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Okochi Lab
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A lab that uses peptides to measure smells and diseases.
AboutAbout the lab
Measuring how living things work, with peptides.
The Okochi Lab develops and applies biosensing methods that analyze biological functions as systems, from the perspectives of chemistry and engineering.
Responses in living organisms proceed through interactions between biomolecules that build up over many steps.
The lab uses arrays of peptides to examine interactions with antibodies and other molecules, and uncovers the mechanisms at the molecular level.
It aims to extend these technologies to the fields of health, medicine, food, and the environment.
Key terms
- Peptide
- A molecule made of linked amino acids. It is shorter than a protein and has diverse functions in the body.
- Peptide array
- A tool in which many types of peptides are arranged on a substrate so that researchers can test which ones bind, all at once.
- Olfactory receptor
- A protein in the nose that binds to the molecules that cause smells and sends signals to the brain.
NewsLab news
A student received the Outstanding Presentation Award from the Next-Generation Animal Cell Industry Research Group
A student received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the Human Centered Science and Biomedical Engineering Graduate Major interim presentation meeting
A student received a Poster Award at the Research Meeting of the Society for Chemistry and Micro-Nano Systems
A student received a Poster Award at the East Japan Branch Colloquium of the Society for Biotechnology, Japan
A master's student received the Outstanding Master's Thesis Presentation Award at the master's thesis presentation meeting
ResearchResearch themes
From the perspectives of chemistry and engineering, the lab develops and applies biosensing methods that lead to system-level analysis of biological functions. By using peptide arrays to analyze interactions with antibodies and other molecules, it elucidates molecular mechanisms and aims to expand into the fields of health, medicine, food, and the environment.
*Illustrative imagePeptide Engineering
Peptides have diverse physiological functions and are attracting attention both as drug discovery targets and as functional nanomaterials. The lab makes peptide arrays by on-chip spot synthesis based on solid-phase synthesis, and searches for various functional peptides, including peptides that recognize antibodies.
*Illustrative imageSensors That Measure Smells
A smell is recognized when the molecules that cause it bind to olfactory receptors in the nose. The lab searches for peptides that mimic the action of these receptors and attaches them to sensor elements, developing sensors that respond to specific odor molecules. Applications to quarantine systems are expected.
*Illustrative imageMigrasomes: Vesicles Left Behind by Cells
Cells that adhere and move leave behind extracellular vesicles called migrasomes, as if marking their trajectory. The lab has developed substrates that capture migrasomes by functionalizing culture substrates with cell-adhesive peptides and other molecules to promote migrasome formation. It is investigating their role in communication between cells and the mechanisms by which they form.
*Illustrative imageAntibody Analysis of Food Allergy
Focusing on food allergy in children, especially to cow's milk, the lab created peptide arrays based on the amino acid sequences of the proteins in milk. The arrays can examine the characteristics of antibody binding in detail with only a small amount of serum, and the results suggest they are effective not only for identifying the antigen but also for understanding the disease state and the course of treatment.
MembersFaculty
The Okochi Lab consists of faculty members and students in the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs.As of 2026
- ProfessorMina OkochiPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Alpha endorphin stick molecular model” Mplanine / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Peptide Engineering: “DNA microarray chip” ErikAbner / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Sensors That Measure Smells: “Quartz resonators with front and back electrodes” Beaker / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Migrasomes: Vesicles Left Behind by Cells: “HaCaT Cells Phase Contrast” Accuratelibrarian / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Antibody Analysis of Food Allergy: “Glass of milk on table” PotatoCow25 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (吉沢・澤田研究室): “WLA Method Coordination Cages” Nanorexray / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (松田研究室): “Robot arm handles an assay plate” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (
青木芳尚研究室): “Perovskite crystal structure” Oregon State University / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped) - Related lab (伊藤研究室): “Diamond by Peter Smyth” Peter Smyth / CC0 (cropped)
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