Chief Scientist
Hiroyuki OSADA (D.Agr.)

Research Areas

Small molecules produced by microorganisms have diversity in chemical structures and biological activities. The Antibiotics Laboratory is focusing on the isolation of new compounds that regulate the mammalian cell function from microbial metabolites. Cellular factors involved in proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in mammalian cells are molecular targets to be inhibited by the chemical compounds. The compounds isolated from microorganisms are deposited in the newly established Natural Products Depository RIKEN (NPDepo), which makes chemical libraries. The laboratory is also devoted to the cloning of biosynthetic gene clusters of microbial secondary metabolites, the investigation of the molecular interaction between small molecules and their binding proteins, and proteomic analyses of drug targets. The research will provide the biochemical tools to investigate the complex biochemical processes of the mammalian cell functions and also establish the foundation for developing new medicines such as antitumor agents.

Research Subject

1. Microbiological and chemical approach for exploitation of novel bioprobes.
2. Identification of molecular targets of bioprobes.
3. Mining and functional analysis of molecular targets.

Related links

1. RIKEN Advanced Science Institute Website_Laboratories Page
2. Individual Website Laboratory Page

RIKEN RESEARCH

October 29,2010

Searching for purpose in proteins
A small-molecule screening method helps scientists probe mysteries of protein function

March 14, 2008

Helping pollen out of its coat
New insights into how pollen matures could also hold the key to strategies for improving agricultural biotechnology

January 26, 2007

Dividing cells stopped in their tracks
A novel compound starves tumor cells and immune lymphocytes