The structure and function of DNA, the body of genes, are the basis of molecular biology. This course aims to understand molecular biology based on the flow of genetic information, from DNA to genomes, from structure to function and control, from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Molecular biology explains and understands the phenomenon of life, especially the phenomenon of genetics, at the molecular level below the cell. Starting with the molecular structures of DNA, RNA and proteins, students will learn how their relationships create life through intangible genetic information. It is not simply a case of A and B binding together, but rather the timing, strength and amount of binding are beautifully controlled. The class will proceed while students make use of their individual abilities, just as molecules cooperate with each other.

In our bodies, normal proteins cooperate with each other to carry out vital activities, but when these proteins denature and form abnormal aggregates, they can cause disease. For example, it is said that the abnormal aggregation of amyloid beta and tau proteins is involved in the onset of Alzheimer's disease, and that the abnormal aggregation of a protein called alpha-synuclein is involved in the onset of Lewy body dementia. We have succeeded in developing an evaluation system that visualizes these proteins using nanometer-sized fluorescent substances and efficiently searches for minute amounts of substances that suppress abnormal aggregation. Currently, we are using this method to search for substances that are useful for preventing and treating dementia from natural resources in Hokkaido, such as Ainu traditional useful plants and seaweed.