天然分子薬化学研究室

 　

 

　The chemical structures of natural products are highly diverse and potentially have affinities for proteins, because they are biosynthesized by enzymatic reactions. This leads to a wide variety of biological activities when they act across species. About half of the current clinical drugs are derived from natural products or inspired by the structure or pharmacological activity of natural products.

　We conduct research that integrates natural product chemistry, organic synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, and biological elements, based primarily on natural molecules produced by plants.

　We aim to contribute to basic cancer biology through the discovery of preclinical and diagnostic drug candidates and the elucidation of their mechanisms of action, with a particular focus on refractory and multidrug-resistant cancers.

【Research Interests】

1) Discovery, structure-activity relationship, and synthesis-based drug development of natural molecules selective for intractable cancer types 

2) Application of novel bioactive natural products-based chemical probe to basic biology

3) Chemical conservation of rare tropical rainforest plants by isolation and structure elucidation of natural products

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Our study is being conducted in the following two ways.

Approach-I: By integration of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and elements of biology

・We are challenged to explore drug candidates from highly selective anti-tumor active natural molecules and elucidate their mechanisms of action through maximizing the protein binding ability. Our targets are mainly refractory cancers such as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and multidrug-resistant cancer (MDR), which is a major obstacle to cancer chemotherapy.

・We are trying to develop chemical probes based on the discovered natural molecules showing specific efficacy against certain cancers. They are expected to be applied to next-generation precision cancer therapy with fewer side effects. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to basic cancer biology and diagnosis by developing these chemical probes.　

Approach-II: Phytochemical study of tropical rainforest plants using knowledge and skill for natural product chemistry

・Since many of the tropical forest plants threatened with extinction have not yet been subjected to phytochemical research, many unknown natural products that may be drug candidates have been not discovered. In collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), we are conducting the phytochemical study of anti-cancer rainforest plant extracts preserved at the NCI.

・A wide variety of traditional medicinal plants grow in Indonesia, where located in a tropical rainforest area and known as the world's second largest megadiverse country. We are collaborating with Hasanuddin University in Indonesia to study phytochemically using those plant extracts that have not yet been analyzed.

　We focus on plants from tropical forests, and conduct research to discover new skeletons and natural molecules with specific biological activities, such as efficacy against refractory and multidrug-resistant cancers or specific cancer types. The discovered novel natural products and their biological activities will be stored as scientific data for future drug discovery, including for rare and intractable diseases.

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