LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Molecular Cell Informatics Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab reveals, at the atomic level, the shapes of membrane proteins that serve as drug targets.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding life and drugs through the “shapes” of molecules
The Molecular Cell Informatics Lab (Iwata Lab) studies the three-dimensional structures of membrane proteins that are involved in disease and are the targets of many drugs.
Looked at closely, how the body functions and how diseases arise come down to the “shapes” of molecules and the interactions between them.
The lab mainly determines structures by X-ray crystallography. Based on those structures, it also works on computational design of new drugs and simulations of molecular motion.
The lab carries out its research in collaboration with a synchrotron facility in the UK and SACLA, Japan's X-ray free-electron laser facility, and welcomes researchers and graduate students who want to work internationally.
Key terms
- Membrane protein
- A protein embedded in the membrane that surrounds a cell. It receives signals and moves substances in and out of the cell
- X-ray crystallography
- A method of determining how atoms are arranged by shining X-rays on a protein crystal
- GPCR
- A large group of receptors that receive signals from outside the cell and relay them inside. Many drugs target them
NewsLab news
Published in PNAS how receptors select G proteins, based on the structure of the S1P receptor 3
Published in Nat Struct Mol Biol the structure of the ghrelin receptor bound to a drug
Published in Nat Commun how the human vesicular monoamine transporter distinguishes neurotransmitters
Professor So Iwata awarded the Takeda Medical Prize
Published in Nat Struct Mol Biol how hepatitis B virus binds to its infection receptor
ResearchResearch themes
Membrane proteins form the foundation of cellular function, transmitting signals across the membrane, transporting substances, and producing energy, and they are also important as drug targets. The lab aims to deepen understanding of how cells work by determining their three-dimensional structures, and to efficiently search for drug candidates based on those structures.
View More ↗
MembersFaculty
The Molecular Cell Informatics Lab (Iwata Lab) consists of faculty members, researchers and technical staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, and administrative office staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorSo Iwata
- Associate ProfessorNorimichi Nomura
- Program-Specific Associate ProfessorHidetsugu Asada
- Program-Specific Associate ProfessorTsuyoshi Imasaki
- Assistant ProfessorMakoto Adachi
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Molecular Cell Informatics Lab
Molecular and Cellular Physiology LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineWhether or not it reaches consciousness, the human body main…
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineOtorhinolaryngology–head and neck surgery, dealing with dive…
Laboratory Animal Science LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineTo what extent can human biological phenomena be reconstitut…
Functional Micromorphology LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineThe human body is composed of cell populations with diverse …The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Platform for protein crystallography and X-ray scattering” Evgeny Pelevin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Solving the three-dimensional structures of human membrane proteins: “CSIRO ScienceImage 296 Protein Crystals Use in XRay Crystallography” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular and Cellular Physiology Lab): “Taste bud esp” NEUROtiker / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Lab): “Cochlea showing hair cells ( )” eLife - the journal / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Laboratory Animal Science Lab): “Eppendorf pipet” Jucember / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Functional Micromorphology Lab): “Macaca fascicularis Ao Nang 5” kallerna / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.