Natural Products Chemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Chihiro Ito, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Yoshiaki Takaya, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Discovering medicinal resources through organic chemistry
2. Discovering bioactive organic compounds and studying their structures

Drug Informatics

Academic staff:

• Professor Fumiko Ohtsu, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Koichi Tanabe, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Takamasa Sakai, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Researching the proper use of medicinal products
2. Identifying risk factors, subjective symptoms, and healthcare economics related to the diagnosis of medicinal side effects
3. Studying medicines and pharmaceuticals that can meet on-site clinical needs
4. Developing a database for organizing information on medicinal side effects

Hygiene Chemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Hideto Jinno, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Yoshinori Okamoto, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Akira Aoki, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Studying the dynamics of environmental chemicals; how such chemicals interfere with the metabolism and the endocrine system; how their mutagenicity is expressed; and how they can be controlled
2. Conducting studies related to food hygiene and environmental contamination
3. Applying pluripotential stem cells to pharmaceutical health chemistry

Analytical Chemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Hajime Mizuno, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Susumu Imanishi, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Eiji Sugiyama, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Regulating cyanobacteria in aquatic ecosystems
2. Decomposing environmental pollutants using microorganisms
3. Deriving anticancer drugs from natural products, in line with ecosystem conservation (Yamaguchi)
4. Conducting in silico structural analysis of protein-ligand interactions (Yamaguchi)

Functional Molecular Chemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Osamu Hara, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Yasuhiro Nishikawa, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Design and application of novel binuclear metal complexes with pyrazole for asymmetric reactions
2. Development of highly chemoselective oxidation reactions utilizing C-H activation
3. Development of methodologies applying cationic heteroaromatics for selective activation by electronic charge transfer

Industrial Pharmacy

Academic staff:

• Professor Toshiyuki Niwa, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Keita Kondo, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Designing nanocrystals by conducting cryogenic grinding in liquid nitrogen
2. Designing dry nano-suspensions
3. Developing a new method for producing functional particle pharmaceuticals

Molecular Biology

Academic staff:

• Professor Tomiyasu Murata, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Kazunori Hashimoto, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Conducting molecular-cell biological studies on the onset mechanism of neurodegenerative disease and cancer
2. Studying the association of low-molecular-weight N-methyltransferase with Parkinson's disease
3. Studying the association of glyoxalase I with neurodegenerative disease and cancer
4. Examining how the formation of stress granules is associated with intracellular stress-activated response
5. Elucidating the onset mechanism of type 2 diabetes mellitus resulting from the failure of stress-activated response by pancreatic β cells
6. Studying the intracellular signal transduction that controls adipocyte differentiation

Biophysical Chemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Akifumi Oda, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Eiji Kurimoto, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Employing structural biology to study the ubiquitin-proteasome system
2. Applying protein characteristics to various biosensors

Pharmacognosy

Academic staff:

• Professor Mitsuhiko Nose, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Shinsuke Hisaka, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Performing scientific analysis of Chinese medicinal prescriptions
2. Conducting functional analysis of oxidatively modified proteins and studying how they can be controlled by herbal medicines and food-derived factors
3. Scientifically verifying conventional medical practice and medication and studying how they can be applied to drug discovery
4. Empirically studying folk remedies and establishing their proper usage

Physiology

Academic staff:

• Professor Kazunori Yukawa, M.D. & Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Takayuki Negishi, D.V.M. & Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Takamasa Tsuzuki, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Studying a new action mechanism for the axon guidance molecule Semaphorin
2. Researching a new action mechanism for the apoptosis-related molecule DAPK
3. Examining the cause of diabetes insipidus observed among model rats with hereditary cataracts (ICR/f)
4. Studying the onset mechanism of--and the treatment method for--type 1 diabetes mellitus
5. Assessing the influence of environmental chemicals on developing brains

Microbiology

Academic staff:

• Professor Keiichi Uchiya, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Takeaki Wajima, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Researching pathogenesis factors of Aspergillosis and inhibitors of those factors
2. Conducting epidemiological studies on nontuberculous mycobacteria infection based on genetic analysis; identifying pathogenesis factors; and developing a gene-diagnostic method
3. Analyzing the virulence gene of Salmonella
4. Developing methods for evidence-based infection control
5. Studying the structure and function of bioactive substances present in snake venom

Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Health Care Management

Academic staff:

• Professor Hiroyuki Kamei, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Manako Hanya, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Studying proper usage of medicinal products for psychiatric patients; analyzing pathology of mental disorders
2. Studying interactions between pharmacists and patients
3. Developing and establishing methods of pharmacotherapy
4. Developing a methodology for promoting the education of clinical pharmacists

Pathobiochemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Shuhei Yamada, M.S.
• Associate Professor Yukiyasu Toyoda, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Shuji Mizumoto, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Functions, structure, biosynthesis, metabolism, and medical application of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans
2. Biochemical studies on the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis and metabolism of glycans aiming at their medical application
3. Mechanism of hepatic glucose metabolism in mammals; development of preventives and remedies for diabetes mellitus and obesity
4. Nutritional assessments of semi-solid enteral nutrients

Molecular Design and Synthesis

Academic staff:

• Associate Professor Takeo Sakai, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Development of new synthetic reactions using oxiranyl anion as a nucleophilic epoxide
2. Development of new strategies for the synthesis of oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds
3. Total synthesis of bioactive marine polycyclic ethers produced by toxic dinoflagellates
4. Synthesis and application of new superacid anions
5. Development of new Lewis acid catalysis characterized by electron-withdrawing cyclopentadienides

Medicinal Chemistry

Academic staff:

• Professor Shinji Kitagaki, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Keisuke Yoshida, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Studying functional molecules based on a novel framework
2. Developing multicomponent reactions and one-pot reactions toward the efficient synthesis of natural products
3. Searching for novel anti-tumor substances and anti-tumor promoters in plant resources
4. Researching seed compounds regarding the differentiation of ES and iPS cells

Analytical Pharmacology

Academic staff:

• Associate Professor Ryoji Kojima, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Studying the onset and progress mechanism of diabetic nephropathy
2. Researching the structure and functions of a new molecular chaperone, Osp94, and cell cycle-related molecules
3. Improving pharmacotherapy for treating patients suffering from renal failure

Pharmaceutics

Academic staff:

• Professor Masayuki Nadai, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Miki Katoh, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor Yukiko Sakakibara, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. In vivo and in vitro pharmacokinetic analysis
2. Research on the nature and mechanism of pharmacokinetic changes in pathological states

Chemical Pharmacology

Academic staff:

• Professor Masayuki Hiramatsu, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Takayoshi Mamiya, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Daisuke Ibi, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Elucidation of pathological mechanisms and prevention of dementia, and development of new therapeutic drugs
2. Studying stress-mediated neuropsychiatric disorders
3. Development of animal models and new therapies for stress-related diseases
4. Elucidation of the mechanism underlying drug dependence (methamphetamine and nicotine)

Drug Delivery Research

Academic staff:

• Professor Hirokazu Okamoto, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Tomoyuki Okuda, Ph.D.

Research themes:

1. Conducting studies related to the development of inhalants for gene delivery
2. Studying a new method for formulating inhalants
3. Studying the proper usage of inhalants

Molecular and Cancer Medicine

Academic staff:

• Professor Kiyoshi Yanagisawa, Ph.D.