I have been interested in sophisticated infection machineries of viruses and applying this mechanism to develop new drug delivery systems (DDS) for delivering drugs into target cells. Recently, I’m aiming for reconstituting infection machinery of viruses by using de novo functional proteins, by using AI-based protein design tools. Final goal of my research is to develop de novo virus-like DDS to solve delivery problems.
Career
2016 PhD, Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagoya University
2016 Postdoctoral Fellow, National Cancer Center Research Institute (NCCRI), Japan
2017 JSPS Research Fellowship, SPD（NCCRI）
2017 Assistant Professor, SANKEN, Osaka University
2022 JSPS Overseas Research Fellowship (University of Washinton, US, ~2024)
2024 Associate Professor, SANKEN, Osaka University
2026 Associate Professor, IMRAM, Tohoku University
Selected Publications
Somiya M, Yanase T. Programmable protein editing by split intein-mediated recombination. bioRxiv. 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.01.22.700961
Yang EC, Divine R, Miranda MC, Borst AJ, Sheffler W, Zhang JZ, et al. Computational design of non-porous pH-responsive antibody nanoparticles. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2024 9;31:1404–12.
Somiya M, Kuroda S. Engineering of Extracellular Vesicles for Small Molecule-Regulated Cargo Loading and Cytoplasmic Delivery of Bioactive Proteins. Mol Pharmaceutics. 2022 4;19(7):2495–505.
Somiya M, Kuroda S. Reporter gene assay for membrane fusion of extracellular vesicles. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. 2021;10(13):e12171.
Somiya M, Kuroda S. Real-Time Luminescence Assay for Cytoplasmic Cargo Delivery of Extracellular Vesicles. Anal Chem. 2021 6;93(13):5612–20.
Somiya M, Sasaki Y, Matsuzaki T, Liu Q, Iijima M, Yoshimoto N, et al. Intracellular trafficking of bio-nanocapsule-liposome complex: Identification of fusogenic activity in the pre-S1 region of hepatitis B virus surface antigen L protein. Journal of Controlled Release. 2015;212:10–8.
Activities in Academic Societies
The Society for Biotechnology, Japan; The Japan Society of Drug Delivery System; Japanese Society for Extracellular Vesicles; The Biophysical Society of Japan
Teaching
Recent Activities
De novo protein design has been advancing rapidly, thanks to recent progress in AI. In our recent work, we used AI-based protein design tools to successfully design and validate, for the first time, de novo proteins that can induce membrane fusion. Membrane fusion, where two cell membranes merge, plays a key role in many biological processes such as fertilization, neural signaling, tissue development, and viral infection. The artificial membrane fusion proteins we designed could potentially allow us to control these processes in a precise and programmable way. They may also be applied to drug delivery systems (DDS), enabling efficient delivery of therapeutic molecules into cells.
In addition, we are exploring “protein editing” as a way to control protein function. This approach involves rewriting amino acid sequences within proteins. We have developed methods that allow us to modify protein sequences in a flexible and targeted manner, enabling direct control over their function.
Message to Students
De novo protein design is an exciting and rapidly growing field. By leveraging AI models, we can now create proteins with desired functions, including ones that do not exist in nature. One of the most rewarding aspects of this research is the moment when a protein you designed from scratch actually works as intended. It is challenging, but also incredibly fun and fulfilling.
Our group values curiosity, creativity, and open discussion. Whether your background is in biology, chemistry, physics, or computation, you are very welcome. If you are interested in exploring new ideas and enjoying research together, I would be happy to hear from you.
