2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Life Science and Technology Department of Life Science and Technology Graduate major in Life Science and Technology
Functional Life Science
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Life Science and Technology
- Instructor(s)
- Nobuhiro Nakamura / Kanami Orihara / Naohiko Koshikawa / Shunichiro Ogura / Kumi Kuroda
- Class Format
- Lecture (Livestream)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Mon / 3-4 Thu
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LST.A421
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Sep 30, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Cell and tissue homeostasis is tightly regulated by complex signaling networks at intracellular, intercellular and interorgan levels, and its dysfunction often leads to disease development and progression.
In this course, we will review the basic knowledge of biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, immunology and physiology, and further learn high-level biological and pathophysiological processes, such as 1) allergic diseases and the effect of circadian rhythm regulation, 2) cancer development and acquisition of malignant progression of cancer cells, and 3) the role of intercellular and interorgan communication in disease progression.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
１）explain the basic knowledge of biochemistry, molecular/cell biology and physiology, such as homeostasis, metabolism, signal transduction and ubiquitination.
２）explain the importance of mitochondrial dynamics and ubiquitination for cell homeostasis.
３）explain the basics in immunology and learn the mechanism of allergy development.
４）explain the mechanism of circadian system and learn about its impact on the immune system.
５）explain the basic concepts of cancer development and progression and its application for cancer medicine.
６）explain the central nervous system regulating homeostasis and stress responses.
Keywords
Cell biology, Physiology, Immunology, Allergy, Circadian rhythm, Cancer (Carcinogenesis, Invasion and metastasis, Diagnosis and therapy), Molecular biology and human disease, Cell-cell communication, Ubiquitination, Mitochondria, Hypothalamus, The autohomic nervous system
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures are given by the Zoom broadcasting. This course will be organized by five lecturers and given in English.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Enzymes（Ogura） |
Students will become able to explain enzymes. |
| Class 2 | Metabolism and its control（Ogura） |
Students will become able to explain metabolism and its control. |
| Class 3 | Signal transduction（Ogura） |
Students will become able to explain signal transduction. |
| Class 4 | The central nervous system regulating homeostatic responses 1 (Kuroda) |
Students will be able to explain the basic structure and functions of the central nervous systems regulating homeostasis. |
| Class 5 | The central nervous system regulating homeostatic responses 2 (Kuroda) |
Students will be able to explain some examples of how the individual adapts to environmental changes to maintain homeostasis. |
| Class 6 | The central nervous system regulating prosocial behaviors (Kuroda) |
Students will be able to explain the neural mechanisms regulating parenting and prosocial behaviors in mammals. |
| Class 7 | ユビキチン化について説明できるようになり、タンパク質の分解や局在の調節における役割について学ぶ。 |
Students will become able to explain ubiquitination and learn its role in protein localization and degradation. |
| Class 8 | ユビキチン化について説明できるようになり、ウイルスの免疫回避における役割について学ぶ。 |
Students will become able to explain ubiquitination and learn its role in viral immune evasion. |
| Class 9 | ミトコンドリアダイナミクスの分子メカニズムについて説明できるようになり、ミトコンドリア機能維持に果たす役割について学ぶ。 |
Students will become able to explain the mechanism of mitochondrial dynamics and learn its role in mitochondria homeostasis. |
| Class 10 | Mechanism of cancer development (Koshikawa) |
Students must be able to explain the molecular mechanism of tumor development. |
| Class 11 | Mechanism of cancer malignant progression (Koshikawa) |
Students must be able to explain the molecular mechanism of cancer malignant progression (Invasion and metastasis). |
| Class 12 | Current and future cancer medicine (Koshikawa) |
Students will be able to explain updates on cancer diagnosis and treatment. |
| Class 13 | Mechanisms of allergy development (Orihara) |
Learn the basics in immunology and students will become able to explain the mechanism of allergy development. |
| Class 14 | Circadian control of the immune system (Orihara) |
Learn the basics of biological clock and the impact of the circadian clock on the immune system, and students will become able to explain the importance of the body clock. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
N/A
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Handouts will be distributed in advance via the LMS system when necessary.
【Book】The Biology of Cancer (Garland Science)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Academic assessment will be done by the scores of quizes and/or reports assigned by each lecturer .
Related courses
- LST.A208 ： Molecular Biology I
- LST.A213 ： Molecular Biology II
- LST.A203 ： Biochemistry I
- LST.A218 ： Biochemistry II
- LST.A248 ： Molecular Genetics
- LST.A344 ： Animal Physiology
- LST.A404 ： Cell Physiology
Prerequisites
Students are expected to have successfully completed Biochemistry I & II, Molecular Biology I & II, and Molecular Genetics, or have equivalent knowledge (Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genomic Biology).