Name Minoru ISHIKAWA
Position Professor
Tel +81-22-217-6197
Mail minoru.ishikawa.e4*tohoku.ac.jp (Please replace * with @)
Research Interest chemical biology, medicinal chemistry
Career M.Eng. Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology (1996), Meiji Seika Kaisha. Ltd., (1996-2008), Ph.D. Pharm. The University of Tokyo (2006), Assistant Professor, Lecturer, Associate Professor Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo (2008-2018), Professor Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University (2019-).
Research map https://researchmap.jp/minoruishikawa?lang=en
Research Projects
  1. Targeted protein degradation PROTAC (proteolysis targeting chimera)

We developed a novel strategy for small molecule drug discovery, in which, degradation of target proteins is based on the use of small hybrid molecules composed of a ligand for the target protein and another for ubiquitin ligase. These hybrid small molecules direct the ubiquitin ligase towards the target protein, leading to selective degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In addition, we demonstrated that this strategy could be an effective therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases.
J. Am. Chem Soc. 2010, 132, 5820. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 11530.

  1. Improvement in pharmacokinetics of bioactive molecules 

Aqueous solubility is essential for drug candidates, and improving aqueous solubility of bioactive compounds is a major concern for medicinal chemists. We have proposed strategies for improving aqueous solubility by modifying molecules using certain methods that would decrease intermolecular interaction. Our results indicate that these strategies can increase the aqueous solubility of molecules although their hydrophobicities increase concomitantly.
J. Med. Chem. 2011, 54, 1539.
The Practice of Medicinal Chemistry (Forth Edition)  Elsevier

URL: https://www.agri.tohoku.ac.jp/ishikawa-lab/

Research Seeds
  • Targeted protein degradation PROTAC (proteolysis targeting chimera)
  • Improvement in druglikeness of bioactive molecules