Division of Systemic Life Science

Laboratory of Functional Biology

Research summary

Research outline

Using animal models of human diseases, such as neurodegenerations, cancers, and obesity-related diseases, and using metabolite imaging techniques, we aim to elucidate molecular bases of such diseases and develop new therapeutic agents or strategies to cure or prevent them.
One of the main features of life science research in the coming years will be that the results obtained from fundamental research should ideally be directly connected to the good of society. From this standpoint, in addition to handling topics with high scientific significance, we aim to contribute to the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and obesity-related diseases from our research results.
We hold the same view on scientific education, and through training individuals to communicate their ideas logically yet effectively, as well as by nurturing their creativity, in addition to strengthening their practical research skills, we aim to cultivate opinion leaders standing at the core of life science research in the 21st century.

Main themes

In our laboratory, the following three human diseases are taken up as the research of the higher order control system in the organism, and how the organism control system is broken in these diseases is studied.

  1. Researches aiming to understand the molecular mechanisms that disrupt the survival and maintenance of function of nerve cells in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease, as well as to prevent or cure the neurodegenerative diseases
  2. Researches aiming to clarify the mechanism of cell death that breaks down in cancer cells, and to establish a new treatment strategy that causes cell death specifically in cancer cells by repairing the breakdown.
  3. Researches aiming to clarify the regulation mechanism of energy and lipid metabolism in vivo which is collapsed by obesity and diabetes from the viewpoint of the action of the nuclear receptor.

Member

KAKIZUKA, AkiraProfessor

kakizuka.akira.5n*kyoto-u.ac.jp See faculty
information

IMAMURA, HiromiAssociate Professor

imamura.hiromi.7a*kyoto-u.ac.jp See faculty
information

KOIKE, MasaakiAssistant Professor

koike.masaaki.7n*kyoto-u.ac.jp See faculty
information
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Access

Faculty of Medicine Campus, Science Frontier Laboratory

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