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Chemical Biology Lab
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The lab uses chemistry to read the shapes of biomolecules and applies this to the treatment of disease.
AboutAbout the lab
Reading the shapes of molecules to take on disease.
The Chemical Biology Lab studies biomolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, glycans, and lipids, aiming to understand them at the atomic level.
In particular, the lab focuses on the difference between right-handed and left-handed forms of molecules (chirality) and is developing new analytical methods.
It applies methods such as vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) to glycans and lipids, and examines the relationship between structure and biological function.
The lab also works on developing enzyme inhibitors for lipid-related diseases such as obesity, Alzheimer's disease, atopic dermatitis, and cancer.
Key terms
- Chirality
- Chirality: the property of a molecule whose mirror image cannot be superimposed on the original, like a right hand and a left hand
- Vibrational circular dichroism
- Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD): a method that measures the difference in absorption between right-circularly and left-circularly polarized infrared light to investigate the three-dimensional structure of a molecule
- Sphingolipids
- Sphingolipids: a type of lipid that makes up cell membranes. Disruptions in their metabolism are linked to obesity and neurological diseases
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received the Best Poster Presentation Award at ICFAST 2026-Tokyo
A doctoral student received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the IJSSTE Hokkaido Symposium 2025
A research group including Professor Monde developed a probe that images tumors using an anticancer drug bound to a fluorescent dye
Professor Monde received the 2024 Award for Contributions to Polymer Science
A research group including Professor Monde discovered a natural compound derived from a spice that suppresses coronavirus infection
ResearchResearch themes
Using spectroscopy, organic chemistry, and biochemistry, the lab aims to understand and control the higher-order structures of biomolecules. The lab's aim is to link structure with biological function.
*Illustrative imagePhoto-Chemical Biology
Short-wave infrared (SWIR) light produces little autofluorescence and scattering from tissue itself, so it allows imaging deep inside the body. The lab is developing water-soluble probes that fluoresce brightly at this wavelength, aiming to apply them to cancer diagnosis and surgery.
*Illustrative imageFrom Lipids to Disease Treatment
The lab believes that many cases of cancer, heart disease, and cerebral infarction arise from abnormalities in lipid metabolism. Focusing on sphingolipid metabolism, it is trying to create new ways to improve leukemia, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and skin diseases by controlling that metabolism with natural products and synthesized compounds.
*Illustrative imageTagging Proteins with Light
For many bioactive substances, it is still unknown which proteins they bind to. The lab develops its own chemical probes using photochemical techniques, identifies the target molecules, and uses this in the earliest stage of drug discovery.
*Illustrative imageReading Structures with Chiral Spectroscopy
Right-handed and left-handed molecules behave differently toward right-circularly and left-circularly polarized light. The lab developed the "VCD exciton chirality method," which determines structures with a small amount of sample and in a short time, and uses it to reveal the structures of proteins, lipids, sugars, and more.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Chemical Biology Lab include faculty, technical advisors, visiting faculty, postdoctoral researchers, technical assistants, secretaries, and graduate and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKenji Monde
- Associate ProfessorTohru Taniguchi
- Assistant ProfessorMahadeva Swamy
- Project Associate ProfessorKohei Yuyama
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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: “XBio illustration – GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein)” explorebiology / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Photo-Chemical Biology: “Apatite, quartz, orthose, muscovite sous UVL” Géry PARENT / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- From Lipids to Disease Treatment: “Biji Pala” Herusutimbul / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Tagging Proteins with Light: “1 Seria rozszczepienie wiązki laseru” Sławomir Pietrzykowski / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Reading Structures with Chiral Spectroscopy: “Birefringent Water Ice 5” Tom Wagner / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yoshida Lab): “Docosahexaenoic-acid-3D-sf” Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Morphology and Function II Lab): “Arabidopsis thal kz1” Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fusion Soft Matter Lab): “Hydrogels” Azizbekpm / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tanaka Lab): “Drosophila melanogaster 53362116” Alexis / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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