Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 27 minutes ago
Lecture by Professor Reiko Kuroda, Chubu University, at the Molecular Frontiers Symposium "Frontiers of New Knowledge in Science" in Hong Kong, Nov 15-17, 2024.
ABSTRACT
Reiko Kuroda is a scientist known for her seminal contributions to left-and-right asymmetry in chemistry, spectroscopy, crystallography, molecular and
developmental biology. In the material domain, Reiko has developed chiroptical spectrophotometers that can measure samples of non-randomly oriented molecules such as crystals and has revealed unique molecular behaviours in the solid phase in terms of chiral recognition/discrimination/transfer. In the biology field, she has discovered that a single gene, Lsdia1, and mechanogenetics determine the chirality in snails. The CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of this gene altered the entire chirality of snails from dextral to sinistral, for generations to come. This gene controls the elongation of actin filaments and is ubiquitous in eukaryotes, and thus, her research provides insights into chiromorphogenesis not only in invertebrates but vertebrates as well.
Lecture by Professor Reiko Kuroda, Chubu University, at the Molecular Frontiers Symposium "Frontiers of New Knowledge in Science" in Hong Kong, Nov 15-17, 2024.
ABSTRACT
Reiko Kuroda is a scientist known for her seminal contributions to left-and-right asymmetry in chemistry, spectroscopy, crystallography, molecular and
developmental biology. In the material domain, Reiko has developed chiroptical spectrophotometers that can measure samples of non-randomly oriented molecules such as crystals and has revealed unique molecular behaviours in the solid phase in terms of chiral recognition/discrimination/transfer. In the biology field, she has discovered that a single gene, Lsdia1, and mechanogenetics determine the chirality in snails. The CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of this gene altered the entire chirality of snails from dextral to sinistral, for generations to come. This gene controls the elongation of actin filaments and is ubiquitous in eukaryotes, and thus, her research provides insights into chiromorphogenesis not only in invertebrates but vertebrates as well.
