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Tsumoto Lab
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The lab precisely uncovers how biomolecules bind to one another and applies that understanding to the design of antibodies and drugs.
AboutAbout the lab
Getting to the heart of biomolecular interactions.
Tsumoto Lab studies how biomolecules such as proteins bind to one another.
Using a variety of pairings as subjects, including antibodies and antigens and receptors and the molecules that bind to them, the lab investigates the strength of binding and the mechanisms by which molecules select their partners.
The lab combines experiments such as methods that measure heat exchange (calorimetry) and crystal structure analysis with computational calculations in its analyses.
Based on the findings, the lab takes on the design of proteins and small molecules, aiming at applications in medicine and materials.
Key terms
- Antibody
- A protein that recognizes and binds to foreign substances (antigens) with high precision. Antibodies are also used in pharmaceuticals and diagnostic agents.
- Small molecule
- A compound that is much smaller than a protein. Most conventional drugs are of this type.
- Interaction
- The way molecules attract or bind to one another and influence each other.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab combines physicochemical measurements, structural analysis, and computational science to analyze interactions between biomolecules in precise detail, aiming to elucidate how binding specificity and affinity arise. Based on these findings, the lab works on developing highly functional molecules and building a foundation for drug discovery.
*Illustrative imageCreating Next-Generation Antibodies
The lab analyzes from multiple angles how antibodies recognize antigens, and uses protein engineering techniques to create next-generation antibody molecules. It also focuses on efficient antibody design that combines computational science with experiments.
*Illustrative imageHow Disease-Related Proteins Work
The lab elucidates, at the molecular level, how proteins involved in diseases such as cancer and autoimmune diseases function with one another. Drawing on the findings, it also pursues research on controlling protein function with antibodies, small molecules, and other means.
*Illustrative imageThe Relationship Between Metals and Proteins
Many proteins require metals in order to function. The lab investigates metal-dependent protein function, focusing on cell-to-cell adhesion, metal transport, and the mechanisms by which pathogenic microorganisms take up metals.
*Illustrative imageSearching for Molecules That Control Interactions
The lab searches for small molecules that bind to targets that have been difficult to address in conventional drug discovery, such as protein-protein interactions. It does so using diverse chemical compound libraries and physicochemical analysis techniques.
MembersFaculty
Tsumoto Lab's members consist of faculty, project researchers and researchers, academic specialists, secretaries, and students in the doctoral program (including working professionals), the master's program, and the undergraduate program.As of 2026
- ProfessorKouhei TsumotoPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorSatoru NagatoishiPublications ↗
- Project Associate ProfessorSusana de Vega
- LecturerMakoto NakakidoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorRyo MatsunagaPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorHirofumi Kosuge
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
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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: “Antibody IgG2” TimVickers at English Wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Creating Next-Generation Antibodies: “Tislelizumab PB-1 7BXA” Fvasconcellos / Public domain (cropped)
- How Disease-Related Proteins Work: “3KMD p53 DNABindingDomian” Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- The Relationship Between Metals and Proteins: “Carbonic anhydrase 1CA2” Own work
（アップロード者の 自作・PD-self） / Public domain (cropped) - Searching for Molecules That Control Interactions: “96 well plate” J.N. Eskra / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tsuboyama Lab): “PDB 2jua EBI” Jawahar Swaminathan and MSD staff at the European Bioinformatics Institute / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Nishimasu Lab): “Acidaminococcus sp. Cas12a PDB 5B43” Deposition authors: Yamano, T., Nishimasu, H., Hirano, H., Nakane, T., Ishitani, R., Nureki, O.; Visualization author: Synpath / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Okamoto Lab): “DNA methylation H o” Qubeat / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ikeuchi Lab): “Human Cerebral Organoids ( )” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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