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Yasunaga Lab
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A lab developing new cancer drugs that use antibodies and drug delivery systems (DDS) to deliver medicine to tumors.
AboutAbout the lab
The right amount of drug, exactly where it is needed.
The Yasunaga Lab researches the development of new anticancer drugs, centered on drug delivery systems (DDS) that deliver drugs only to the cancerous region.
The lab focuses on developing antibody therapeutics, in which a drug or radioactive substance is attached to an antibody that targets cancer cells, as well as antibodies that direct T cells toward cancer.
Using molecular imaging and mass spectrometry, the lab visualizes how drugs reach their targets and how they act inside the body as it advances its research.
Key terms
- Drug Delivery System (DDS)
- Technology that delivers the needed amount of a drug to the needed place at the needed time
- Molecular imaging
- A method of visualizing where molecules and drugs are located in the body and how they move, in order to study them
- Mass spectrometry
- A method that precisely measures the mass of molecules to determine which molecules are present in a sample
NewsLab news
A graduate student received the Young Investigator Encouragement Award at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Human Cell Society
A graduate student received a Poster Award at the Annual Meeting 2025 of the Japan Society for Patient-Derived Cancer Models
A graduate student received the Outstanding General Presentation Award at the 15th Congress of the International Society of Radiation Neurobiology
A graduate student received a Poster Award at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Molecular Imaging
A graduate student received the MBSJ Poster Award 2025
ResearchResearch themes
Aiming for anticancer drugs that are highly effective against cancer with few side effects, the lab pursues research on antibody therapeutics and DDS. Its drug discovery focuses not only on the drug itself but also on the immune function of the body that receives the drug.
*Illustrative imageArmed Antibodies That Penetrate the Stromal Barrier
In pancreatic cancer and scirrhous gastric cancer, the abundant stroma surrounding the tumor prevents antibodies from reaching it. Using antibody engineering and other approaches, the lab works on developing antibodies that can penetrate into the stroma, advancing drug discovery for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which carry a drug, and radioimmunotherapy (RIT) antibodies, which emit radiation.
*Illustrative imageControlling T Cells to Make the Most of Bispecific Antibodies
The efficacy of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) depends heavily on the state of the T cells recruited to the tumor. To overcome problems such as too few T cells within the tumor, or T cells that are exhausted and no longer function, the lab is developing technologies to control T cell activity in time and space.
*Illustrative imageUnderstanding How Drugs Act with Mass Spectrometry and Bioinformatics
By combining mass spectrometry and bioinformatics, the lab searches for molecules that can serve as therapeutic targets for antibodies. It measures the distribution of drugs released from antibodies and the changes drugs cause in biomolecules, and precisely evaluates how new drugs work using mouse and human specimens.
*Illustrative imageDiagnosis and Treatment Based on Odor and Biomolecules
Mass spectrometry of pancreatic cancer and scirrhous gastric cancer suggests the presence of characteristic biomolecules and metabolites. The lab investigates their relationship to cancer, including odor molecules emitted by cancer cells, with the aim of leading to new diagnostic and treatment methods.
MembersFaculty
The Yasunaga Lab consists of a division head, researchers, project researchers, clinical researchers, doctoral and master's students, project research assistants, visiting researchers, research trainees, and dispatched staff.As of 2026
- Visiting ProfessorMasahiro YasunagaPublications ↗
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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: “Heterogeneous breast tumor in 3D” Sshah74 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Armed Antibodies That Penetrate the Stromal Barrier: “Adenocarcinoma of Pancreas, FNA ( )” Ed Uthman from Houston, TX, USA / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Controlling T Cells to Make the Most of Bispecific Antibodies: “T Lymphocyte ( )” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Understanding How Drugs Act with Mass Spectrometry and Bioinformatics: “Whole body by Mass Spectrometry Imaging” Imabiotech / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Diagnosis and Treatment Based on Odor and Biomolecules: “Signet ring cell carcinoma - high mag” Nephron / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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