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Umeno Lab
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The lab uses evolution as a tool to remodel proteins exactly as desired.
AboutAbout the lab
Evolution as nanotechnology.
The Umeno Lab views proteins as "molecular nanomachines" and researches how to remodel them using the mechanisms of evolution.
The lab focuses on the greatest property of proteins: their capacity to evolve.
By designing evolution as a chemical engineering process, it has become possible to improve protein functions in desired directions and to create entirely new functions from scratch.
The lab aims to make this evolutionary molecular engineering faster and more widely applicable, and to develop it into a technology for freely processing proteins.
Key terms
- Evolutionary molecular engineering
- A method of repeatedly generating many mutations and selecting among them to cultivate molecules with a desired function.
- Enzyme
- A protein that drives only specific chemical reactions inside living organisms. It acts as a catalyst.
- Gene expression
- The process by which information written in DNA is actually made into proteins.
NewsLab news
Master's and doctoral students received Travel Awards at The Protein Society annual symposium 2025
A master's student received the Student Excellent Presentation Award at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biotechnology, Japan
A master's student received a Travel Award at The Protein Society annual symposium 2024
A master's student received the Best Paper Award at the 95th Annual Meeting of the Genetics Society of Japan
A master's student received an award at the 19th International Symposium on Carotenoids
ResearchResearch themes
Proteins are the ultimate molecular nanomachines, with precise three-dimensional structures and high performance from a single molecule. Focusing on their capacity to evolve, the lab seeks to speed up and generalize the process of evolutionary molecular engineering and develop it into a technology for freely processing proteins as a material.
*Illustrative imageMaking Molecules Collaborate
When proteins, each of which works on its own as a single molecule, are made to "collaborate," even more remarkable functions emerge. The lab works on combining multiple enzymes to carry out multistep organic synthesis in a single vessel, and on creating complex information processing that links the detection of chemical signals to gene expression.
*Illustrative imageTranslating Engineering into the Language of DNA
This research rewrites the engineering technologies and chemistry that humanity has accumulated into the language of DNA, the only language that living organisms can understand and execute. By sharing molecular technologies with life on Earth, the lab aims to expand the potential of life as a chemical system.
MembersFaculty
The Umeno Lab is made up of faculty members, researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2025
- ProfessorDaisuke Umeno
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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: “Lysozyme Protein Crystal in Hanging-Drop Crystallization” Rohit Sharma / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Making Molecules Collaborate: “Petri dish 2” Drhx / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Translating Engineering into the Language of DNA: “Metal movable type” Willi Heidelbach / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kirimura Lab): “Aspergillus oryzae (koji)” Forrest O. / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kobori Lab): “Cutaway of a microfiltration module with hollow fiber membranes at a NEWater plant” Z22 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Suga Lab): “Nailoni süntees 2” Thctamm / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Oyaizu Lab): “Fabrication of nanosheet by cast film method” Botasuleimen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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