About Our Lab

We engineer Bacillus subtilis as a production chassis while staying grounded in the fundamentals that enable reliable bioprocessing. Over two decades, Assoc. Prof. Shu Ishikawa has advanced core bacterial cell biology—identifying a key cell-wall hydrolase required for daughter-cell separation and creating engineered Bacillus morphologies; applying ChAP-ChIP/ChAP-seq and developing GeF-seq to map protein–DNA interactions in vivo; and dissecting RNA polymerase dynamics, replication-initiation control, differentiation suppression, and the coupling of chromosome replication with cell division.

Building on this foundation, our current program designs engineered, GRAS B. subtilis strains and process concepts for continuous, oxygen-efficient production. We focus on stereoregular, ultra-high-MW γ-L-PGA as a platform biopolymer for high-strength hydrogels, salt-resistant SAPs, and biodegradable plastics. Alongside strain work, we pursue chassis upgrades—protease control, genetic robustness, central-carbon flux biosensing, energy efficient bioreactor concepts, and accelerated evolution—to raise yield, stability, and scalability.