About

Kio Horinaka

堀中葵寛

Education and research

2026–Ph.D. program, Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of TokyoPI: Osamu Nureki
2026M.S., Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, with highest distinctionPI: Osamu Nureki
2025–2026Visiting Scholar, Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardPI: Feng Zhang
2024B.S., Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo, with highest distinctionPI: Osamu Nureki
2020Entered The University of Tokyo (Sciences II)
2001Born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan

2026–BOOST NAIS: Advanced AI Talent Development to Lead the Next-Generation Intelligent Society, The University of Tokyo
2026The School of Science Encouragement Award (Graduation with Highest Distinction), Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
2025–2026Young Researcher Exchange Program, The UTOPIA Center, Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo
2024IUPAB2024 Student and Early Career Researcher Poster Award, 21st International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics Congress
2024The School of Science Encouragement Award (Graduation with Highest Distinction), Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo

2026Yuji Kashiwakura, Yuto Nakajima, Kio Horinaka, Tiago J.S. Lopes, Yuma Furuta, Yuki Yamaguchi, Nemekhbayar Baatartsogt, Morisada Hayakawa, Yuko Katakai, Susumu Uchiyama, Osamu Nureki, Keiji Nogami, Tsukasa Ohmori. “Engineered coagulation factor VIII with enhanced secretion and coagulation potential for hemophilia A gene therapy.” Blood 147(4): 402–415.
2026Satoshi N. Omura, Ryoya Nakagawa, Shohei Kajimoto, Sae Okazaki, Soh Ishiguro, Hideto Mori, Kosuke Onishi, Yuji Kashiwakura, Takafumi Hiramoto, Kio Horinaka, Mamoru Tanaka, Hisato Hirano, Kasey Jividen, Keitaro Yamashita, Shengdar Q. Tsai, Nozomu Yachie, Tsukasa Ohmori, Hiroshi Nishimasu, Osamu Nureki. “Engineering a compact high-fidelity Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 variant with broader targeting range and mechanistic insights into its activation.” Nature Communications 17: 3584.

2025Kio Horinaka. “Structural biology of blood coagulation factor VIII.” The 25th Annual Meeting of the Protein Science Society of Japan, Workshop WS11: Protein science of hemophilia, antibody therapeutics and gene therapy. Himeji, Japan, June 2025.Oral, peer-reviewed
2024Kio Horinaka. “The Architecture of Next-generation Screening and Directed-evolution System for Genetically Encodable Elements.” Frontiers in Biophysics, Sicily, Italy, July 2024.Oral
2024Kio Horinaka, Tatsuya Hagino, Tsukasa Kusakizako, Osamu Nureki. “Structural Basis for the Functional Diversity in Mechanosensitive Channels OSCAs.” 21st IUPAB Congress 2024, Kyoto, Japan, June 2024.Poster
2023Kio Horinaka, Tatsuya Hagino, Tsukasa Kusakizako, Osamu Nureki. “Structural, Functional and Evolutionary Characterization of Mechanosensitive Channel OSCA2.” SFD conference, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA, September 2023.Poster

2026Yuji Kashiwakura, Yuto Nakajima, Kio Horinaka, et al. “Engineered coagulation factor VIII with enhanced secretion and coagulation potential for hemophilia A gene therapy.” Blood 147(4): 402–415.
2026Satoshi N. Omura, Ryoya Nakagawa, …, Kio Horinaka, …, Osamu Nureki. “Engineering a compact high-fidelity Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 variant with broader targeting range and mechanistic insights into its activation.” Nature Communications 17: 3584.