Research Director

Hitoshi Okamura

Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University
Professor
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Outline

How is time generated and tuned within mammalian organisms? In mammals, circadian time is generated at the molecular level in every cell in the body but these cellular rhythms are synchronized by the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. This transmission of temporal information involves multiple layers of control operating at the intra- and intercellular levels, at the systemic and organismal level. We propose to investigate this exquisitely complex system with a multi-faceted approach using the tools of experimental, mathematical and theoretical biology. In particular, we will focus on the role of RNA processing in the control of the circadian clock, and on the link between the clock and the cell cycle. Obtaining a deeper understanding of the network properties of the circadian system will help designing new drugs to tune our body rhythms when they are disturbed, and thereby prevent life-style associated diseases.

Collaborators