Molecular Ligand Target Research Team

Main Research Fields :
Biology
Related Research Fields :
Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy
Keywords :
Chemical Genomics / Target Identification / Yeast
Project :
Advanced Research and Technology Platforms
TP

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

Team Leader

Charles M. Boone Ph.D.

Charles M. Boone

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1989
Ph.D., McGill University, Canada
1993
Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University, Canada
1997
Assistant Professor, Queen's University, Canada
2000
Associate Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
2003
Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
2008
Senior Visiting Scientist, RIKEN
2009
Team Leader, Molecular Ligand Target Research Team, RIKEN
2013
Team Leader, Molecular Ligand Target Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (-current)

CONTACT

RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Chemical Biology Research Group,
Molecular Ligand Target Research Team

charlieboone

WakoAccess
2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 Japan
#N202 Sustainable Resource Science Building

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Outline

Molecular Ligand Target Research Team
Bioactive molecular ligands with unique physiological effects must have specific cellular targets. Target identification is critical for elucidating the mechanism of action of molecular ligands and for drug discovery. However, drug target identification has been extremely difficult, because the interactions between molecular ligands and their targets are not uniform. Our team aims to develop innovative techniques for target identification based on the global analysis of yeast chemical-genetic and genetic interactions, leading to quick and accurate elucidation of ligand-target interactions.

Subjects

  1. Global analysis of chemical genetic interactions between molecular ligands and their target molecules
  2. Validating the mode of action of bioactive compounds
  3. Identifying bioactive chemical tools and therapeutic leads that target essential gene pathways
A microarray-based method for identification of drug targets using the fission yeast ORFeome
We created a novel strain collection in a drug-sensitive genetic background that expresses the entire fission yeast ORFeome. We can now pool this library and grow the yeast in the presence of a drug. The abundance of each strain is assessed using DNA microarray to generate a genome-wide profile of drug-gene interactions. This chemical genomics approach can rapidly determine genes involved in pathways targeted by small molecules.