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Molecular Life and Environmental Process Lab
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A lab that uncovers how the surfaces of microorganisms work and applies the findings to wastewater treatment and manufacturing.
AboutAbout the lab
Building environmental technology from the bacterial surface.
The Hori Lab studies bacteria, which are single-celled microorganisms.
With two major themes, interfacial microbial engineering and wastewater treatment and environmental remediation, the lab handles research from basic science through to practical application.
It investigates the structure and function of the microbial cell surface and its interactions with material surfaces, and aims to create new technologies based on these findings.
It also continues research on wastewater treatment and environmental remediation using microorganisms, aiming to turn it into technology that is used in society.
Key terms
- Cell surface
- The outermost part of a cell. It handles the exchange of substances with the outside and adhesion to material surfaces
- Biofilm
- A film that microorganisms form together with sticky substances after attaching to a surface. The slime in a kitchen sink is one example
- Immobilization
- A technology that holds microorganisms or enzymes on a carrier (a supporting material) so that they can be used repeatedly
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received the Ueda Encouragement Award and the Outstanding Poster Award of the Biotechnology Division at the 57th Autumn Meeting of the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan
A paper on the carbon metabolism of a highly adhesive bacterium was published in Frontiers in Microbiology
An Assistant Professor received an Outstanding Presentation Award at IBS2026
The lab elucidated why bacterial "hairs" do not come off even when pulled, and issued a press release
The lab accepts lab visits at any time and is recruiting students who wish to go on to a PhD
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to uncover how microorganisms and biomolecules work, and to use techniques such as genetic and protein engineering and synthetic biology to create efficient, practical microbial and biomolecular processes. Its research rests on two pillars: interfacial microbial engineering, and wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.
*Illustrative imageInterfacial Microbial Engineering
The lab examines the structure and function of the microbial cell surface at the molecular level, remodels the surface, and develops new technologies such as microbial immobilization. It also studies how to control adhesion and biofilm formation.
*Illustrative imageImmobilizing Microbes with a Highly Adhesive Bacterium
Using the fibrous structures covering the surface (bacterionanofibers) of Tol 5, a highly adhesive bacterium found in an exhaust gas treatment system, the lab developed a technology to immobilize microbial catalysts so that they can be reused.
*Illustrative imageWastewater Treatment with Oil-Degrading Microbes
The lab created microorganisms with excellent oil-degrading ability and developed a system that degrades and removes the high concentrations of oil found in real wastewater. The system makes use of symbiosis between oil-degrading microbes and microbes that utilize the degradation products.
MembersFaculty
The Hori Lab's members include faculty, researchers, technical assistants, secretaries, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKatsutoshi Hori
- Associate ProfessorAtsuo Suzuki
- LecturerHajime Nakatani
- Assistant ProfessorShogo Yoshimoto
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: “Pseudomonas” Photo Credit: Janice Haney Carr Content Providers(s): CDC/ Janice Haney Carr / Public domain (cropped)
- Interfacial Microbial Engineering: “Biofilm ( )” AJC1 from UK / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Immobilizing Microbes with a Highly Adhesive Bacterium: “E. coli fimbriae” (Image: Manu Forero) / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Wastewater Treatment with Oil-Degrading Microbes: “Aeration tank of activated sludge sewage treatment plant near Adelaide” Marcos von Sperling / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (生命超分子化学研究グループ): “Dna-163466” PublicDomainPictures / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (機能材料化学研究グループ): “NASA astronaut Jonny Kim removes research hardware from inside the Materials Science Laboratory (iss073e0222456)” NASA Johnson Space Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (触媒設計学研究グループ): “Catalytic converter ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (有機反応化学研究グループ): “Prentice Hall Molecular Model Set for General Organic Chemistry 8139” Bin im Garten / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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