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Chemical Biology Lab
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A lab that develops chemical probes to visualize biomolecules and reactions in living systems.
AboutAbout the lab
Visualizing life phenomena through chemistry
The Chemical Biology Lab develops “chemical probes” that visualize biomolecules and reactions in living systems.
Chemical probes have a switch function that emits fluorescent or magnetic signals, and these signals make it possible to detect biomolecules and biological reactions.
The lab is developing a fluorescent probe that detects in vivo the activity of osteoclasts, which are involved in osteoporosis, and a labeling method for studying GLUT4, a protein involved in type 2 diabetes.
On the lab's website, it is introduced under the name “Kikuchi Lab.”
Key terms
- Chemical probe
- A molecule designed based on chemical principles. It has a switch function that produces fluorescent or magnetic signals, and is used to detect biomolecules and reactions
- Osteoclast
- A cell that dissolves bone. Abnormal activity can lead to conditions such as osteoporosis, in which bones become brittle
- Caged compound
- A compound in which a bioactive substance or drug is protected by a protecting group that can be removed with light. Light irradiation releases it at a specific place and time
NewsLab news
A student won a Poster Award at the 15th CSJ Chemistry Festa
A student won a Poster Award at the Fudan-ACS Publication Symposium
A student won a Poster Award at the 11th Takeda Science Foundation Symposium on PharmaSciences
ResearchResearch themes
From the standpoint of chemical biology, which is biological research using chemistry, the lab aims to create new research materials that can actually be used in biological research. It designs and synthesizes molecules whose fluorescence intensity, fluorescence color, or MRI contrast changes when they encounter molecules in the body, and applies them directly to biological research.
*Illustrative imageFluorescent probes that visualize cell functions in vivo
The lab develops fluorescent probes that detect the activity of osteoclasts, the cells that dissolve bone, inside living animals. The probe lights up the areas where bone is being dissolved, so the process can be observed in real time.
*Illustrative imageFluorescent labeling methods for proteins
A tag protein is attached to the protein of interest, which is then made to glow with a fluorescent probe that binds to the tag, allowing it to be tracked. Using a fluorogenic method in which fluorescence becomes stronger only upon binding, the lab has clarified the dynamics of GLUT4 and DNA methylation.
*Illustrative imageDevelopment of MRI probes
Using fluorine-19 (¹⁹F), which is almost absent from the body, as the observed nucleus, the lab creates probes whose MRI signal changes in response to enzymatic reactions. Using probes built on FLAME, a nanoparticle encapsulating fluorine compounds, the lab detected caspase activity in the body of a mouse.
*Illustrative imageDevelopment and applications of photoresponsive molecules
The lab studies caged compounds, which release bioactive substances or drugs at a specific place and time when exposed to light. It is also developing protecting groups that work with visible light and fluorescent molecules whose fluorescence properties change reversibly with light.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Chemical Biology Lab consist of faculty, research fellows, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, secretaries, and laboratory assistants.
- ProfessorKazuya Kikuchi
- Associate ProfessorMasafumi Minoshima
- Assistant ProfessorTomoya Yamamoto
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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: “Fluorescence microscopy with ZEISS Axiocam (cropped)” ZEISS Microscopy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Fluorescent probes that visualize cell functions in vivo: “Osteoclast” Robert M. Hunt at English Wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Fluorescent labeling methods for proteins: “Crystalized green fluorescence protein (GFP)” Honestresearcher / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Development of MRI probes: “MRI-Philips” Jan Ainali / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Development and applications of photoresponsive molecules: “A photoswitch attached to a PCP” RichardPeck / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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