LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Tanaka Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab studies molecular motors that transport cargo inside cells, and aims to develop therapies based on extracellular vesicles.
AboutAbout the lab
Change the location, and the function changes.
Tanaka Lab studies kinesin molecular motors, which carry cargo inside cells, along with transport within the cell and release to the outside of the cell.
The lab's work rests on the idea that cell function is determined not only by what is present and in what amount, but also by where it is located in the cell.
By examining mice with altered kinesin genes, the lab has traced how various diseases arise, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, and schizophrenia.
Currently, using extra-large extracellular vesicles (XLEVs), which have a strong ability to regenerate tissue, as a clue, the lab is pursuing research that leads to treatments for serious diseases.
Key terms
- Kinesin
- One of the proteins (molecular motors) that move along inside cells and carry cargo. It is responsible for transport within the cell.
- Extracellular vesicle
- A small membrane-enclosed sac that cells release to the outside. It acts on other cells and tissues.
- Translational research
- Research that connects mechanisms discovered in basic research to medicine, such as new treatments.
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies kinesin molecular motors that transport materials inside cells, and the mechanisms by which extracellular vesicles are formed and released. It pursues translational research that carries findings from basic research into treatments.
*Illustrative imageExtra-Large Extracellular Vesicles for Regenerative Medicine
SHH-XLEVs are an entirely new type of extracellular vesicle with a strong ability to form blood vessels. The lab found that they are released from the cell through the action of the PI3K/Rab18-GDP pathway.
*Illustrative imageToward Treatments for Liver Cirrhosis and Fatty Liver
The lab has identified one new cause of liver cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. It continues translational research toward future clinical application.
*Illustrative imageHow Type 1 Diabetes Is Prevented
The lab showed that the molecular motor kinesin-1 regulates heat shock proteins and thereby prevents diabetes. It aims to apply this mechanism to treatment.
*Illustrative imageHow the Left-Right Axis of the Body Is Determined
This research examines how the left-right axis of the body is established by the leftward flow generated at the embryonic "node." The lab showed that string-like structures outside the cells are carried along by this flow, so that the first signal begins only on the left side.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members are faculty, students in the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs, and technical staff.As of 2026
- LecturerYosuke TanakaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Tanaka Lab
Mizushima LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineMolecular mechanisms and physiological functions of autophag…
Okabe LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineFormation and maintenance of central nervous system neural n…
Cell Biology and Anatomy Lab (Kikkawa Lab)Faculty of Medicine, School of MedicineCell biology of flagella and cilia; cryo-electron microscopy
Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineNeurotransmitter imaging, super-resolution microscopy, chemi…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Microtubules in Primary Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts” Howard Vindin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Extra-Large Extracellular Vesicles for Regenerative Medicine: “Multicolor fluorescence image of a living PC-12 cell” 8x57is / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Toward Treatments for Liver Cirrhosis and Fatty Liver: “Hippocampal neurons in culture” Guarnieri Fabrizia / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How Type 1 Diabetes Is Prevented: “CSIRO ScienceImage 418 XRay Crystallography Protein Crystals” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- How the Left-Right Axis of the Body Is Determined: “Black-mouse-trio-in-cage-2” Commissioned by Understanding Animal Research / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Mizushima Lab): “Multicolor fluorescence image of living HeLa cells” 8x57is / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Okabe Lab): “Neuron in tissue culture” GerryShaw / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Cell Biology and Anatomy Lab (Kikkawa Lab)): “Bronchiolar epithelium 4 - SEM” Louisa Howard / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Lab): “Chemical synapse schema cropped” user:Looie496 created file; Illustrator: Christy Krames, MA, CMI, for US National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging / Public domain (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.