Our research includes chmical ecology and natural product chemistry of marine organisms.

Chemical communication

As many insects and mammals, marine organisms communicates each other using chemical signals (pheromone). We are studing crustacean sex pheromone using helmet crab Telmessus cheiragonus. Helmet crab is a ideal material to study sex pheromone because source of the female pheromone is knowm and the bioassay to test the pheromone has been established in our lab. Research on the pehromone could be applyed to fisheries and contol of invasive species.

Chemical difence

Marine organisms use secondary metabolites to avoid predation and biofauling on their body surface. We are studying how they survive using the secondary metabolites.