Katsuhiko Shirahige

Katsuhiko Shirahige is Visiting Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, Quantitative Analysis of Chromosome Function at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, as of 1 March 2024. He is also a Professor and Director at the Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, Tokyo University, Japan. 

Katsuhiko Shirahige researches chromosome dynamics, gene expression and gene regulation. It is well-known that genes interact with other regions along the chromosome, and that these interactions can influence gene expression by “raising” or “lowering” it. Professor Shirahige’s research focuses on cohesin, a protein complex that controls these interactions by folding the chromosome in three-dimensional space. Cohesin mutations are known to cause cancer and developmental defects in the embryo. The aim of Katsuhiko Shirahige’s studies is to improve understanding of these diseases at a molecular level, thereby paving the way for new drugs.