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Sakata Lab
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The lab uses semiconductor sensors to capture the workings of life as electrical signals.
AboutAbout the lab
New discoveries about life phenomena come with new methodologies.
The Sakata Lab studies "semiconductor biosensing," which uses semiconductors to measure biological functions.
Using transistors, the lab directly detects the behavior of electric charge, an electrical property of DNA, proteins, cells, and other biological materials.
A key feature is that measurements are label-free, non-damaging, and made in real time.
With applications to devices for diagnosis and drug discovery in view, the lab also aims for a comprehensive understanding of how life works.
Key terms
- Field-effect transistor (FET)
- A semiconductor component that changes the flow of current with voltage. It can read changes in surface charge as an electrical signal.
- Non-invasive
- Performing measurements or tests without damaging the body or cells.
- Apoptosis
- A phenomenon in which cells die through their own internal mechanisms. In drug development, analyzing it provides an important clue.
NewsLab news
Applications open for a biosensor student competition that undergraduates can join
Lab tours held for prospective doctoral and master's students
A student wins the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials / Iron and Steel Institute of Japan Scholarship Award
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies semiconductor biosensing technology that captures the functions of biological materials such as DNA, proteins, and cells as the behavior of their electric charge. Using field-effect transistors (FETs), it works on everything from creating devices to understanding interfaces, aiming for label-free, non-invasive, real-time measurement.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring How Cells Function
This research uses semiconductors to measure the functions of cells, the smallest units of life, in real time without damaging them. Current work includes measuring the respiration of embryos in in vitro fertilization and detecting cell apoptosis.
*Illustrative imageBuilding the Boundary Between Semiconductors and Living Matter
To transmit electrical changes in biological samples to transistors effectively, the lab designs the interface where semiconductors and biological materials meet, drawing on physics, chemistry, and biology. It also uses simulations to elucidate the interface.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring Multiple Properties at Once
The lab develops technology that measures, all at once, properties of biological substances (biological parameters) such as molecular weight and amount of charge, which are normally measured with separate instruments.
MembersFaculty
The Sakata Lab's members include faculty, academic support staff, collaborating researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorToshiya SakataPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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RelatedLabs similar to Sakata Lab
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Miyata LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Materials EngineeringDrug delivery and nucleic acid drug development using biopol…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: “Silicon Wafer 20190210” Enrique Jiménez / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Measuring How Cells Function: “HaCaT Cells Phase Contrast” Accuratelibrarian / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Building the Boundary Between Semiconductors and Living Matter: “Simulated structure of the water hexane interface” Cnrowley / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Measuring Multiple Properties at Once: “Enzyme thermistor-based biosensor, Si nanowire-based field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor, and surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based biosensor” Naresh, Varnakavi., and Nohyun Lee / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ichiki-Takehara Lab): “Lab on a Chip ( )” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Takai Lab): “Microfluidic chip for point-of-care medical devices” FMNLab / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Inoue Lab(Physical Metallurgy Lab／Steels and Structural Materials)): “BrutTrempe316L” Q2Q7 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Miyata Lab): “Nanoparticles in Brain Metastases ( )” NIH Image Gallery from Bethesda, Maryland, USA / Public domain (cropped)
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