The Sando Research Group

We harness the power of chemistry to create diverse biomolecules, aiming to systematically elucidate the relationships between molecular diversity and biological function, and to precisely control biological processes at the molecular level. Our research focuses on "Chemical Biology of Disease" and "Medium-molecule Drug Development".

We integrate chemistry, molecular biology, and medical science with automated synthesis, high-throughput functional screening, and data science to advance large-scale molecular design. By exploring previously unexplored molecular space, particularly that of medium-sized biomolecules, we aim to uncover the principles governing molecular function, ultimately enabling the development of innovative diagnostic probes and next-generation therapeutics.

Disease Biomarker Discovery

In Vivo Metabolic Imaging

Peptide Drug Discovery

Chemical Biology of Lipids

We conduct cutting-edge research in molecular diagnostics and medicine, including the discovery of disease biomarkers, the development of in vivo metabolic imaging technologies that enable early diagnosis, and metabolism-based approaches to drug discovery.

One of the major challenges in the early diagnosis of diseases and in therapeutic development is the severe shortage of disease-specific biomarkers, such as proteases. Building on large-scale metabolic profiling enabled by peptide libraries and DNA-encoded technologies, we are advancing the discovery of biomarkers tailored to specific diseases and pathological states.

We develop molecular probes for disease metabolic imaging based on original designs grounded in organic chemistry.

We are pioneering synthetic methodologies for medium-sized molecules, building high-throughput screening platforms, and discovering medium-sized molecules with novel functions.

We are advancing research on peptides and peptidomimetics based on our original molecular design technologies, aiming to develop tools for biomolecular manipulation and innovative peptide-based therapeutics. We also aim to realize functional peptides through our original DNA-encoded peptide libraries and data science approaches.

Lipids represent the “fourth class” of essential biomolecules in life, yet vast areas of lipid biology remain unexplored. This is largely due to the lack of technologies for designing and synthesizing lipids. We are developing a systematic platform for lipid development through solid-phase and automated synthesis combined with large-scale chemistry, enabling us to uncover previously unknown biological functions of lipids and to pioneer novel lipid-based therapeutic modalities.