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Biological Nonequilibrium Physics Lab
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A biophysics lab that studies collections of cells and chromatin through the lens of physics.
AboutAbout the lab
The mechanisms of life, from a physics perspective
The Biological Nonequilibrium Physics Lab conducts research to uncover the mechanisms of biological phenomena from a physics perspective.
It deals with phase transitions, nonlinear dynamics, morphogenesis, evolution, and the physics of chromatin.
The lab uses methods from both theoretical physics and experimental biology, combining long-term time-lapse imaging of cells, single-molecule observation, and machine learning.
The lab spans RIKEN and the University of Tokyo, and its University of Tokyo members are based at the Hongo Campus.
Key terms
- Phase transition
- A phenomenon in which the state of a substance changes abruptly once a certain condition is crossed, like water turning into ice
- Chromatin
- A structure inside the cell nucleus in which DNA is wound around proteins called histones and folded
- Topological defect
- A disordered point within an aligned pattern where the orientation is undefined
- Active matter
- A collection of particles, cells, or other units that move by using energy on their own
NewsLab news
Paper published on the effect of rate asymmetry in nonequilibrium phase transitions
Paper published on the loop expansion in field theory of polymers
Paper published on convection and phase separation under a temperature gradient
Associate Professor Kawaguchi was awarded the Kobe Prize Young Investigator Award
Review article published on Hermitian and non-Hermitian topology in active matter
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the physics of phase transitions, morphology, evolution, and chromatin through both theory and experiment. Drawing on ideas from physics and mathematics, and building new experimental systems when necessary, it approaches biological problems from its own distinctive perspective.
*Illustrative imageCell Populations Aligned Like Liquid Crystals
When elongated, highly motile cells such as neural progenitor cells are cultured, they form oriented patterns resembling liquid crystals. The lab investigates, for example, how topological defects within these patterns act as sources and sinks of cell flow.
*Illustrative imageTheory of Active Matter
The lab theoretically studies phase transitions that occur in collections of self-propelled particles, known as active matter. By considering such phase transitions in a quantum many-body system, it has shown that there are new phases not found in classical models.
*Illustrative imageData Analysis of Tissue Maintenance and Development
In collaboration with researchers who conduct live-tissue imaging experiments, the lab has studied how skin stem cells coordinate their fates to maintain tissue. It has also developed a method that uses graph neural networks to decipher how cell fates are determined, and is extending it to the analysis of developing embryos.
*Illustrative imageCondensates Inside Cells
Focusing on condensates that form when proteins and RNA spontaneously assemble inside cells, the lab developed a theory that estimates the strength of interactions between intrinsically disordered regions. The theory can predict which sequences mix with each other and which separate.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biological Nonequilibrium Physics Lab include faculty, doctoral and master's students, researchers, technical staff, and administrative staff.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKyogo Kawaguchi
- Assistant ProfessorShunshi KohyamaPublications ↗
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Nose LabFaculty of Science, Department of PhysicsBiophysics of the brain and nervous systemThe 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: “Nematic liquid crystal” Ingo Dierking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Cell Populations Aligned Like Liquid Crystals: “Fibroblastos 100x b” Ca.garcia.s / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Theory of Active Matter: “Murmuration 11-2025” Skander zarrad / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Data Analysis of Tissue Maintenance and Development: “Confocal image of the stratum basale showing some papillae” Tratzinsky / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Condensates Inside Cells: “Cell Nucleus (NIH BioArt 72)” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (竹内研究室): “B72Textur” Minutemen / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (岡田研究室): “Multicolor fluorescence image of a living HeLa cell” 8x57is / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (伊藤(創祐)研究室): “Belousov Zhabotinsky reaction ( )” Stephen Morris / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (能瀬研究室): “Drosophila larvae mariometzler” Mario Metzler / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
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