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Medicinal Resources Chemistry Lab
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The lab searches for new natural products in the genomes of filamentous fungi.
AboutAbout the lab
Searching for new natural products hidden in fungal genomes
The Medicinal Resources Chemistry Lab (Asai Lab) searches for new natural products from the blueprints of unknown compounds hidden in the genomes of filamentous fungi (molds).
Secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi include many pharmacologically active substances, such as penicillin and lovastatin, and are recognized as a resource for exploring drug development.
Using methods from organic chemistry, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology, the lab pursues "post-genomic natural product discovery" to obtain new secondary metabolites.
The lab examines the pharmacological activity of the natural products it finds through collaborative research, aiming to use them in the search for substances that can serve as starting points for drugs.
Key terms
- filamentous fungi
- Microorganisms belonging to the group of molds. They produce a variety of secondary metabolites (natural organic compounds)
- secondary metabolite
- A natural organic compound produced by an organism. Many of those from filamentous fungi, such as penicillin and lovastatin, are pharmacologically active
- biosynthesis
- The process by which a compound is made in a living organism through multistep enzymatic reactions.
NewsLab news
A doctoral student and a master's student won the Excellent Presentation Award at the Tohoku Branch Meeting of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry
Paper on chaetophenols published
Associate Professor Ozaki received the Dean's Award in the research activities category of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Paper on a membrane-bound enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of PF1451 published in BBB
Paper on the biosynthesis of the tricyclic skeleton of vinigrol published
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to create attractive natural products and pseudo-natural products by making use of biosynthetic genes for unknown compounds hidden in the genomes of filamentous fungi (molds). By practicing "making" and "harvesting" that draw on the mechanisms by which organisms produce compounds, it aims to contribute to the advancement of natural product-based drug discovery.
*Illustrative imageSearching genomes for natural products
Using the genome information of endophytic fungi from plants and insects that the lab has isolated itself as an exploration resource, the lab aims to obtain new natural products with a heterologous expression system in Aspergillus oryzae (koji mold). It also uses AI-based programs to search for highly novel gene clusters and to predict the structures of their products.
*Illustrative imageHow natural products are biosynthesized
Natural products are made in living organisms through multistep enzymatic reactions, and each has its own biosynthetic system. In these systems, enzymes carry out organic chemical reactions through catalysis that uses amino acids or metals.
*Illustrative imageAwakening dormant genes
Most of the biosynthetic genes for natural products in microbial genomes are dormant under laboratory culture conditions. The lab has established methods to activate them with epigenetic enzyme inhibitors and plant hormones, and has recently been developing an awakening method that uses large-scale genome rearrangement technology.
*Illustrative imageTurning natural products into drug discovery seeds
The lab converts the unique natural products it obtains through synthetic biology into large libraries by organic chemistry, and uses them to search for drug discovery seeds. Besides DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology, it also creates pseudo-natural products through hybrid chemical and enzymatic synthesis.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Medicinal Resources Chemistry Lab (Asai Lab) consist of faculty members, project faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and administrative staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorTeigo Asai
- Project ProfessorShinichi Banba
- Associate ProfessorTaro Ozaki
- Assistant ProfessorYohei Morishita
- Project Assistant ProfessorShi Shi
- Project Assistant ProfessorSayuki Oka
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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: “Aspergillus clavatus petri dish” Dr. Hilliard F. Hardin, CDC / Public domain (cropped)
- Searching genomes for natural products: “Illumina NextSeq 500” Konrad Förstner / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- How natural products are biosynthesized: “Crystal structure of Tryptophan-7-Halogenase” Jmont31 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Awakening dormant genes: “Fungal mycelium” Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Turning natural products into drug discovery seeds: “Equipment and glassware” Belikov Maxim / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (反応制御化学分野): “Round bottom flask 1” Stephanie cheks / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (医薬製造化学分野): “Fume-hood” Giovanna Canu, Sofia Gambaro, Francesca Cirisano, CNR-ICMATE / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (合成制御化学分野): “Rotary evaporator” Y Chen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (分子変換化学分野): “8 Śląski Festiwal Nauki, MCK, Katowice,, , 1256” Krzysztof Popławski / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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