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Enzyme Chemistry Lab
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The lab explores Alzheimer's disease and pearl formation through proteins from venomous animals.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring proteins behind venom and pearls
The Enzyme Chemistry Lab studies the structure, function, and molecular evolution of enzymes and proteins involved in special biological functions and diseases.
The lab conducts venomics research on proteins in the venom of habu snakes and spiders, aiming to develop Alzheimer's disease therapeutics and biopesticides derived from venomous animals.
In its Alzheimer's disease research, the lab investigates how γ-secretase, which produces amyloid-β, is regulated, as well as drug candidates derived from venomous animals.
In its pearl oyster research, the lab uses methods such as three-dimensional structure analysis to study how proteins are involved in pearl formation and luster.
Key terms
- Venomics
- Research on the functions and evolution of proteins in venom, and on unknown venom components.
- Amyloid-β
- A protein that accumulates in the brain in Alzheimer's disease and forms senile plaques.
- γ-secretase
- An enzyme that cleaves amyloid precursor protein to produce amyloid-β.
- Biomineralization
- The process by which organisms build hard tissues such as coral, shells, bones, and teeth.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the structure, function, and evolution of enzymes and proteins found in organisms such as venomous animals and pearl oysters. It aims to connect molecules derived from venomous animals to Alzheimer's disease therapeutics and biopesticides.
*Illustrative imageStudying Venom Proteins
Venom is a mixture of proteins with diverse physiological activities. Focusing on the venom of habu snakes and spiders, the lab investigates how venom proteins have evolved and whether unknown venom components exist.
*Illustrative imageResearch on Alzheimer's Disease
The lab studies how γ-secretase, which produces amyloid-β, is regulated, using experiments with cultured cells, yeast, and in vitro systems. It also searches for venom-derived molecules that could become drug candidates, such as snake venom enzymes that degrade amyloid-β.
*Illustrative imagePearl Biomineralization
Through research on the Mabe pearl oyster, the lab has shown that proteins secreted from the mantle affect pearl formation and luster. It performs three-dimensional structure analysis of proteins and functional analysis using yeast and koji mold.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Enzyme Chemistry Lab consist of faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and short-term international students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTomohisa Ogawa
- Associate ProfessorEugene Futai
- Assistant ProfessorKhadija DAOUDI
- Assistant ProfessorZhengguang Wang
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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: “Crystal Structure of Human WAPL (PDB 4K6J)” Jimcricket90 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Studying Venom Proteins: “Latrodectus bishopi” Florida Division of Plant Industry Archive / CC BY 3.0 us (cropped)
- Research on Alzheimer's Disease: “Cerebral amyloid angiopathy -2a- amyloid beta - intermed mag” Nephron / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Pearl Biomineralization: “Black pearl and his shell” Brocken Inaglory / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Applied Biomolecular Analysis Lab): “LOV2 domain of phototropin-2 protein from Arabidopsis thaliana” TBwichem / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Chemistry Lab): “Bureau of Chemistry Oil, Fat, and Wax Laboratory - DPLA - f3d71e939597ba23c14e80ed6d722d1b” United States. Food and Drug Administration / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Structural Chemistry of Life Lab): “Laboratory equipment of modern chemistry classroom” Belikov Maxim / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Eukaryotic Microbial Functions Lab): “Koji Mold Rice” Zenyrgarden / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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