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Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab
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A medicinal chemistry lab that designs and synthesizes molecules for drugs acting on sleep and the brain.
AboutAbout the lab
You can bring a drug into the world, too!
The Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab conducts drug discovery research, designing and synthesizing new compounds that act on orexin receptors and opioid receptors and leading them toward drug development.
It mainly targets drugs that act on the central nervous system, covering the control of sleep and wakefulness and the treatment of pain and depression.
The lab repeats a cycle in which chemically synthesized molecules are pharmacologically evaluated, the results are reflected in the next molecular design, and new molecules are synthesized, aiming to develop drug candidate compounds.
On the lab's website, it is introduced as the Kutsumura Group (Pharmaceutical Chemistry) in the Chemistry Division of the Institute of Pure and Applied Sciences, and as the Kutsumura-Saito Lab (Medicinal Chemistry) at the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine.
Key terms
- Orexin receptor
- A receptor in the brain on which orexin acts. There are two types, and the orexin 2 receptor is involved in controlling sleep and wakefulness
- Kinase
- An enzyme that phosphorylates specific proteins. Some kinases are involved in sleep, circadian rhythm, and energy metabolism
- Sulfurizing agent
- A reagent used in the reaction that converts a carbonyl group (C=O) to a thiocarbonyl group (C=S). Generally it has a strong, unpleasant odor
NewsLab news
A master's student won a Student Lecture Award at the Symposium of the Kanto Branch of the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan
A master's student won the Student Excellent Presentation Award (oral) at the 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
A master's student received awards including the Pure and Applied Sciences Chair's Award and the University of Tsukuba Meikeikai Award
A master's student won a Student Presentation Award at the Symposium of the Kanto Branch of the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan
An undergraduate student won a Best Student Presentation Award at the 144th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
The lab's Kutsumura Group works on the chemical synthesis of small-molecule compounds that act in the body, and on developing chemical reactions useful for making such compounds. The group aims to make better molecules by studying the relationship between molecular structure and function, and to create new reagents and synthetic methods that anyone can use easily.
*Illustrative imageCreating compounds that act on phosphorylation enzymes (kinases)
The lab aims to create small-molecule compounds that can freely control kinases (protein phosphorylation enzymes), which are deeply involved in sleep, circadian rhythm, and energy metabolism. Molecules that specifically activate them are expected to become drugs for insomnia, and molecules that inactivate them drugs for idiopathic hypersomnia.
*Illustrative imageSearching for molecules that act on orexin receptors
The orexin 1 receptor is thought to be involved in emotion and addiction, and the orexin 2 receptor in controlling sleep and wakefulness. Using the structures of natural compounds as hints, the lab has begun research to create new molecules that fit orexin receptors, which may lead to drugs such as treatments for insomnia.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping an odorless sulfurizing agent
The reaction that converts a carbonyl group to a thiocarbonyl group is used in drug discovery research and the chemical industry, but common sulfurizing agents have the drawback of a strong, unpleasant odor. The lab believes that an adamantane-type compound it developed earlier may be usable as an odorless sulfurizing agent.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab are faculty members, a project assistant professor, researchers, secretaries, visiting researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorNoriki Kutsumura
- Associate ProfessorTsuyoshi Saito
- Project Assistant ProfessorRyoji Kise
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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: “Graduated chemical glassware (Alessandri 1895.2)” valeg96 / Public domain (cropped)
- Creating compounds that act on phosphorylation enzymes (kinases): “Structure of the human STK3 kinase domain” Huza90 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Searching for molecules that act on orexin receptors: “Five pharmaceutical capsules of various sizes” Omar abdallah al-qruoty / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Developing an odorless sulfurizing agent: “Microscopic image of crystals growing from melted sulfur 3” AlexmarPhoto / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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