I am Motohiro Nonaka, a member of the Department of School of Human Health Sciences, assuming the role of professor starting from April 1, 2024. I obtained my Ph.D. in 2008 under the instruction of Prof. Toshisuke Kawasaki in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyoto University. I started my career with the postdoctoral appointments at Ritsumeikan University, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in the United States, and then the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Subsequently, I rejoined the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at this university in 2017. Since April 2019, I have been engaged in managing the laboratory as an associate professor in the Multidisciplinary Medical Science Course of this department. However, I have now assumed the position of professor, succeeding Prof. Shogo Oka.

Since I was in the graduate school and postdoctoral position in the United States, I have primarily focused on research in the field of glycobiology. While the sequences and structures of proteins can be deduced from DNA, glycan structures are not directly encoded by DNA, making structural prediction considerably more challenging compared to proteins. However, a method utilizing lectins, known as glycan-binding proteins, has long been employed to elucidate partial structures of glycans. During my graduate studies, I engaged in research on Mannose-Binding Protein (MBP), a type of animal lectin, and demonstrated the expression of MBP-recognizing glycans specifically on colorectal cancer cells. Subsequently, at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in the United States, under the instruction of the Professors Minoru Fukuda and Michiko N. Fukuda, I conducted research on the association between glycobiology and diseases pathogenesis such as cancer and allergies.

A pivotal turning point in my research came with the study of carbohydrate mimetic peptides under the instructions of Prof. Michiko N. Fukuda. This research was mainly based on the phage display technique, which enables the display of peptides or proteins on the surface of phage particles. Through the insertion of genes directly beneath the DNA encoding phage structural proteins, the display of target molecules on phage particles becomes feasible. Learning and employing this technique during my studies abroad, the excitement upon confirming peptide sequences binding to target molecules for the first time remains vivid in my memory. The process of narrowing down specific sequences from billions of molecular patterns was truly interesting. Thanks to this technique, at AIST, we were able to advance the development of DDS peptides targeting malignant tumors. In the present lab, while evolving the phage display technique, we are progressing towards the development of novel diagnostic agents for autoimmune diseases and mirror-image antibody fragments as a novel antibody modality with minimal immunogenicity.

Within the Department of School of Human Health Sciences, the Multidisciplinary Medical Science Course attracts approximately half of the students aspiring for national qualification as Clinical Laboratory Technicians. In our laboratory, we are responsible for basic chemistry experiments, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and clinical chemistry for the undergraduate students. These subjects serve as the foundation for learning the content of future clinical laboratory technologies. In undergraduate education, while learning the basic properties of individual molecules, we will try to enable students to understand the phenomena resulting from the complex interplay of these molecules, grounded in material information.

In recent years, global concerns such as the progression of an aging society and the escalating medical care cost have become increasingly serious. I aspire not only to practice basic science in my own laboratory and contribute research findings, but also to identify the starting points for solving these issues by nurturing outstanding basic medical researchers for the future and sending them out into the world. To achieve this, I aim to stand at the forefront of science alongside students and provide an environment where students can cultivate their intellectual curiosity autonomously. Through these collective efforts, I endeavor to contribute to the mission of “cultivating clinical laboratory technicians and researchers who contribute to advanced medicine on the global scale.” I sincerely ask for your continued guidance and encouragement.