Topics that shape the future
- Closer look at research results -

I think that this research is particularly significant in that it combines both experimental observations and theoretical calculations. First, in terms of the mechanism, drug-induced photosensitivity caused by a photochemical reaction is a mechanism by which ketoprofen gets into a protein and reacts when it is exposed to light, but proteins have very complex structures. It is thought that ketoprofen is taken up by a protein called human serum albumin, which carries drug molecules in the blood. Human serum albumin has a structure of about 600 amino acids, and there is no established experimental method for determining where ketoprofen is located and how it reacts when light is incident on it, so this in itself is extremely difficult.
Therefore, I used a spectroscopic technique called transient absorption spectroscopy experimentally, and performed molecular dynamics calculations theoretically, and by combining these results, I was able to clarify the initial process of the photochemical reaction of ketoprofen in protein.

Looking back on it, it may seem like that, but we had to go through a lot of hard work to obtain reliable data, repeating the experiment many times and trying to determine the cause and what measures we should take when the values did not fall within the expected range. We then carried out molecular dynamics calculations to predict where ketoprofen was being absorbed into human serum albumin, which is made up of many amino acids, and how it was reacting. This was also a difficult approach because it was a first for our lab. However, I think that by taking on challenges that we had never tried before, we were able to achieve unprecedented research results.

Since my student days, I have been trained to develop experimental equipment with my own hands in the laboratory. Of course, it is an endeavor with a high degree of freedom in that you can develop equipment that can be directly used in research, but on the other hand, as I mentioned earlier, it is a very difficult challenge because you have to consider various possibilities to find out where the problem is in the experimental results. To be honest, it is a method that is always uncertain. However, as I introduced in the example of probe light, there is a lot of joy when you guess "this might be the cause," take measures, and make corrections as planned. Also, it is because you can assemble such equipment that you can encounter observation results and research results that people have not been able to find before.
The results of this experiment will not immediately lead to solutions for drug-induced photosensitivity, but as I am conducting research in this field, I certainly hope that the knowledge I discover will lead to the development of better drug molecules in the future.

Looking more broadly at the future, in research using a spectroscopic technique called the transient grating method, we can use light to learn about diffusion phenomena at the molecular level. This is a technique that allows us to observe the movement and reactions of molecules in vivo, so as we establish more accurate observation methods for molecular movement, I hope to use this research to understand the behavior of drug molecules in vivo and to identify phenomena that will lead to elucidating the causes of diseases.
We are working in the field of basic research, which is not immediately useful. However, knowledge gained from basic research is essential for the development of new technologies and treatments in the long term. The development of new research methods, including spectroscopic techniques, has led to the elucidation of phenomena that science has not been able to explain until now, and promotes a deeper understanding of the complex phenomena of the natural world. Even though science has advanced, I think that natural phenomena are still largely unknown. In order to shed light on natural phenomena even a little through research, steady work is required. However, being the first in the world to discover a natural phenomenon that no one else has noticed, understanding that phenomenon, and communicating it is an extremely valuable experience. I would like to face research together with undergraduate and graduate students, enjoying the process together.