Yuta Nihongaki, PhD
Assistant Professor
Physiology and Cell Biology
Academic contact
Academic information
- Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Research interests
- Protein Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Advanced Imaging
About
Biography
The Nihongaki lab seeks to understand the spatiotemporally dynamic behavior of living cells by establishing and implementing novel technologies to illuminate previously invisible biomolecular processes. In particular, we are currently developing inducible molecular tools, which enable us to manipulate target molecular activities using small molecules and light. With the custom-made molecular probes, we study cellular microtubules, which are dynamic protein filaments throughout living cells and play roles in essential cellular functions including cell division, migration and intracellular trafficking.
We are at the interface between engineering and biology, employing multidisciplinary approaches based on biochemistry, cell biology, chemical biology, protein engineering, proteomics, genome editing and advanced microscopy. In the long-term, we aim to utilize our fundamental discovery to develop future therapeutics for diverse microtubule-related diseases from cardiovascular to neurological disorders.
Credentials
Education
- Post Doctoral
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- PhD
- The University of Tokoyo, Tokoyo, Japan
Research
Research interests
- Protein Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Advanced Imaging