Welcome to the team, Kaito!
07/23/2026Between June and December 2026, Kaito Nitatougepart of Takumi Okuda's junior research group 'Nucleic Acid Chemistry', based within the Höbartner Lab, as a PhD student from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at The University of Osaka, Japan. We are delighted to have him with us and wish him every success!
Kaito’s doctoral work centers on functional nucleic acids, with a particular focus on aptamers that enable intracellular and nuclear delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides. While in Würzburg, he will broaden this work to include catalytic nucleic acids, developing ribozymes with novel functions, and will be closely involved with Taku’s early-career research group.
This research stay is made possible through funding from “JST SPRING” together with The University of Osaka’s “Next-Generation Global Leaders Overseas Dispatch Program” — an initiative that helps early-career researchers gain international experience and build global academic connections.
Beyond the scientific side of his visit, Kaito is also eager to explore the region and get to know the people here: “My colleagues in the lab have already introduced me to a few Bavarian traditions and organized some group activities. I’m looking forward to many more experiences and discoveries in Würzburg and the surrounding area.”
