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Human Evolution and Functional Genomics Lab
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The lab explores the origins of what makes us human through the genome.
AboutAbout the lab
Uncovering the origins of what makes us human through the genome
The lab studies the mechanisms by which features unique to humans, not found in other animals, arise.
By combining evolutionary genomics with stem cell technology, it seeks to uncover the origins of what makes us human at the molecular and cellular levels.
Humans acquired a huge brain and high cognitive abilities, but they also bear an evolutionary cost: a susceptibility to psychiatric and neurological disorders and cancer.
The lab belongs to the Division of Brain and Neural Engineering in the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences.
Key terms
- Evolutionary genomics
- A field that compares the genomes (the complete set of genes) of different organisms to trace the path of evolution
- iPS cells
- Cells made from the cells of the body that can turn into many different types of cells
- Brain organoid
- A mass of cells with a brain-like structure, grown from iPS cells in a culture dish
ResearchResearch themes
The lab combines evolutionary genomics with stem cell technology to uncover the origins of what makes us human at the molecular and cellular levels. Humans acquired a huge brain and high cognitive abilities, but they also bear an evolutionary cost: a susceptibility to psychiatric and neurological disorders and cancer.
*Illustrative imageFinding and studying human-specific genes
By comparing the human genome with those of primates, the lab searches for genomic regions that changed uniquely during human evolution. It tests their functions using brain organoids derived from human iPS cells and advanced gene-editing technologies, and takes on understanding the fundamental principles shared by human evolution and the formation of disease.
*Illustrative imageHow the brain evolved to become larger
During evolution, humans greatly expanded the brain and acquired complex neural circuits that support advanced cognitive functions. The lab aims to elucidate how human-specific genetic changes altered the developmental program of the brain, across levels from the genome to cells to the whole organism.
MembersFaculty
The lab's page introduces a Professor and an Assistant Professor.As of 2026
- ProfessorIkuo Suzuki
- Assistant ProfessorYuki Yamauchi
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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: “Primate skull series with legend cropped-ar” Primate_skull_series_with_legend_cropped.png: *Primate_skull_series_with_legend.png: Christopher Walsh, Harvard Medical School derivative work: Gary2863 (talk) derivative work: باسم / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Finding and studying human-specific genes: “013 Alpha male chimpanzee at Kibale forest National Park Photo by Giles Laurent” Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How the brain evolved to become larger: “Creation by Evolution (1928) p320 brain of human child” Grafton Elliot Smith / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Brain Engineering Lab): “A segment of pyramidal cell dendrite from stratum radiatum (CA1)” Dr. Kristen M. Harris / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Robot Manipulation Lab): “Humanoid robot at Science Square Tsukuba 4” Syced / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ubiquitin Biology Lab): “Ubiquitin cartoon-2” Rogerdodd / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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