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Biomolecular Function Lab
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The lab studies the shapes of molecules involved in immunity and viral infection, with the aim of leading to drug development.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding host-defense molecules at the atomic level
The Biomolecular Function Lab studies the structures and functions of proteins involved in immunity and infection.
Immune cells use receptors on their surface to recognize cancer cells and virus-infected cells and eliminate them.
The lab investigates these mechanisms down to the atomic level using methods such as cryo-electron microscopy, and applies the results to rational drug design and the development of biopharmaceuticals.
The lab's work ranges from analyzing the three-dimensional structures of receptor and antigen proteins to administration experiments in animal models of disease.
Key terms
- Receptor
- A protein located on the cell surface or elsewhere that binds to a specific molecule and transmits information to the cell.
- Cryo-electron microscopy
- A type of microscopy in which a sample is rapidly frozen and observed with an electron beam to determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other molecules.
- Biopharmaceuticals
- Medicines that use proteins produced by living organisms, such as antibodies.
NewsLab news
A joint study with the Japan Institute for Health Security and Kanazawa University revealed the three-dimensional structure of the HBx complex of the hepatitis B virus
A joint study with Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo revealed the structural basis of the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to understand the biological phenomena underlying diseases related to immunity and infection from the three-dimensional structures of molecules. It performs structural and physicochemical analyses of receptors on the surface of immune cells and of proteins that viruses use to enter cells.
*Illustrative imageCell-to-Cell Communication via Immune Receptors
The lab studies the interactions between receptors on the surface of immune cells and molecules on the surface of cancer cells and virus-infected cells. By clarifying the structures and functions of paired receptors such as LILR and KIR, and of their binding partners, MHC class I molecules (such as HLA-G), the lab aims to control autoimmune diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases.
*Illustrative imageHow Viruses Enter Cells
Some viruses enter cells by binding to receptors of the immune system. The lab studies complexes of viral proteins and receptors, focusing on viruses such as measles virus, herpes simplex virus, and influenza virus.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biomolecular Function Lab consist of faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, technical assistants and technical aides, and students in the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs.As of 2026
- ProfessorKatsumi Maenaka
- ProfessorKimiko Kuroki
- Associate ProfessorShunsuke Kita
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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: “Lüsosüümi kristallid pv” Taavi.Ivan / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Cell-to-Cell Communication via Immune Receptors: “Human Natural Killer Cell ( )” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- How Viruses Enter Cells: “Measlesvirus” NIAID / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (臨床薬剤学研究室): “Robot de distribution” Sandra Culand / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (遺伝子病制御研究所 フロンティア研究ユニット 分子細胞生物研究室): “Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) particles (orange) found in extracellular space and budding from the plasma membrane of infected cells (teal)” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (触媒科学研究所 分子触媒研究部門
（浦口研究室） ): “Working in the Process Chemistry Lab ( )” National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences from Bethesda, MD / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (生体分析化学研究室): “Molecubes SPECT uCT and PET” Adville / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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