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All organisms are exposed to a wide variety of cellular stresses. It is therefore essential for organisms to sense stresses and induce defense programs. My research interests are focused on understanding how the body senses and responds to cellular stresses, including oxidative, hypoxic, and acidic stress. In the Hakubi-project, I plan to identify the acid-inducible transcription factor that normalizes intracellular pH levels. In general, tumor cells are exposed to low pH, compared with normal cells, due to enhanced glycolysis; therefore, the identification of acid-inducible transcription factor would lead to the elucidation of the mechanism how tumor cells are able to adapt to low pH conditions. The mechanisms underlying stress sensing are based on chemical reaction. I believe that my background in chemistry and chemical biology uniquely enables me to view cancer biology from a different perspective and bring a new area of expertise to the field.