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Director, Prof. Taiji Adachi
Prof. Akihiro Kusumi
Assoc. Prof. Yasuhiro Inoue
Assist. Prof. Toshihiro Togaya
Assist. Prof. Rinshi Kasai
This RD and education center strives for creating a new research field of nano regenerative medical engineering by accomplishing the following four aims.
(1) Develop and apply single-molecule nanotechnological method for observing and manipulating nano-systems working in living cells. Transcription nano-systems, responsible for cellular (de-) differentiation, and the signal transduction nano-systems in the plasma membrane are two major targets.
(2) Advance methods for creating three-dimensionally-organized cell clusters.
(3) Unravel the cellular mechanosensing mechanism in tissue regeneration and remodeling. The long-term goal is to understand the mechano-biochemical coupling mechanism working at the nano-to-micro-meter scale, using approaches of biomechanics and mechanobiology.
(4) Apply the results obtained in the RD items (1)-(3) to pluripotent stem cells (ES cells + iPS cells), contribute to regenerative medicine.
Prof. Akihiro Kusumi
Assist. Prof. Rinshi Kasai
Our team is dedicated to methodology development for single-molecule observation and manipulation at nanometer precisions in living cells. The development is carried out simultaneously with the application for the studies of nano-bioprocesses occurring in living cells, in particular, signal transduction in the cell membrane and the formation and remodeling of the neuronal network. The smooth liaison between physics/engineering and biomedicine is a key for our methodology developments. On the basis of the knowledge of nano-bioprocesses learned in the cells (e.g., partitioning of the plasma membrane into submicron compartments and transient formation of signaling platforms in the cell membrane) and the single-molecule bionanotechnology developed here, we envisage the next-generation nanotechnology, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery protocols.
Assist. Prof. Toshihiro Togaya
Restoration and maintenance of oral function (ingestion, mastication, swallowing and phonation) are essential for ADL (activity of daily living) and QOL (quality of life) especially in the elderly. The goal of our study is to establish the fabrication systems of dental prostheses, which have excellent biological-, mechanical- and morphological-compatibility.
On the other side, there is a big social problem in the manufacturing industry of the dental prostheses in Japan. The society tends to be composed by elderly dental technicians, and many young people in this field quit work because they do not feel financially stable. We are investigating such a sociological problem.
Prof. Taiji Adachi
Assoc. Prof. Yasuhiro Inoue
In functional adaptation by tissue remodeling and regeneration, the mechanism by which local mechanical cue is sensed by cells and tissues remodel their structure to meet functional demands remains unclear because of the complex hierarchical system in spatiotemporal scales. To better understand the mechanoregulation of tissue adaptation by remodeling and regeneration, bridging spatial and temporal scales from microscopic molecular and cellular activities to macroscopic tissue behaviors is very important. Based on multiscale system biomechanics, our department is involved in integrated researches of modeling and simulation combined with experiments, focusing on mechano-biochemical couplings in the dynamics of structure-function relationships in tissues and cells.
1) Biomechanics and mechanobiology of nano- and microscale structures in living systems.
2) Understanding mechanisms of bone functional adaptation by remodeling and regeneration.
3) Multiscale modeling and simulation of actin filament dynamics in cell migration.
4) Elucidation of mechano-biochemical coupling mechanisms in mechanosensory cells.
5) Nano- and microengineering of artificial systems combined with biomolecular and cellular systems.
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Human Embryonic Stem Cell Project
