Associate Chief Scientist
Katsunori TANAKA (Ph.D.)

Research Areas

Although many efficient bond-forming reactions have been developed in the synthetic organic chemistry field, these are rarely applied to the labeling or the conjugation methods in the live cells or animals. We are synthetically exploring the overlooked and therefore unique reactivity of the imines, which are readily derived from the various amines in biosystem, hinted by the true bioactive structures of the biomacromolecules in vivo; the new reactivity of imines could then be used to challenge the multi-step synthesis of the biofunctional molecules in living animals. For examples, we are investigating the method called "synthetic surgery", which could directly generate the bioactive natural products for remedy at any time and at any regions inside the body, by executing the cascade organic transformations and/or by generating the reagents for the specific transformations in the serum or on the target organs. Alternatively, our concept termed as "in vivo templated synthesis" could make the target organs or the biomacromolecules in living animals by themselves to generate the "most suited molecules" for their diagnosis and/or functional regulation purposes.

Research Subject

1. Exploring Unrevealed Reactivity of Imines and Post-Translational Modification
2. Establishment of Noninvasive Synthetic Surgery: Multi-step Synthesis in Living Animal
3. Synthesis of Biofunctional Molecules by In Vivo Templated and Microfluidic Approach

Related links

1. RIKEN Advanced Science Institute Website_Laboratories Page