Research Projects

Research Abstract

We aim to achieve valuable research accomplishments for science and society in order to scientize “humans” in four main fields: life, health, environment, and materials. Our main research objects are nucleic acids such as DNAs and RNAs. DNAs, which preserve the genetic information in a cell, generally form double-helix structures. However, recent studies have revealed that non-canonical structures other than a double helix can form locally and temporarily in response to a change in the molecular environment around DNAs. These structural changes of DNAs have an impact on RNAs, which are produced based on the genetic information in the DNA sequence, and on the translated proteins, which are synthesized based on the RNA sequence. As a result, these changes may cause acquired diseases such as cancer. To focus on the non-canonical structures of nucleic acids, we are evaluating the chemical regulation of cellular functions in basic research studies and the development of new therapies for diseases as applied research. In particular, the cellular responses to a change in chemical environment are quantitatively analyzed by focusing on the non-canonical structures and the reaction mechanism occurring at the molecular level. Furthermore, we are establishing methodologies for controlling the nucleic acid structures in a cell using “chemical” tools such as synthetic molecules, which can be utilized as regulatory molecules of the cellular response. Consequently, we aim to pioneer a novel research field of medical-engineering cooperation, termed “pre-emptive therapeutics and engineering based on nucleic acids”, whose concept is regulation of the non-canonical structures of nucleic acids associated with diseases at a pre-critical stage. This new field of “pre-emptive therapeutics and engineering based on nucleic acids” is expected to provide new technologies for medical engineering with a high social demand, by focusing on the non-canonical structures of nucleic acids as well as conventional genetic engineering methods based on their sequences and double-helix structures.