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department
department
Division / Integrated Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Great Departments / Medicinal Chemistry
Website
Staff
Professor OHTSUKI Sumio
sohtsuki(at mark)kumamoto-u.ac.jp
Assistant Professor ITOU Shingo
Assistant Professor MASUDA Takeshi
Research theme

We are applying microbiology-related technologies to promote research on the blood-brain barrier, drug delivery, cancer diagnostics, and proteomics. The blood-brain barrier is the barrier tissue separating the brain and blood. The blood-brain barrier expresses a transport system that regulates the exchange between the brain and blood for maintaining homeostasis in the brain. We are investigating the molecular mechanisms of this transport system and how it is altered during disease. In addition, it is essential for the development of new CNS-acting drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, we identified carriers using microorganisms and are developing technology to deliver drugs to the brain. We are also developing a new drug delivery technology for oral drugs using a small intestine-permeable carrier. Personalized therapy and drug resistance are top priorities for chemotherapy of both pathogenic bacteria and cancer. In addition, diagnostic methods for early detection of cancer are essential to improve treatment prognosis. From this perspective, we are developing new technologies for quantitative proteomics and applying quantitative proteomics for various purposes such as drug sensitivity and cancer marker discovery.