Laboratories

Director: Mikiko Sodeoka Deputy Director: Ken Shirasu, Zhaomin Hou Senior Advisor: Kazuki Saito

Understanding plant immunity mechanisms and developing sustainable disease resistant crops

Main research: Biology
Related research: Agricultural Sciences

Plant Immunity Research Group

Group DirectorKen Shirasu

Developing new catalysts for more eficient, selective chemical transformations

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Environmental Science / Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy / Organic chemistry / Synthetic chemistry / Polymer chemistry

Advanced Catalysis Research Group

Group DirectorZhaomin Hou

Developing new transition metal-catalyzed reactions and conducting integrated research of chemistry and plant science

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Biological Sciences / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Catalysis and Integrated Research Group

Group DirectorMikiko Sodeoka

Understanding the mechanisms and physiology of plant metabolism and improving production of useful materials

Main research: Biological Sciences
Related research: Biology / Agricultural Sciences

Metabolic Systems Research Team

Team DirectorMasami Hirai

Developing software platforms and databases for metabolomics research

Main research: Complex Systems
Related research: Biological Sciences

Metabolome Informatics Research Team

Team DirectorMasanori Arita

Exploring sustainability of environmental metabolic system based on a data-driven approach

Main research: Complex Systems
Related research: Chemistry / Agricultural Sciences / Informatics / Environmental Science / Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering / Mathematical & Physical Sciences / Biological Sciences / Life Sciences / Environmental Analysis & Modeling / Aquatic Ecosystem

Environmental Metabolic Analysis Research Team

Team DirectorJun Kikuchi

Analyzing plant genomic networks for environmental stress adaptation and improved productivity

Main research: Biology
Related research: Biological Sciences / Agricultural Sciences

Plant Genomic Network Research Team

Team DirectorMotoaki Seki

Uncovering the regulatory network underlying plant organ growth and regeneration

Main research: Biology
Related research: Agricultural Sciences

Cell Function Research Team

Team DirectorKeiko Sugimoto

Understanding plant-microbe symbiosis in order to establish sustainable agriculture

Main research: Biology
Related research: Agricultural Sciences

Plant Symbiosis Research Team

Team DirectorMakoto Hayashi

Exploring next generation organic synthesis for an environmentally sustainable society

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Complex Systems / Engineering

Advanced Organic Synthesis Research Team

Team DirectorLaurean Ilies

Can we develop suitable catalysts towards green sustainable chemistry?

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Complex Systems / Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering / Engineering / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Green Nanocatalysis Research Team

Team DirectorYoichi Yamada

Understanding biological electron transfer is critical to develop a sustainable energy strategy

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Environmental Science / Biology

Biofunctional Catalyst Research Team

Team DirectorRyuhei Nakamura

Exploring target molecules and mode-of-action of bioactive compounds through global analysis of chemical genetic interactions

Main research: Biology
Related research: Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Molecular Ligand Target Research Team

Team DirectorCharles M. Boone

Exploring useful genes for plant productivity and developing technology to increase grass biomass

Main research: Biology
Related research: Informatics / Agricultural Sciences

Bioproductivity Informatics Research Team

Team DirectorKeiichi Mochida

Developing new biopolymers and applying them as biomass-based functional and structural materials

Main research: Engineering
Related research: Chemistry / Biological Sciences / Agricultural Sciences

Biomacromolecules Research Team

Team DirectorKeiji Numata

Creating new high quality plastic materials made from biomass

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Engineering / Polymer chemistry / Green/Environmental chemistry

Bioplastic Research Team

Team DirectorHideki Abe

Designing and constructing optimal cell factories for valuable chemical compounds

Main research: Engineering
Related research: Chemistry / Biology

Cell Factory Research Team

Team DirectorAkihiko Kondo

Regulation of plant physiology with synthetic molecules

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Complex Systems / Biological Sciences / Biology / Agricultural Sciences

Molecular Bioregulation Research Team

Team DirectorShinya Hagihara

A lipidomic approach to addressing plant growth and development

Main research: Biology
Related research: Engineering / Agricultural Sciences / Environmental Science / Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology / Molecular biology / Cell biology

