Laboratory for
Epigenome Inheritance
RIKEN IMS, Yokohama, Japan
Azusa Inoue, Ph.D.
2025- Team Director at RIKEN IMS
2022-25 Team Leader at RIKEN IMS
2019- Visiting Associate Professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University
2018-22 YCI/Senior Scientist at RIKEN IMS
2012-18 Postdoc/Research Specialist at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital, USA
2011-12 Postdoc at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
2011 Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Frontier Science
2006 Bachelor at Tokyo Metropolitan University
Like: Science, Oocyte, Playing with kids
Interview:
2026 RIKEN Research Highlight (English)
2022 Top Researchers (Japanese)
2020 理研NEWS (Japanese)
Chisayo Kozuka, Ph.D.
2023- Research scientist at RIKEN IMS
2020-23 Special Postdoctoral Researchers Program at RIKEN IMS
2018-20 Research scientist at RIKEN IMS
2016-18 Research fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, USA
2013-16 JSPS PD at University of the Ryukyus, Japan
2013 Ph.D. at University of the Ryukyus, Japan
2008 Bachelor at Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University
Selected publications
Matoba* & Kozuka*, et al., (2022) Noncanonical imprinting sustains embryonic development and restrains placental overgrowth. Genes Dev, 36:483-494.
Kozuka, et al., Bromodomain inhibition reveals FGF15/19 as a target of epigenetic regulation and metabolic control. Diabetes, 2022 Jan 31;db210574. doi: 10.2337/db21-0574
Kozuka, et al., Impact of brown rice-specific γ-oryzanol on epigenetic modulation of dopamine D2 receptors in brain striatum in high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice. Diabetologia 2017; 60:1502
Like: Sweets, Contrabass, Coffee
Hiroto S. Fukushima, Ph.D.
2025- Special Postdoctoral Researchers Program at RIKEN IMS
2024-25 JSPS Research Fellow PD at RIKEN IMS
2023-24 Postdoctoral Researcher at RIKEN IMS
2021-23 Postdoc at Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
2016-21 Ph.D. at Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
2016 Bachelor at School of Science, The University of Tokyo
Selected publications
Fukushima SH and Takeda H (2025) Coordinated action of multiple active histone modifications shapes the zygotic genome activation in teleost embryos. Nat Commun 16:5222.
Fukushima SH, et al., (2024) Cell cycle length governs heterochromatin reprogramming during early development in non-mammalian vertebrates. EMBO Rep 25(8):3300-23.
Fukushima SH, et al., (2023) Incomplete erasure of histone marks during epigenetic reprogramming in medaka early development. Genome Res 33:572-586.
Like: Sakana (Fish), Sakanaction
Masahiro Matsuwaka, Ph.D.
2026.10- JSPS PD at RIKEN IMS
2025.4- JSPS DC2 at RIKEN IMS
2024.4- RIKEN Junior Research Associate at RIKEN IMS
2021.4- Graduate student at Tokyo Metropolitan Univ/RIKEN IMS
2021.3 Bachelor at Tokyo Univ of Agriculture
Selected publications
Matsuwaka M, et al., (2025) H3K27 di-methylation dynamics reveal stepwise establishment of facultative heterochromatin in early mouse embryos. Nat Cell Biol 27(1): 28-38
Like: Basketball, Animation, Music
Yuto Sekioka, Graduate student
2024.4- Graduate student at Tokyo Metropolitan Univ/RIKEN IMS
2024.3. Bachelor at School of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University
Like: Trombone, Hot spring, Drive
Hiroo Kawasaki, Graduate student
2026.4- Graduate student at Tokyo Metropolitan Univ/RIKEN IMS
2026.3. Bachelor at Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University
Like: Cephalopod, Guitar, Museum
Mami Kumon, Technical Staff
2022- Epigenome Inheritance Lab at RIKEN IMS
2019-22 Metabolic Epigenetics YCI Lab at RIKEN IMS
-2019 Developmental Genetics Lab at RIKEN IMS