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1,294 labs · 618 student voices
Satoshi Tanaka, Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Cellular Biochemistry Lab studies how placental stem cells differentiate and how gene function is regulated. The mammalian body develops from a fertilized egg, and cells, influenced by their surroundings, differentiate into specific cell types. The lab focuses on the placenta, an organ characteristic of mammals, and conducts basic research on the differentiation of its stem cells. The lab is also studying the mechanisms of RNA splicing and "RNA diseases," which arise from defects in splicing and related processes.
Sugiura Koji, Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Applied Genetics Lab studies how the ovaries of mammals develop and how sperm are produced. Using techniques from reproductive engineering and developmental engineering, the lab introduces genes into eggs, sperm, tissues, and whole animals to examine gene function and its regulation. This approach of deliberately altering genes to investigate their function is called reverse genetics. Undergraduate students from the Major in Animal Life Sciences and the Major in Veterinary Medical Sciences, and graduate students from the Department of Animal Resource Sciences, belong to the lab.
Taisuke Tomita, Professor
Medicine & Healthcare1 student voices
The lab studies the pathology of neuropsychiatric diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, autism, and Parkinson's disease. Using biochemistry and molecular biology, the lab investigates what happens at the molecular and cellular levels, using both cultured cells and animal models. From this work, the lab aims to identify new drug targets and publish findings that lead to the development of therapeutics. The lab also pursues collaborative research with researchers in organic chemistry, structural biology, and clinical medicine, as well as with pharmaceutical companies.
Hiroyuki Kusuhara, Professor
Medicine & Healthcare1 student voices
The Molecular Pharmacokinetics Lab studies how drugs are absorbed, distributed, and excreted in the body. The lab investigates the factors that determine how drugs move, in particular the mechanisms by which drugs pass through cell membranes. By incorporating into mathematical models the actions of transporters, which carry substances across membranes, and of drug-metabolizing enzymes, the lab aims to predict drug efficacy and side effects from the dose. The lab also works on developing treatments for intractable pediatric liver diseases, and on research that uses computers to convert data on chemical compounds and pathology images into numerical form.
Shohei Hori, Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Immunology and Microbiology Lab studies how the immune system determines "self" through its interactions with the environment. Even organisms that are genetically "non-self," such as gut bacteria, are largely judged by the immune system to be part of "self," and coexist with it rather than being eliminated. When this mechanism of immune tolerance breaks down, it leads to the onset of autoimmune diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, allergy, cancer, and infectious diseases. The lab focuses on regulatory T cells that respond to "self," aiming to elucidate the underlying principles and to apply the resulting findings to the treatment of diseases.
Toshiyuki Shimizu, Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Protein Structural Biology Lab determines the three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules such as proteins, and of their complexes, at the atomic level. Structural biology is a field that seeks to understand how molecules function and how biological phenomena arise by depicting the shapes and interactions of molecules in a visible form. Built around X-ray crystallography, the lab also incorporates small-angle X-ray scattering and single-particle analysis by cryo-electron microscopy. With applications to drug discovery in mind, the lab targets biological macromolecules that are important from medical and pharmaceutical perspectives.
Yasushi Saeki, Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Protein Dynamics Lab studies the mechanisms by which proteins that are no longer needed are degraded inside cells. The ubiquitin-proteasome system selectively degrades abnormal proteins and proteins that have finished their roles. When this degradation machinery breaks down, it leads to diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer, as well as aging of the organism. Using mass spectrometry, quantitative imaging, and model mice, the lab aims to elucidate these molecular mechanisms and contribute to drug discovery research.
Yusuke Kishi, Associate Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Molecular Neurobiology Lab studies the roles that epigenetics, the memory system of the cell, plays in the brain. Chemical modifications attached to DNA and histones work like bookmarks, supporting the mechanism by which only the genes a given cell needs are read. By combining genome analysis technologies with techniques from genetics and neuroscience, the lab aims to understand changes in the brain caused by aging, stress, and psychiatric disorders.
Shigeo Murata, Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Protein Metabolism Lab studies how the proteasome, the main protein-degradation machinery inside cells, controls cellular function. The proteasome degrades proteins tagged with ubiquitin and plays an essential role in many biological processes, including the cell cycle and signal transduction. The lab uses a wide range of approaches, including cell biology, biochemistry, mouse genetic engineering, and yeast and Drosophila genetics. The lab aims to elucidate how abnormalities in the amount or activity of the proteasome lead to diseases and conditions such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and aging.
Yuichiro Nakajima, Associate Professor
Bio & Life Sciences1 student voices
The Genetics Lab studies "plasticity of cell fate," the ability of cells to change their properties and roles in response to circumstances. Animal bodies maintain homeostasis while responding to environmental changes such as nutrition, temperature, injury, and inflammation, and plasticity underlies this ability. Plasticity is essential for an organism's adaptation, but it is also thought to be closely linked to chronic inflammation and to functional changes that accompany aging. Through comparative studies using fruit flies (Drosophila) and jellyfish, the lab seeks to uncover the common principles of plasticity in living systems.
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