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Takai Lab
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The lab learns from living organisms to create materials for medicine that is gentle on people.
AboutAbout the lab
Learning from biology to create materials gentle on people
Takai Lab conducts research on creating functional materials to realize new forms of medicine.
Learning from the mechanisms of living organisms and applying them to technology, the lab aims to create new biomaterials that are gentle on people.
Because water is involved in the functions of cells and proteins, the lab examines at the molecular level the interfaces where materials, biomolecules, and water meet, and applies the findings to material design.
The lab also aims to deliver the knowledge and technology gained from its research to society as products in actual use.
Key terms
- Biomaterial
- A material that touches the body or is used inside it, such as medical devices and artificial organs
- Biointerface
- The boundary where a material surface meets biomolecules such as proteins, or cells
- Microchip
- A small plate with fine channels carved into it, which allows tests and analyses with a very small amount of blood or other samples
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Outstanding On-Demand Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan
A paper on a zwitterionic polymer gel and an enzyme nanocarrier was selected for a journal cover
A paper on predicting the properties of polymer surfaces with machine learning was selected for a journal cover
In collaboration with Osaka University and others, the lab developed a needle-shaped sensor that can be attached to the skin for continuous measurement
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to create new biomaterials that offer new functions needed in medicine and are gentle on people. It clarifies at the molecular level how functions arise at the interfaces where materials, biomolecules, and water meet, and applies this understanding to the design of new materials.
*Illustrative imageSensor materials for detecting disease early
To measure extremely small amounts of substances such as cancer markers, viruses, and hormones quickly and with high sensitivity, the lab creates molecular recognition interfaces (biointerfaces) that reduce noise and amplify the signal.
*Illustrative imageMedical microchips
In microchips that analyze proteins and cells from very small samples, biological substances stick to the channels and reduce accuracy. The lab develops surface treatment techniques to prevent this, as well as chips for health checks at home.
*Illustrative imageSurfaces that control cell behavior
The lab creates a variety of surfaces and investigates over time, from protein adsorption to cell adhesion, how the surface properties of a material affect cell adhesion, spreading, and differentiation.
MembersFaculty
The members of Takai Lab consist of faculty, project researchers, administrative assistants, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and interns from overseas.As of 2026
- ProfessorMadoka TakaiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorYixuan Huang
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
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RelatedLabs similar to Takai Lab
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Takehara LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Materials EngineeringMedical device materials, biomaterial processing, implantabl…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Microfluidic chip for point-of-care medical devices” FMNLab / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Sensor materials for detecting disease early: “Electronspun Nanofibers April 2023” Deander4 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Medical microchips: “Microfluidic Device ( )” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- Surfaces that control cell behavior: “Focaladhesion” Pommesbude Christoph Moehl / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Related lab (Electron Microscopy Materials Lab): “16 Universität Wien Sternwarte Physik Gruppe Kotakoski UltraStem Titan Ian Ehm” Ian Ehm, Universität Wien / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Katashima-Chung Lab): “Superabsorber Hydrogel KSG 2917 pK” Petra Klawikowski / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ichiki-Takehara Lab): “Lab on a Chip ( )” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Takehara Lab): “Cleanroom - photolithography lab ( )” UCL Mathematical & Physical Sciences from London, UK / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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