Researchers List

Division of Life Innovation
Division of NeuroHealth Innovation
Division of Biotechnology

Takayuki Shindo

Head of the Division
Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Cardiovascular Research, Developmental engineering

Research Theme: ・Therapeutic and diagnostic strategies for lifestyle-related and chronic diseases via AM-RAMP targeting
・Novel vascular homeostasis-based approaches to control cancer metastasis and ocular diseases
・Development of novel genome editing tools and advanced disease model mice

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Naoki Tanaka

Professor
(Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Hepatology/Gastroenterology, Metabolism, Clinical Nutrition

Research Theme: ・Diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) and development of new therapies
・Development of new therapies for liver fibrosis
・Effects of diet on intestinal microbiota and gut/liver
・Development of plant-derived functional foods to prevent obesity-related diseases

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Shigeru Katayama

Deputy Director
Professor (Institute of Agriculture)
Ph. D. in Fisheries Sciences

Research Field: Improvement of bioactive compounds by chemical, enzymatic and genetic modifications

Research Theme: We investigate the health functionality of food-derived bioactive compounds and their improvement by different kinds of modification techniques

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Takeshi Shimosato

Professor (Institute of Agriculture)
Ph. D. in Agriculture

Research Field: Molecular Biotechnology

Research Theme: Immunomodulation of oligodeoxynucleotide particles via oral delivery

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Ryoichi Arai

Professor (Institute of Textile Science and Technology)
Ph. D. in Engineering

Research Field: Protein engineering, Structural Biology, Synthetic Biology

Research Theme: We conduct protein engineering research to design, develop and apply useful artificial and engineered proteins, and structural biology research to analyze protein structure and function. In particular, we aim for biomolecular innovation by using protein nanobuilding blocks.

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Takayuki Sakurai

Associate Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Science

Research Field: Developmental Engineering, Genome Editing, Developmental Biology

Research Theme: Generation of novel disease and multifactorial disease model mice
Generation of novel genome editing technology
Study for mammalian embryo development and generation of embryo manipulation technology

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Takefumi Kimura

Senior Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Translational Research in Liver Diseases

Research Theme: Translational research to elucidate predictors, mechanisms, and therapeutic targets of fibrosis and liver-related events in chronic liver diseases including MASLD, autoimmune liver diseases, and viral hepatitis.

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Akiko Kamiyoshi

Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Metabolism, Endocrinology

Research Theme: Regulation of energy metabolism of adipocytes by bioactive peptide
Mechanisms of liver protection by bioactive peptide

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Wataru Nomura

Assistant Professor (Institute of Agriculture)
Ph. D. in Agriculture

Research Field: Applied Molecular Cell Biology

Research Theme: Regulatory mechanisms of signal transduction under conditions of environmental stress in yeast
Regulation of enzymes in the yeast fermentation pathway and its relationship to stress responses

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Fu Namai

Assistant Professor (Institute of Agriculture)
Ph.D. in Agriculture

Research Field: Animal science

Research Theme: The Mechanism for Maintaining Intestinal Homeostasis by Gut Bacteria and the Host

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Megumu Tanaka

Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (School of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Onco-cardiology, Vascular biology

Research Theme: Elucidation of the mechanism of suppressing cancer metastasis by maintaining vascular homeostasis
Elucidation of the mechanism of benign cancer-associated fibroblasts by bioactive peptides

Katsuhiko Tabuchi

Head of the Division
Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Neurophysiology

Research Theme: To investigate the mechanisms of synapse formation and functions focusing on synaptic cell adhesion molecules that are also related to neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia.

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Masahide Yazaki

Director
Professor (Institute of Health Sciences)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Neurology, Protein metabolism

Research Theme: Elucidation of pathophysiology on amyloidoses and establishment of novel therapeutic approaches

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Shizue Masuki

Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Environmental physiology (including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)

Research Theme: Development of an evidence-based exercise training program for preventive medicine

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Kazuyoshi Yamauchi

Professor (Institute of Health Sciences)
Ph. D. in Engineering

Research Field: Laboratory medicine for apolipoprotein E-related diseases

Research Theme: We aim to investigate the pathophysiological roles of post-translational modifications of apoE—especially redox modifications—in the development and progression of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, and to explore the potential of the apoE redox state as a basis for novel biomarker development.

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Yoshiki Sekijima

Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Neurology, Clinical genetics, Amyloidosis

Research Theme: Pathogenesis of and novel therapeutic strategies to ameliorate the transthyretin amyloidoses.
Early Diagnosis of transthyretin-type cerebral amyloid angiopathy

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Kazuyuki Matsuda

Professor (Institute of Health Sciences)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Pathological Examination
Pathological Medical Chemistry

Research Theme: Pathogenic analysis of fibrogenesis using co-culture system
Pathogenic analysis of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia using iPS cells

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Keiichi Higuchi

Specially Appointed Professor
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Aging Biology (Aging and Anti-aging Research)

Research Theme: Biomedical Research on Aging and Age-related Diseases
1. Amyloidosis
2. Anti-aging treatment
3. Senescence Accelerated Mouse (SAM)

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Yoshinori Shirai

Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicene)
Ph. D. in Science

Research Field: Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology

Research Theme: Molecular mechanism of Neuropsychiatric Disease

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Tsuneaki Yoshinaga

Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Amyloidosis, General Neurology

Research Theme: Biochemical tissue deposited amyloid from tiny tissue samples using Laser microdissection and LC-MS/MS

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Emi Suzuki-Kouyama

Assistant Professor (School of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Engineering

Research Field: Neuroscience, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Research Theme: Molecular mechanisms of neural development in animal models of developmental disorders and the development of therapeutic strategies via pharmacological and genetic approaches.

