Faculty Members and Research Themes - Department of Life Science and Bioengineering

・ Exploration of unknown microorganisms and their application to environmental purification and manufacturing
・ Genetic information analysis of environmental pollutant-degrading bacteria
・ Precise microbiome engineering

DNA base sequence analysis

・ Enzymatic elucidation of D-amino acid functions in microorganisms, plants, and animal cells
・ Development of D-amino acid-enriched functional foods
・ Exploration of novel useful enzymes and microorganisms and their industrial applications

Development of Kansai University x Kurozu Oke Shida collaboration product: D-amino acid-enriched fresh fruit black vinegar

・ High-density cultivation of lactic acid bacteria without lactic acid production through aerobic fed-batch culture
・ Interactions between lactic acid bacteria and the intestine and dietary fiber
・ High-efficiency production of useful substances such as hyaluronic acid and ethanol by microorganisms

Jar fermenter used for microbial cultivation

・ Elucidation of molecular mechanisms of neurological disease progression and establishment of treatment strategies
・ Evaluation of bisphenol A effects on brain neurons
・ Elucidation of neuronal differentiation mechanisms through epigenetic regulation

Microscope image of neurons

・ Exploration and synthesis of bioactive compounds
・ Elucidation of physiological functions using active compounds
・ Development of drug-oriented technologies and methodologies

Three-dimensional image of bioactive compounds

・ Exploration of useful bioactive compounds
・ Creation of drug candidate compounds
・ Construction of biofunctional molecules

Research toward pharmaceutical and cosmetic material development

・ Nutritional functions of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids
・ Nutritional functions of proteins
・ Elucidation of action mechanisms of food-derived lipid metabolism regulators

Lipid component extraction device for food

・ Component changes during food storage and aging in the ice temperature range
・ Health functions of aquatic product-derived proteins
・ Exploration of lipid metabolism regulatory components

Ice temperature is the unfrozen temperature range below 0°C

・ Development of detection, sterilization, and cleaning technologies for harmful microorganisms and biofilms in the environment
・ Development of novel antimicrobial systems
・ Research on purification of environmental pollutants by microorganisms

Bacterial cells attached to towels and bacterial flora analysis

・ Elucidation of biological regulatory mechanisms of intestinal bacteria
・ Functional Analysis of Membrane Vesicles Released by Bacteria
・ Research on Membrane Vesicle-Based Drug Delivery Technology

Membrane vesicles released by lactic acid bacteria

・ Exploration of Novel Drug Seed Compounds Based on Microbial Genome Information
・ Analysis of the Biosynthetic Mechanism of Novel Microbial-Derived Drug Seed Compounds
・ Development of New Genetic Engineering Technologies

Genome information-based useful bioactive substance biosynthesis research

・ Developmental engineering using fish
・ Skeletal muscle formation mechanisms
・ Interspecies comparison of developmental systems

Medaka with muscles visualized by fluorescent protein GFP

・ Creation of synthetic ecosystems using microbiome alteration technology
・ Production of useful substances through metabolic modification of microorganisms
・ Development of genome editing technology for microorganisms

Lysis of microorganisms by bacteriophage

・ Development of new antimicrobial and sterilization technologies
・ Production of useful substances by microorganisms
・ Environmental impact assessment and environmental remediation

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity

・ Centrifugal development mechanism of the phragmoplast, the cytokinesis apparatus in higher plants
・ Mechanisms of nuclear movement and morphology control in higher plants
・ Functional analysis of kinesin-like proteins in higher plants

Fluorescence microscopy image of phragmoplast. Microtubules are stained red, chromosomes are stained blue

・ Development of jet lag mitigation drugs
・ Exploration of circadian rhythm regulators
・ Elucidation of clock gene molecular mechanisms

AVP expressed in the central circadian rhythm site