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Life Sciences: 43
- Life Sciences
- Information and Communication
- Nanotechnology / Materials
- Manufacturing Technology
- Human and Social Sciences
- Energy
- Environment
- Tourism / Community development
- Arctic Research
- Social Infrastructure
- Open Facilities
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Tumor Angiogenesis Inhibitor Screening System
A cell-based screening assay system for the development of tumor angiogenesis inhibitors
We aim to realize cell-based screening using tumor vascular endothelial cells, and contribute to the development of next-generation angiogenesis inhibitor therapies by overcoming problems of existing angiogenesis inhibitors (side effects, lack of companion diagnostics).
Research
Thanks to the development of molecular targeted therapies, antiangiogenic agents are now widely used. However, there are problems such as the lack of companion diagnostics to predict therapeutic effects and side effects due to injury to normal blood vessels.
We have successfully isolated and cultured human tumor vascular endothelial cells and have identified specific markers that they express. Tumor vascular endothelial cells expressing these markers are valuable materials for cell-based screening of novel drugs and compounds, and help us identify new therapeutic targets and drugs that cannot be discovered by studies using conventional tumor cell lines or clinical tumor tissue fragments. Markers expressed by these tumor vascular endothelial cells can also be used as companion diagnostics. This will contribute to the realization of personalized treatment by selecting the target cases as well as the timing and duration of administration with angiogenesis inhibitors.Kyoko Hida Professor -
Understanding the Effects of Monoploidy on Animal Individual Development
Toward the establishment of a single-fold system control technology for industrial use
It is aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which the monoploid state, which has only one set of genomes, causes serious disorders in the development of individual animals, and to establish a technology for creating monoploid individuals that can be used for genetic engineering and strain improvement.
Research
The cells that make up the body of an animal cell are diploid, having two sets of genomes, one maternal and one paternal. In contrast, unfertilized eggs, which normally do not proliferate as such, become monoploid embryos with only the maternal genome, when they are activated to induce individual development (monogenesis). If monoploid individuals can be obtained from them, it will be very useful for genetic engineering and pure line creation. However, in vertebrates in general, monoploid embryos die due to the early developmental abnormality called “hemiparity syndrome,” so the use of monoploid embryo technology has not been realized yet. Using human cultured cells and early mouse embryos as models, we aim to clarify the effects of the monoploid state on developmental processes at the cellular level using molecular cell biology techniques. Based on these results, we aim to establish a cell manipulation method to eliminate the hemiploidy syndrome and to create viable monoploid individuals with stable traits.
Ryota Uehara Associate Professor -
Understanding the Mechanism of Fish Egg Formation and Applying Research
Improvement of aquaculture technology, development of ecological and environmental research technology
The growth of fish larvae mainly depends on the substances accumulated in the eggs. Therefore, the synthesis and accumulation of egg constituents are important processes that affect egg quality. We are studying the details of this process and its control mechanism (egg formation system). We are also conducting applied research using this system.
Research
Fish eggs grow rapidly while storing various substances such as proteins, lipids, sugars, vitamins and hormones as yolk in their cells. These yolk substances are important nutrient sources that affect the quality of the hatchlings. In addition, the growth of eggs is a process in which various biological molecules, including genes, proteins and hormones, closely work together. This process varies by fish species and environmental factors such as light and water temperature affect the profile of these internal factors and regulate the egg growth. We are conducting detailed comparative analysis of the egg formation process in a wide variety of fish using life science techniques (immunobiochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, etc.). Based on this basic research, we are also conducting applied research such as the monitoring of environmental hormone pollution, the development of a fish egg species identification method and the development of a simple fish sex identification method.
Naoshi Hiramatsu Associate Professor