Organization

The mission of "advanced molecular medicine" is to conduct basic and applied research on the cause, prevention and treatment of intractable diseases including life-style related diseases, bone diseases, immune diseases, neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. For that purpose, we are actively undertaking a broad spectrum of medical research with an emphasis on cross-disciplinary approach.

(Division Chief Prof. Kohichi Tanaka)

The concept of the metabolic syndrome has come before the footlight because it is a precursory state of atherosclerotic diseases. It has been defined as a constellation of abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, and is a multi-factorial pathologic condition that arises from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Our laboratory has been focusing upon the pathophysiologic and therapeutic implication of adipocytokines, nuclear hormone receptors, and transcriptional co-activators/co-repressors toward the better understanding of the molecular mechanism of the metabolic syndrome, and to help establish its novel therapeutic strategies.

In order to contribute to the establishment of therapy and prevention for osteoporosis and the other calcium ?related disorders, we are elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of calcium metabolism with emphases on bone formation and resorption. Skeletal system is a largest storage site for calcium in a living body and its metabolism is conducted by a complex cell society consisting of bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts as well as stromal cells and chondrocytes. In our department, we take molecular and cellular biological approaches to study the mechanisms of regulation of the development, differentiation, and function of each group of these cells.

Morphogenesis and organogenesis in the vertebrate are regulated by the signaling molecules inducing the cell-growth and differentiation. The failure of many signaling molecules has been achieved with induction of the diseases. The elucidation of cellular signaling transduction is an important solution upon clarifying the mechanism of morphogenesis, organogenesis and diseases. Thus, we focus the cellular signaling transduction regulating the mechanisms of morphogenesis and organogenesis in developmental process.

The final goal of our research is to understand molecular, cellular, and neuronal ensemble mechanisms underlying higher order brain functions including learning and memory. For that purpose, we combine molecular genetics, physiological and behavioral methods. The laboratory also studies the mechanism that underlies neuronal cell death and regeneration.

This laboratory focuses on understanding fundamental physiological roles of ion channels and transporters in cardiovascular system. We employ multidisciplinary approach (patch-clamp, cell biology, optical recording, and proteomics) in order to seek novel regulatory mechanisms and modulatory molecules/compounds of ion channels and transporters in cardiac myocytes, vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and circulating cells in vessels (leukocytes and lymphocytes). Our ultimate goal is to discover novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategy for intractable cardiovascular diseases, such as sudden death, life-threatening arrhythmias, and atherosclerosis, by modulating ion channels and transporters.