto succeeded in detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater for the first time in Japan, and demonstrated that WBE can be effective even in other Asian countries where clinical surveillance system is limited. In addition to SARS-CoV-2, he also developed a method for simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens, such as influenza viruses and noroviruses, and established a technological foundation for utilizing WBE in the COVID-19 era.
　The results of this research are expected not only to enable rapid and efficient detection of the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 but also to contribute to improving resilience against infectious diseases caused by pathogens that may emerge in the future.
　Prof. Haramoto said, “I am very honored to receive this prestigious award. WBE is one of the research topics that I have been continuously working on since my student days, and it has attracted renewed social attention and expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In promoting our research, we would like to express our gratitude for the cooperation of many collaborators and institutions in Japan and abroad, as well as for the support of research funds. Above all, I am grateful for the hard work of the members of my laboratory, who have always been active in our research. We will continue to promote our research so that we can achieve high-impact results and contribute to society.”