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Biorecognition Chemistry Lab
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How do cancer cells spread?
AboutAbout the lab
Tracing how cancer becomes more malignant.
The Biorecognition Chemistry Lab (Miki Lab) studies the mechanisms by which cancer cells become increasingly malignant.
Most cancers arise from epithelial cells that are tightly attached to one another; as genetic mutations accumulate, the cells leave the epithelial layer, spread, and metastasize to other organs.
Many mysteries remain about how cancer cells leave their tissue and invade neighboring tissue.
The lab investigates this process using experimental animals such as mice and cultured mammalian cells.
Key terms
- Epithelial cell
- A cell that covers surfaces such as the surface of the body or the inside of the intestine, lined up tightly with no gaps
- Invasion
- The process in which cancer cells move from their original location into surrounding tissue and spread
- Organoid
- A small, organ-like tissue made by growing cells three-dimensionally in gel
ResearchResearch themes
Many oncogenes involved in cell proliferation and survival have been identified, but how the properties of epithelial cells change within the three-dimensional architecture of tissue, as in invasion and metastasis, is still poorly understood. The lab focuses on PRL, a molecule frequently seen in colorectal cancer metastasis, and CNNM, which it identified as a target of PRL.
*Illustrative imageMagnesium and the malignant progression of cancer
The lab identified CNNM as a target of PRL and showed that it is a membrane protein that transports magnesium. It also showed that in mice lacking CNNM4 in the intestine, polyp cells become malignant and many cancers form that invade as far as the muscle layer.
*Illustrative imageCell-to-cell dialogue and invasion
When epithelial cells were made to produce PRL, their shape changed substantially only when they were surrounded by normal cells, and some cells burrowed into the gel below. Communication between cells may trigger invasion, and the lab is investigating the mechanism.
*Illustrative imageStudying with intestinal organoids
Intestinal epithelium can be grown three-dimensionally in gel as an organoid culture. Using this method, the lab investigates the roles of PRL/CNNM in the proliferation and differentiation of normal intestinal epithelium, and in the process by which intestinal epithelium becomes cancerous.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biorecognition Chemistry Lab include faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorHiroaki Miki
- Associate ProfessorYosuke Funato
- Assistant ProfessorOsamu Hashizume
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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: “3D cell invasion assay” Kavmic / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Magnesium and the malignant progression of cancer: “Crystal structure of PRL-3 phosphatase in complex with the Bateman domain of CNNM3 magnesium transporter” Kozlov G, Zhang H, Gehring K / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Cell-to-cell dialogue and invasion: “Patterns of cancer cell invasion” N. V. Krakhmal, M. V. Zavyalova, E. V. Denisov, S. V. Vtorushin, and V. M. Perelmuter / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Studying with intestinal organoids: “SI organoid 1” Abhimanu.pandey / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Polymer Functions Lab): “Polymer organische Solarzelle 01” Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Catalytic Reaction Chemistry Lab): “SPring-8 synchrotron SP8 BL01B1” Drac2000 at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Transport Phenomena Lab): “A starling murmuration at Galashiels - geograph.org.uk - 5991163” Walter Baxter / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Organic Molecular Materials Lab): “Close UP photo of lg c1 oled” TECH EDU / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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