Intracellular Quality Control Project
Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Homeostasis through Intracellular Quality Control
Koji Yamano received his Ph.D. in Science from Nagoya University in 2009. Following his doctoral studies, he undertook a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, where his work focused on the mitochondrial quality control system implicated in Parkinson's disease.
Returning to Japan in 2014, Dr. Yamano joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science. Since then, he has continued his pioneering research into mitochondrial quality control mechanisms while expanding his interests including the molecular mechanisms of autophagy and intracellular vesicular trafficking. This has led him to the cutting edge of science, identifying novel factors and exploring their connections to human disease.
After serving as an associate professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (now Institute of Science Tokyo) from 2022 to 2024, Dr. Yamano returned to TMIMS. In April 2025, he launched the Quality Control Project as a project leader. In this capacity, he is now driving forward research into the relationship between intracellular quality control systems and human health.
Backgrounds
Our cells contain distinct structures with specialized functions, known as organelles. Like any complex system, organelles are susceptible to damage from stress and aging. Therefore, maintaining them in optimal condition is essential for preserving cellular homeostasis.
Much like a manufacturing plant relies on quality control to inspect defective products and replace old machinery, cells possess their own sophisticated mechanisms for continuous organelle surveillance. This system works to repair or dismantle and recycle damaged or weakened organelles. Collectively, this critical process is termed Intracellular Quality Control (IQC).
Our project is dedicated to elucidating the mechanisms by which our cells maintain a healthy state. Specifically, we are identifying novel stress response pathways that challenge cellular function, along with the key proteins involved in these processes, to better understand how IQC safeguards cellular health.
Objectives
- To discover and elucidate the mechanisms of novel molecular pathways that govern organelle quality control.
- To clarify the molecular pathogenesis of diseases caused by the disruption of intracellular quality control mechanisms.
Members
Project Leader Koji Yamano
- Waka Kojima