Research

 Research Concept

   With recent advances in biotechnology, many biopharmaceuticals such as nucleic acids, proteins, and peptides have been developed, and next-generation medical treatments such as cancer treatment, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and vaccines are being realized using these drugs. Many of these biopharmaceuticals exhibit their medicinal efficacy only after entering the inside of target cells, but many biopharmaceuticals cannot penetrate cell membranes on their own. Therefore, in order to further enhance the effects of these biopharmaceuticals, there is a need to develop a drug delivery system (DDS) that accumulates biopharmaceuticals at diseased sites and introduces them into cells that serve as therapeutic targets.

　In addition to biomolecules such as lipids, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, peptides, and proteins, we are designing a high-performance DDS by utilization of nanomaterials such as synthetic polymers and metal nanoparticles to maximize the pharmacological activity and reduce side effects of biopharmaceuticals. From a chemical perspective, we aim to improve the performance of DDS by synthesizing these DDS, evaluating their biofunctions at the cellular and small animal levels, and repeatedly feeding the obtained results back into the molecular design of DDS. At the same time, we aim to create new medical technologies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.