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Mayuko Morikawa

Assistant Professor (Graduate School of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Environmental physiology (including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)

Research Theme: Development of exercise prescriptions to prevent life-style related diseases and physical disability in middle-aged and older males and females

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Mitsuto Sato

Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (School of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: ATTR amyloidosis, hereditary spinocerebellar degeneration

Research Theme: 1. Elucidation of the pathogenesis of wild-type ATTR amyloidosis and identification of biomarkers applicable to early diagnosis and treatment.
2. Development of nucleic acid-based therapeutics for hereditary spinocerebellar degenerative diseases.

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Takeshi Uemura

Head of the Division
Professor (Institute of Humanities)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Molecular Brain Science

Research Theme: We study the mechanisms of neural circuit formation and regulation underlying higher brain functions, and how their disruption leads to neuropsychiatric disorders. We also develop functional biomaterials that support cellular function.

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Sachie Hiratsuka

Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Tumorigenesis, Tumor metastasis

Research Theme: A primary tumor prepares the preferable microenvironment in the secondary organ before metastasis. We are trying to establish of diagnosis and therapy for early metastasis, especially focusing on the pre-metastatic phase.

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Yuji Shiba

Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Cardiac regeneration, Stem cell biology

Research Theme: Stem cell therapy for cardiac repair

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Takeshi Hosaka

Associate Professor (Institute of Agriculture)
Ph. D. in Engineering

Research Field: Applied Microbiology, Antibiotics

Research Theme: The truth about antibiotics and antibiotic producers: their understanding and applications

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Kaoru Aoki

Professor (Institute of Health Science)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Drug Delivery System for Anticancer Drugs for Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Research Theme: Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare cancer, and research and development of therapeutic agents have not progressed as much as in the case of carcinomas. I am developing drug delivery systems to improve the efficacy and reduce the side effects of conventional anticancer drugs for bone and soft tissue sarcomas.

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Naoto Saito

Specially Appointed Professor (School of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Orthopedic surgery, Rehabilitation medicine, Bone metabolism, Medical and biological engineering, Biomaterial, Nano-biotechnology

Research Theme: Application of nano-carbons for biomaterials
Safety evaluation of nano-carbons
Scaffold materials for bone tissue regeneration
Development of novel artificial joint and spinal fusion implant

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Hisao Haniu

Associate Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Biotechnology and Biomaterials, Nanobioscience, Risk sciences of radiation and chemicals, Environmental impact assessment

Research Theme: Safety evaluation and basic science of carbon nanotube and other nanomaterials for medical application.
Development of evaluation methods using proteomic technique for personalized safety.

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Takeshi Tomita

Associate Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Science

Research Field: Biochemistry, Protein structure and function

Research Theme: Molecular mechanisms of inflammatory responses controlled by zinc finger proteins
Functional analysis of Non-histone chromatin proteins
Structure and function of serum amyloid proteins

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Masaki Ihara

Associate Professor (Institute of Agriculture)
Ph. D. in Engineering

Research Field: Protein Engineering, Metabolic Engineering

Research Theme: We are trying to establish the green bio-refinery industry using microalgae re-enegineered by protein engineering and metabolic engineering techniques.

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Shin Kadota

Senior Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Stem cell biology, Cardiology

Research Theme: Development of the cardiac regenerative therapy using pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs), Search for novel factors to enhance maturation of PSC-CMs, Development of the biopacemaker using PSC-CMs

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Daihachiro Tomotsune

Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Science

Research Field: Anatomy, Embryology, Molecular Biology, Epigenetics

Research Theme: Stability and variability of differentiation state in human pluripotent stem cells

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Masayoshi Kato

Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Science

Research Field: Cell biology and Molecular biology

Research Theme: Questing of the signal transduction controlling actin cytoskeletal reorganization.
The study is performed focusing on the signal transduction regulating cell movements such as migration, fusion, adhesion, vesicle transport, chemotaxis, and invasion of cancer cell.

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Chifumi Fujii

Assistant Professor (Institute of Medicine)
Ph. D. in Science

Research Field: Biochemistry, Molecular Oncology

Research Theme: The roles of inflammation and microenvironment in cancer progression
Study on the novel therapeutic approach to cancer with inflammasome inhibitors

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Eiko Kato

Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (Institute for Biomedical Sciences)
Ph. D. in Medicine

Research Field: Neuroscience, Cell biology

Research Theme: Studies on the development of functional biomaterials
Studies on the mechanisms of neural circuit formation and regulation

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