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Yanagisawa Lab
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The lab explores the physics of soft matter confined in cell-sized spaces.
AboutAbout the lab
Approaching the mechanisms of life through soft materials
Yanagisawa Lab studies the material properties and physical phenomena of soft matter such as liquid crystals, polymers, and gels.
The lab investigates phenomena such as molecular diffusion, structural phase transitions, and phase separation, mainly through experiments.
The lab also applies these findings to understanding biological phenomena and to creating microscale materials.
Centered on physics, the lab works on research at the boundaries with biology, chemistry, and engineering.
Key terms
- Soft matter
- A collective term for soft materials such as polymers, liquid crystals, gels, and colloids. It is found all around us in everyday life.
- Phase separation
- A phenomenon in which a mixture of substances separates into distinct regions, like water and oil.
- Liposome
- A tiny sac made of a lipid bilayer, the same structure as the cell membrane. It is used as a drug capsule and as a model of the cell.
NewsLab news
Research results published on designing the stiffness of artificial cells using lipids and DNA nanostructures
Discovery of how a lipid lowers membrane fluidity (press release)
A cell video taken by Assistant Professor Honda wins the Nikon JOICO Award
A master's student receives the Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences Encouragement Award
Discovery of a new principle: when a polymer solution separates, ions separate as well (press release)
ResearchResearch themes
The lab investigates the properties of soft matter confined in small, cell-sized spaces, aiming to achieve a physical understanding of biological phenomena and to create new microscale materials. Members from diverse backgrounds, including physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, work on themes spanning condensed matter physics, biophysics, and materials engineering.
*Illustrative imageExperiments on the properties of soft matter
Inspired by living organisms and cells, the lab recreates cell-like conditions using only known substances and examines the physical principles behind them. Through experiments and simulations, it studies how molecular diffusion and phase separation change when soft matter is confined in cell-sized spaces.
*Illustrative imageUnderstanding biological phenomena with cell models
The lab uses liposomes, vesicles made of the same lipid bilayer as the cell membrane, as cell models. By adding polymer solutions or DNA scaffolds inside, it examines how the membrane deforms, aiming to clarify how cell shape is determined.
*Illustrative imageCreating microscale materials that mimic cells
By mimicking the coexistence of liquid and gel states inside cells, the lab has found that the shape of microgels can be changed by temperature alone, and that gel stiffness can be changed by the size of the confinement alone.
MembersFaculty
Members of Yanagisawa Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, administrative staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorMiho YanagisawaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorGen Honda
- Project Assistant ProfessorHiroki Sakuta
- Project Assistant ProfessorNaoya Yanagisawa
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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: “Phosphatidylcholine liposomes stained with acridine orange” ArkhipovSergey / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Experiments on the properties of soft matter: “Double emulsion droplets” Catrin Sohrabi / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Understanding biological phenomena with cell models: “Phosphatidylcholine liposomes at phase-contrast microscopy” ArkhipovSergey / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Creating microscale materials that mimic cells: “More windows” Jin from Melbourne, Australia / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (若本研究室): “E. coli Bacteria ( )” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (石原研究室
（理論生物物理／Ishihara Lab） ): “Actin Filaments in a Neuroblastoma cell Line” Howard Vindin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (豊田(太郎)研究室): “Phosphatidylcholine liposomes at phase-contrast microscopy” ArkhipovSergey / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (理論化学研究室
（横川研究室） ): “Separatory funnel with oil and colored water” PRHaney / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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