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Biochemistry Lab
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The lab studies chemosensation, working from receptors to the brain to uncover how odors and pheromones are detected and processed.
AboutAbout the lab
Chemosensation, from receptors to the higher brain
The Biochemistry Lab studies how the "chemical senses" work, including smell, pheromone detection, and taste.
Many organisms rely on information from odors and pheromones to tell food apart and to recognize others of their species.
Combining the concepts and techniques of molecular biology, neuroscience, and biochemistry, the lab investigates the pathway from receptors to the brain at the molecular, cellular, and whole-organism levels.
The lab aims to understand how organisms receive external signals, and how those signals drive behavior and instinct.
Key terms
- Pheromone
- A chemical substance that conveys information to others of the same species and changes their behavior or bodily functions
- Olfactory receptor
- A protein on the surface of nerve cells in the nose that binds odor molecules and converts them into signals
- Vomeronasal organ
- An organ inside the nose that mainly detects pheromones. It is also called the "second sense of smell"
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies how information carried by chemical substances such as odors and pheromones controls the behavior and habits of organisms. It aims to elucidate how olfaction works, from peripheral receptors to the higher brain, at the molecular, cellular, and whole-organism levels.
*Illustrative imageHow Odors and Pheromones Are Detected
The lab examines how olfactory receptors function and analyzes how odors are detected and transmitted. In mice, it searches for pheromone molecules and their receptors, focusing on the pheromone receptors of the vomeronasal organ, and is attempting to visualize the neural circuits that carry this information to the brain. It also works on odor and taste receptors in silkworms and on brain measurements in humans.
*Illustrative imageMultilevel Olfaction Research and Human Scent
This research investigates chemical signals in an integrated way, from receptors to neural circuits in the brain, and on to emotion, behavior, and physiology. In humans, the lab uses brain measurements and studies how differences in receptor genes relate to differences in perception, exploring how scent is related to the enjoyment of food, health, and more.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biochemistry Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, technical staff, and research support staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorKazushige TouharaPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorMasako OkamotoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorSayoko Ihara
- Project Associate ProfessorKoji SatoPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorKen MurataPublications ↗
- Project Assistant Professorパセラ ブリス ルカ
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “House mouse (Mus musculus) 2732” Ahunt / CC0 (cropped)
- How Odors and Pheromones Are Detected: “Olfactory Sensory Neurons innervating Olfactory Glomeruli” Noodle brain / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Multilevel Olfaction Research and Human Scent: “Spices on Spice Bazaar in Istanbul 02” Miomir Magdevski / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biological Information Engineering Lab): “Dynamic simulation screenshot” Jih24 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nagata Lab (Team N / Molecular Recognition Chemistry)): “Zweifleckgrille Gryllus bimaculatus 1” Holger Krisp / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Enzymology Lab): “Lysozyme crystals” Ilyassova Bayan / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biological Function Development Chemistry Lab): “Blue tongue” Sensonet / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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