LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Ishikawa Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab studies cancer through genome science and information science to inform its prevention.
AboutAbout the lab
Thinking about cancer prevention with genomics and AI
The Department of Preventive Medicine studies public health problems centered on cancer. It uses the perspectives of genome science and information science to find points where prevention and treatment can intervene.
Complex systems made up of many types of cells, such as cancer and inflammatory and immune diseases, are measured at scale at the genomic level to clarify their dynamics.
The lab also develops bioinformatics technologies, including artificial intelligence, to extract essential information from large, high-dimensional genome sequences and images.
Founded in 1885, it is the oldest lab at the University of Tokyo.
Key terms
- Immune repertoire
- The full set of antigen receptors carried by the lymphocyte population in the body. It reflects a person's immune history.
- Mutational signature
- A pattern of mutations left in a cancer genome. It provides clues for tracing the causes of carcinogenesis.
- Bioinformatics
- A field that uses computers to analyze biological data and extract meaningful information.
NewsLab news
A student received the Young Investigator Award at the annual meeting of the Japan Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
A student received the top award at the annual meeting of the Japan Society for Neuro-Oncology
A doctoral student received the Young Investigator Poster Award at the annual meeting of the Japanese Cancer Association
A doctoral student received the Satoshi Arima Memorial Fellowship
A student received the Dean's Award
ResearchResearch themes
The lab searches for points of intervention in prevention and treatment for public health problems centered on cancer, from the perspectives of genome science and information science. To extract essential information from large, high-dimensional genome sequences and images, it also develops bioinformatics technologies, including artificial intelligence.
*Illustrative imageDecoding the Immune Repertoire
The immune repertoire is thought to reflect the immune history of both external factors, such as pathogens and food, and internal factors, such as self-antigens and cancer antigens. The lab develops methods that analyze it to extract not only a person's current disease state but also information on past diseases and lifestyle habits.
*Illustrative imageFinding Causes in Cancer Genomes
Clinical human cancer tissues are comprehensively read with next-generation sequencers. The lab investigates driver genes that serve as therapeutic targets, the genetic background that predisposes people to carcinogenesis, and environmental factors that can be inferred from mutational signatures. The aim is to find points of intervention for prevention and treatment.
*Illustrative imageAnalyzing Histopathology Images
Using deep learning, the lab extracts essential information about cancer from histopathology images and develops tools that help standardize pathological diagnosis and reduce regional disparities in access to cancer care. It also works on analyses that integrate image information with cancer genome information.
MembersFaculty
The Department of Preventive Medicine consists of faculty, technical staff, doctoral and master's students, students of the School of Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine, visiting researchers, project specialists, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorShumpei Ishikawa
- LecturerDaisuke Kawamura
- Assistant ProfessorMiwako Kakiuchi
- Assistant ProfessorAyumu Tsubosaka
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.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
Who is this lab for?
What's great about this lab?
What did you learn after joining?
What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
Where do graduates go?
RelatedLabs similar to Ishikawa Lab
Yamada LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineMolecular pathology of carcinogenesis and regeneration throu…
Matsuzaki LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicinePrefrontal cortex, decision making, motor learning circuits,…
Okabe LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineFormation and maintenance of central nervous system neural n…
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: “Gastric adenocarcinoma” Nephron / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Decoding the Immune Repertoire: “SEM blood cells” Bruce Wetzel (photographer). Harry Schaefer (photographer) / Public domain (cropped)
- Finding Causes in Cancer Genomes: “Identification Mutational Signatures v2” Mylinhthibodeau / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Analyzing Histopathology Images: “Atypical mitosis” Nephron / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (分子病理学教室
（山田泰広研究室） ): “Иммуноцитохимическое окрашивание культуры клеток человека” Daria Goliusova / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (細胞分子生理学教室
（松崎政紀研究室） ): “Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) Rio 2015” Aatu Dorochenko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (神経細胞生物学教室
（岡部繁男研究室） ): “Neuron in tissue culture” GerryShaw / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - Related lab (細胞分子薬理学教室
（広瀬謙造研究室） ): “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.