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Bio-Thermal Engineering Lab
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A lab that studies cancer treatment and more at the intersection of heat and biology.
AboutAbout the lab
Working at the intersection of heat and biology
The Bio-Thermal Engineering Lab conducts research in bioengineering, thermal engineering, and bio-thermal engineering, which involves both.
Bioengineering is a discipline that addresses and solves problems in medicine and biology from an engineering perspective.
Even in research related to cells and medicine, the foundation of the lab's thinking lies in mechanical engineering, including thermal engineering, and the lab values a mechanical engineering perspective.
The lab is most interested in minimally invasive cancer treatment using electrical effects on cells, the biomechanics of tendon, bone, and cartilage, and the open-source design of biology education materials.
Key terms
- Minimally invasive
- Describes a treatment method that places little burden on the body
- Irreversible electroporation
- A method that applies high-voltage pulses to break down cell membranes and cause cell necrosis
- Biomechanics
- A field that studies biological tissues and cells from the perspective of mechanics
NewsLab news
Assistant Professor Kawai received the "Encouragement Award"
A paper by Assistant Professor Kawai et al. was published in Analytical Chemistry
Assistant Professor Kawai received the "Good Presentation Research Award"
A paper by Associate Professor Kim et al. was published in Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering
Associate Professor Kim received the "Outstanding Presentation Award"
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts research in bioengineering, thermal engineering, and bio-thermal engineering, which involves both, and its current research themes lean toward bioengineering. Even in research related to cells and medicine, its thinking is grounded in mechanical engineering, including thermal engineering.
*Illustrative imageInhibiting cell division with weak alternating electric fields
The lab studies a minimally invasive cancer treatment that applies very weak alternating electric fields of only a few V/cm to cells, inhibiting cell division to kill only highly malignant cancer cells. Through simulations and cell experiments, it seeks to clarify the mechanism and effectiveness of this treatment.
*Illustrative imageNon-thermal cell removal with high-voltage pulses
The lab studies irreversible electroporation, which uses high-voltage pulses of several kV/cm to disrupt cell membranes and cause cell necrosis. It searches for conditions that remove only cells non-thermally by suppressing Joule heating, and is also developing methods that achieve greater cell removal at lower voltages.
*Illustrative imageA contact-based method for treating tissue surfaces at low voltage
The lab works on contact-type irreversible electroporation, which uses tiny surface electrodes to cause necrosis of only the cells on a tissue surface at a weak voltage. It studies a new technology for removing lesions on the skin surface, in the gastrointestinal tract, and on the inner walls of blood vessels non-thermally at low voltage.
*Illustrative imageHow cell membranes repair themselves
The cell membrane, made of a lipid bilayer, can repair itself through self-assembly. Using the whole-cell patch clamp method, which measures membrane conductance with a glass electrode sealed tightly to a cell, the lab investigates the repair process of damaged cell membranes.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Bio-Thermal Engineering Lab consist of faculty, master's and undergraduate students, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorKosaku Kurata
- Associate ProfessorJonghyun Kim
- Assistant ProfessorKosei Kawai
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Ultrasound (2)” Linda Bartlett (Photographer) / Public domain (cropped)
- Inhibiting cell division with weak alternating electric fields: “Electric field between two charged plates (capacitor)” Maciej J. Mrowinski / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Non-thermal cell removal with high-voltage pulses: “Arc welding electrodes and electrode holder.triddle” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- A contact-based method for treating tissue surfaces at low voltage: “Tube à Rayon X dans un hôpital au Bénin 05” Adoscam / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How cell membranes repair themselves: “Cell Membrane” Blackout Sea / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (流体医工学研究室): “Pico Injection” Kimbalm / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (生体機能工学研究室): “Red blood cell on glass” Rogeriopfm / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (構造材料評価研究室): “TiAl duplex” Lne / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (流体設計研究室): “Zantingh CO2 2004 Achterkant” Hoogvlieth / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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