Junko Okano, M.D., Ph.D. has joined Kyoto University as faculty in an endowed Professorship. A practicing reconstructive (plastic) surgeon, Dr. Okano is spearheading a translational research program inspired by unmet clinical needs. Working with Professor Kojima, she is building a tissue specific peptide atlas—a reference map of short targeting peptides that recognize particular tissues in the body. By combining clinical insight, external research funding, and advanced selection technologies, the lab aims to turn this atlas into practical delivery tools for medicine: guiding drugs, genes, or nanoscale carriers precisely to the tissues where patients need them most. Dr. Okano’s long term goal is clear—solve concrete problems faced by patients and see the solutions implemented in care. She will continue clinical service while growing a research program that moves discoveries from bench to bedside.

One line tagline options

• “From operating room questions to peptide maps—and back to the clinic.”
•  “Targeted delivery for real clinical problems.”
•  “Building a peptide atlas to make precision therapy practical.”

Call to collaborators

We welcome collaborations in drug/gene delivery, imaging, and clinical proof of concept studies. For inquiries or potential collaborations, please contact Dr. Okano at okano.junko.4c@kyoto-u.ac.jp

My journey into diabetes research began during my third year of medical school. As an undergraduate, I was invited by a professor who lectured on diabetes to become the head of the ward for diabetic monkeys. I initiated serious research immediately after becoming a physician. Diabetes is an incurable disease once contracted, and there was no research theme on how it could be naturally cured. All research focused on achieving better blood sugar control to prevent the progression of diabetes and its complications.

During my postgraduate studies, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the disease called diabetes. However, the more I researched the relationship between blood sugar control and diabetic complications, the more I encountered the fundamental question of “Why can’t diabetes be cured?” This persistent question often plunged me into deep darkness. I decided to confront this unspoken question head-on. In recent years, various challenges have been resolved through my research, revealing that diabetes is caused by stem cell abnormalities, similar to cancer. We have identified a potential ultimate goal for the research: diabetes can be treated using the same methods as cancer. This realization took nearly 40 years.

This research has been driven by my unique perspective, with few researchers employing the same approach. If I were to halt this research, the opportunity to save many lives would be significantly delayed. However, the institution has a well-established system for joint research courses, allowing us to continue our work. We will make every effort to implement this research into society as quickly as possible.

A joint research course is a system where universities and private institutions collaborate on common issues as equal partners. Universities receive researchers and research funding from private institutions, strengthening external cooperation and aiming to produce outstanding research results. Utilizing this system, we will strive for further research advancements and contributions to society.