東北大学大学院医学系研究科・医学部

STAFF

Professor

• Hiratsuka, MasahiroProfessor.Ph.D. 平塚 真弘 教授
  

Other Faculty / Staff

• Miyauchi, Yuu

  Lect.Ph.D. 宮内 優 講師

CONTACT

OUTLINE

In pharmacotherapy, even when the same medication is administered, there can be remarkable individual differences in pharmacokinetics (how the drug behaves in the body), the intensity of its effects, and the likelihood of side effects. These variations can be attributed to a wide range of physiological and environmental factors, such as the functions of the liver, kidneys, and heart, age, sex, circadian rhythms, diet, concomitant medications, and health supplements.
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that, in addition to these factors, slight differences in DNA sequences on the human genome—known as genetic polymorphisms—can significantly affect drug responsiveness. If we can assess an individual patient’s drug response based on their genomic information, it will be possible to achieve “personalized pharmacotherapy” that maximizes efficacy while minimizing side effects.
At the Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics, Tohoku University, we aim to elucidate the molecular relationship between “individual differences in drug responsiveness” and the “genome.” Our mission is to foster researchers capable of proposing new guidelines for safer and more effective pharmacotherapy.

薬物療法では、同じ薬を投与しても、体内での動き（薬物動態）、効果の強さ、副作用の出やすさには驚くほどの個人差があります。こうした差を生み出す要因としては、肝臓・腎臓・心臓の機能、年齢や性別、体内時計（サーカディアンリズム）、食事内容、併用薬、健康食品など、実に多くの生理的・環境的因子が関わっています。
近年、これらに加えて、ヒトゲノム上のわずかなDNA配列の違い（遺伝子多型）が、薬剤反応性に大きく影響を及ぼすことが明らかになってきました。ゲノム情報に基づいて患者さん一人ひとりの薬剤感受性を見極めることができれば、副作用を最小限に抑えながら最大限の効果を引き出す「個別化医療」の実現が可能になります。
東北大学ゲノム医療薬学分野では、この「薬剤感受性の個人差」と「ゲノム」の関係を分子レベルで解明し、より安全かつ効果的な薬物療法の新たな指針を提案できる研究者の育成に取り組んでいます。

• 

  Personalized Medicine
  個別化医療

• 

  A student working on our research projects
  実験に取り組む学生さん

• 

  Cherry blossom viewing party at Nishi Park in Sendai
  西公園でのお花見

• 

  A student working on our research projects
  実験に取り組む学生さん

ARTICLE

Yamazaki S, et al. Functional significance of CYP2B6 gene rare allelic variants identified in Japanese individuals. Biochem. Pharmacol., 229:116515, 2024
URL：https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39218044/

Hishinuma E, et al. Functional characterization of 12 dihydropyrimidinase allelic variants in Japanese individuals for the prediction of 5-fluorouracil treatment-related toxicity. Drug Metab. Dispos., 51:165-173, 2023
URL：https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36414408/

Kumondai M, et al. Functional characterization of 40 CYP3A4 variants by assessing midazolam 1’-hydroxylation and testosterone 6β-hydroxylation. Drug Metab. Dispos., 49:212-220, 2021
URL：https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33384383/

Kumondai M, et al. Heterologous expression of high-activity cytochrome P450 in mammalian cells. Sci. Rep., 10:14193, 2020
URL：https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32843676/

Watanabe T, et al. Functional characterization of 40 CYP2B6 allelic variants by assessing efavirenz 8-hydroxylation. Biochem. Pharmacol., 156:420-430, 2018
URL：https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30201214/