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Research

Development of engineered HDL therapeutics

HDL has various protective effects in human, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, lipid metabolism, vasoprotection, pathologic neovascularization suppression, etc. We have found that such HDL functionality are augmented by its genetic engineering with functional peptides. We are exploring the possibility of engineered HDLs as therapeutics.

 

Development of Engineered HDL drug carriers

HDL nanoparticles can be prepared with various lipids and recombinant apoA-I protein or its mimetic peptides. Continuous production of them is also possible by utilizing microfluidic devices. We are developing engineered HDL drug carriers with a lesion site-targeting and/or absorption enhancing abilities.

Development of the Assay Systems for Evaluating the Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutic Efficacy of Nanocarriers in Zebrafish

Zebrafish has been utilized as a vertebrate model in developmental biology research. Due to its availability in large number, its high physiological homologies with human and the optical transparency of its larvae, zebrafish is recently gaining attention as an efficient vertebrate model to enable the fast in vivo screening of nanocarriers functions with less cost and labor. In close joint research with Prof. Huwyler in Univ. of Basel, Switzerland, our effor is devoted to evaluation of the therapeutic potential of systemically or topically administered PMDs in zebrafish models of human diseases.

Restoring Vision with Donor-Acceptor-Linked Molecules (supported by JSPS Grant "Dynamic Excition")

Donor-acceptor-linked (D-A) molecules are photosensitizers in which a light harvester is sandwiched between an electron donor and an electron acceptor. Under visible light illumination, our D-A molecules yield a long-lived charge separeted state in it, which can be regarded as a "nano-electric field". We have reported that illuminated D-A molecules are capable of neuronal firing through decreasing the membrane potential (depolarization). In retinal ganglion cells in our retina, such neuronal firing following depolarization triggers visual transduction. By combining D-A molecules, synthesized by Prof. Imahori (Kyoto Univ.) and Prof. Sakuda (Nagasaki Univ.), and our engineered HDL drug carriers, we are developing a novel therapy for restoring vision.

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