Home > Research > NARUMI laboratory
Research fields/Keywords:synthesis of organic and polymeric compounds, glycoconjugates, photodynamic therapy and photodynamic diagnosis (PDT and PDD), ring expansion-controlled radical polymerization, macrocyclic polymer brushes
Professor Atsushi NARUMI
We are working on the creation of highly advanced materials mainly by means of i) precision synthesis of organic and polymeric compounds, ii) conjugation with biofunctional molecules, and iii) utilization of harmless plant resources.
We are synthesizing photoactive molecules conjugated with sugars and amino acids and clarifying their physicochemical properties for the purpose of developing photo sensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT), a minimally invasive method for cancer treatment.
We are developing well-defined monomers and polymers conjugated with plant resources. Our objectives include constructing a new synthetic route and clarifying the self-organization properties in both solution and the solid states, eventually producing a raw material required for “green nanotechnology”.
For vinyl polymer synthesis, there has been significant progress due to the development of living (controlled) radical polymerization techniques. However, a method to demonstrate "ring expansion-vinyl polymerization" has been still limited. In our laboratory, we are conducting researches to enable "ring expansion-controlled radical polymerization". To elucidate the mechanism of the polymerization system and to produce novel polymeric materials possessing cyclic topologies are also our objectives.