Department of Natural Medicines
Department
Professor | Sachiko Tsukamoto sachiko(at mark)kumamoto-u.ac.jp |
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Assistant Professor | Hikaru Kato k-hikaru(at mark)kumamoto-u.ac.jp |
Assistant Professor | Yuki Hitora hitora(at mark)kumamoto-u.ac.jp |
Research themes
[Names and Summaries of Research Projects]
Marine organisms use chemicals to communicate each other, to defend themselves, and to attack others. These chemicals are promising leads for treatments of human diseases, including cancer and infections by bacteria and fungi. We search for natural compounds that show biological activities, such as inhibition of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities from marine invertebrates and microorganism. Recently, we started to search for promising leads in the prevention or treatment of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.