Kunihiko Morihiro, Ph.D.

E-mail: morihiro(at)chembio.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Japanese CV / English CV

Education

1. B.S.; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 2008
2. M.S.; Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 2010
3. Ph.D.; Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 2013

Appointments

1. JSPS Research Fellow (DC1); 2010-2013
2. Postdoctral Fellow at National Institute of Biomedical Innovation (NIBIO); 2013-2015
3. JSPS Postdoctral Fellow for Research Abroad at the University of Pittsburgh; 2015-2017
4. Assistant Professor at Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo; 2017-2024
5. Associate Professor at Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo; 2024-present

Representative Publications

1. “RNA Oncological Therapeutics: Intracellular Hairpin RNA Assembly Enables MicroRNA-Triggered Anticancer Functionality”
   Kunihiko Morihiro*, Shunto Morita, Naoki Harada, Manami Baba, Jongmin Yum, Mitsuru Naito, Kanjiro Miyata, Genta Nagae, Akimitsu Okamoto*
   J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1346-1355.
2. “Nucleic Acid-to-Small Molecule Converter through Amplified Hairpin DNA Circuits”
   Kunihiko Morihiro*, Yasuhiro Tomida, Daisuke Fukui, Manami Hasegawa, Akimitsu Okamoto*
   Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202306587.
3. “Oncolytic Hairpin DNA Pair: Selective Cytotoxic Inducer through MicroRNA-Triggered DNA Self-Assembly”
   Kunihiko Morihiro*, Hiraki Osumi, Shunto Morita, Takara Hattori, Manami Baba, Naoki Harada, Riuko Ohashi, Akimitsu Okamoto*
   J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 135-142.
4. “Identification of Nucleobase Chemical Modifications that Reduce the Hepatotoxicity of Gapmer Antisense Oligonucleotides”
   Tokuyuki Yoshida, Kunihiko Morihiro (co-first author), Yuki Naito, Atsushi Mikami, Yuuya Kasahara, Takao Inoue*, Satoshi Obika*
   Nucleic Acids Res. 2022, 50, 7224-7234.
5. “anti-syn Unnatural Base Pair Enables Alphabet-Expanded DNA Self-Assembly”
   Kunihiko Morihiro, Yuya Moriyama, Yui Nemoto, Hiraki Osumi, Akimitsu Okamoto*
   J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 14207-14217.
6. “Floxuridine Oligomers Activated under Hypoxic Environment”
   Kunihiko Morihiro, Takuro Ishinabe, Masako Takatsu, Hiraki Osumi, Tsuyoshi Osawa, Akimitsu Okamoto*
   J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 3340-3347.
7. “Hydrogen Peroxide-Triggered Gene Silencing in Mammalian Cells through Boronated Antisense Oligonucleotides”
   Shohei Mori, Kunihiko Morihiro*, Takumi Okuda, Yuuya Kasahara, Satoshi Obika*
   Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 1112-1118.
8. “Small Molecule Release and Activation through DNA Computing”
   Kunihiko Morihiro, Nicholas Ankenbruck, Bradley Lukasak, Alexander Deiters*
   J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 13909-13915.
9. “Light-Triggered Strand Exchange Reaction Using the Change in the Hydrogen Bonding Pattern of a Nucleobase Analogue”
   Kunihiko Morihiro, Tetsuya Kodama, Reiko Waki, Satoshi Obika*
   Chem. Sci. 2014, 5, 744-750.
10. “Selenomethylene Locked Nucleic Acid Enables Reversible Hybridization in Response to Redox Changes”
    Kunihiko Morihiro, Tetsuya Kodama, Kentefu, Yoshihiro Moai, Rakesh N. Veedu, Satoshi Obika*
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 5074-5078.