Plant Lipid Research Team

Team DirectorYuki Nakamura

Contributing sustainable crop productivity and improvement of environmental stress adaptation through elucidation of plant hormone functions

Main research: Biology
Related research: Agricultural sciences / Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology / Applied molecular and cellular biology / Science in genetics and breeding

Plant Chemical Genetics Research Team

Team DirectorMasanori Okamoto

Production of novel bioactive compounds with biosynthetic ways

Main research: Complex Systems
Related research: Chemistry / Biology / Agricultural sciences / Medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy / Chemical Biology / Biomolecular Chemistry / Natural product chemistry

Chemical Biology and Biosynthesis Research Team

Team DirectorTakayoshi Awakawa

FAME: Fungal signalling in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Endosymbioses

Main research: Biology
Related research: Agricultural ciences / Molecular biology / Cell biology / Plant nutrition/Soil science

RIKEN-Cambridge Joint Crop Symbiosis Research Team

Team DirectorUta Paszkowski

Advancing sustainable solutions through systemic understanding and engineering of soil-plant-microbe interactions, fostering harmony between humanity and nature

Main research: Complex Systems
Related research: Informatics / Environmental Science / Biological Sciences / Biology / Agricultural Sciences

Holobiont and Resilience Research Team

Team DirectorYasunori Ichihashi

Developing out-of-the-box molecules that make breakthroughs in the fields of chemical biology and drug discovery in unexplored chemical space

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Engineering / Biological Sciences / Biology / Agricultural sciences / Medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy / Synthetic organic chemistry / Molecular functional materials / Chemical biology

Expanded Chemical Space Research Team

Team DirectorKenichiro Itami

Exploring microbial gene resources and elucidating biosynthetic mechanisms to produce valuable compounds

Main research: Complex Systems
Related research: Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering / Biological Sciences

Natural Product Biosynthesis Research Unit

Unit LeaderShunji Takahashi

Development of crop reproductive system customized functional RNAs that are respectively adapted under harsh environments

Main research: Biology
Related research: Informatics / Interdisciplinary science and engineering / Biological Sciences / Agricultural sciences

Reproductive System RIKEN ECL Research Team

RIKEN ECL Team DirectorReina Komiya

Developing new methodologies for molecular transformations using light energy

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Environmental science / Complex systems / Interdisciplinary science and engineering

Molecular Photocatalysis RIKEN ECL Research Unit

RIKEN ECL Unit LeaderKei Murata

Elucidating the stem cell systems that enable continuous plant growth

Main research: Biology
Related research: Agricultural Sciences / Developmental Biology / Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology

Cambial Stem Cell System RIKEN ECL Research Unit

RIKEN ECL Unit LeaderDongbo Shi

Discovering seed and lead compounds by HTS to develop new drugs

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Biology

Drug Discovery Seeds Development Unit

Unit LeaderMinoru Yoshida

Pursuing small molecule drug discovery and targeted protein degradation

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Drug Discovery Chemistry Platform Unit

Unit LeaderHiroo Koyama

Developing technologies and platforms for structure characterization by NMR and MS analyses

Main research: Chemistry
Related research: Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering / Agricultural Sciences / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Molecular Structure Characterization Unit

Unit LeaderHiroyuki Koshino

To resolve the mystery of biological phenomena, we examine the protein structure

Main research: Biology
Related research: Environmental Science / Chemistry / Biological Sciences / Agricultural Sciences / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Biomolecular Characterization Unit

Unit LeaderNaoshi Dohmae

Providing mass spectrometric and microscopic platforms for plant science

Main research: Biological Sciences
Related research: Chemistry / Biology / Agricultural Sciences / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Mass Spectrometry and Microscopy Unit

Unit LeaderMasami Hirai

Expanding and using chemical libraries to accelerate chemical biology research

Main research: Complex Systems
Related research: Informatics / Biological Sciences / Agricultural Sciences / Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Chemical Resource Development Research Unit

Unit LeaderShinya Hagihara