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Kitada Lab
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An organic chemistry lab that takes bioluminescent organisms such as fireflies as its starting point.
AboutAbout the lab
Developing organic chemistry from bioluminescent organisms
The Kitada Lab works with the Hirano and Maki labs to develop organic chemistry research that takes bioluminescent organisms as its starting point.
The labs of Professor Hirano (organic photochemistry and physical organic chemistry) and Professor Maki (synthetic organic chemistry and organic electron transfer) are working to open up a new field of chemistry that uses bioluminescent organisms as its molecular foundation.
In the Maki Lab, which Associate Professor Kitada has joined, researchers work from the standpoint of organic synthesis on synthesizing optical imaging materials and drugs for leukemia.
The lab's website goes by the name 'Hirano & Maki & Kitada Lab' and presents it together with the Hirano Lab and the Maki Lab.
Key terms
- Optical imaging
- A technique that uses luminescent materials to observe the inside of living organisms with light
- Molecularly targeted drug
- A drug that acts by targeting a specific molecule involved in a disease
- Acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia
- A rare, hard-to-treat cancer abbreviated as T-ALL. Most patients are children, and few effective molecularly targeted drugs exist
NewsLab news
Undergraduate and master's students won the Excellent Presentation Award at the graduation thesis and master's thesis presentation meeting of the University of Electro-Communications
A master's student won the Poster Presentation Award at the Firefly Young Researchers Meeting 2025
A master's student won the Encouragement Award at the 40th Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence Research Meeting
Associate Professor Kitada won the Best Presenter Award at a workshop of the Advanced Animal Model Support Platform
A doctoral student won the Outstanding Student Presentation Award at the 2024 Symposium on Photochemistry
ResearchResearch themes
This lab pursues organic chemistry research that takes bioluminescent organisms such as fireflies as its starting point, together with the Hirano Lab and the Maki Lab. In the Maki Lab, which Associate Professor Kitada has joined, the work covers the synthesis of drugs for leukemia and of optical imaging materials based on natural compounds from bioluminescent organisms.
*Illustrative imageDrug Synthesis for Leukemia
Acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare, hard-to-treat cancer, and most patients are children. Because few effective molecularly targeted drugs exist, the lab collaborates with groups at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science and the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, aiming to synthesize drug-like compounds.
*Illustrative imageSynthesis of Optical Imaging Materials
Based on natural compounds found in bioluminescent organisms such as fireflies, the lab synthesizes optical imaging materials from an organic synthesis standpoint. The red-emitting 'AkaLumine' and 'TokeOni' were developed into commercial products through joint research with companies, and the lab also develops optical imaging technology with labs at other universities and with companies.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Hirano & Maki & Kitada Lab are Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Project Professors, Professors Emeritus, researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and secretaries.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorNobuo Kitada
- ProfessorShojiro Maki
- Assistant ProfessorKikuya Hayashi
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: “Close-up view of a bioluminescent beetle Elateroidea” Basile Morin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Drug Synthesis for Leukemia: “Inside the Medicinal Chemistry Lab ( )” National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences from Bethesda, MD / Public domain (cropped)
- Synthesis of Optical Imaging Materials: “Firefly-luciferin-3D-vdW” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Hirano Lab): “Photinus pyralis Firefly glowing” art farmer from evansville indiana, usa / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Hirata Lab): “Fluorescent dye” Swastipandey / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Taki Lab): “Picture of peptide hydrogel formation shown by the inverted vial method” Hutchinson Jessica / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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