Researcher's Profile

  • Professor
  • Akimitsu OKAMOTO
  • Bioorganic Chemistry

Biography

April 1999 Research Associate, Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University
April 2006 Unit Leader, Okamoto Initiative Research Unit, Advanced Science Institute(Frontier Research System, 2006-2007),RIKEN
April 2011 Associate Chief Scientist, Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratory, Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN
January 2012 Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo)
April 2012 Professor, RCAST, UTokyo (-March 2023)
April 2022 Professor, School of Engineering, UTokyo
             

Research Interests

How are our bodies created from atoms and molecules? We systematically investigate how the atoms and building blocks of biopolymers (nucleic acids and proteins) participate in biological phenomena, introducing synthetic chemistry-based ideas into biological and genetic studies. Research in our group is concerned with diverse aspects of the design and function of biopolymers on an atomic scale. The focus is on the design, synthesis and physical properties of new, man-made biopolymers with various functions. Also included is the design of unprecedented organic chemical systems for recognizing, transforming and visualizing a single component or atom in biopolymers of interest. These researches are the fundamental studies reflecting the essence of life science on an atomic scale and the material-developing studies to get useful functional materials for the latest studies on life sciences and medical technologies. Current projects include:
(1) Visualizing the variable behavior of nucleic acid molecules in living cells
(2) Catching the key of gene expression by developing targetspecific chemical reactions
(3) Creating new cellula r function control system by synthesizing superbiopolymers containing unnatural nucleotides and amino acids

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