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Sasaki Lab
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The lab develops measurement methods that use X-rays to capture the motion of a single protein molecule.
AboutAbout the lab
Measuring the motion inside molecules with X-rays
The Sasaki Lab studies methods for measuring the motions that occur inside a single molecule, such as a protein.
The lab uses its own single-molecule X-ray measurement method, Diffracted X-ray Tracking (DXT), in which gold nanocrystals are attached to a protein as markers and X-rays are directed at them to follow the protein's motion.
The lab aims to confirm, at the single-molecule level, that biological molecules are not rigid like a "lock and key" but move very flexibly.
Experiments are carried out at synchrotron radiation facilities such as SPring-8, and the lab also proposes new measurement methods and analysis methods for extracting information from high-speed video.
Key terms
- Single-molecule X-ray measurement method (DXT)
- A method that directs X-rays at a tiny crystal marker attached to a molecule and measures the motion of a single molecule from changes in the marker's orientation.
- Nanocrystal
- An extremely small crystal a few nanometers in size. Here it is used as a marker for detecting the motion of a molecule.
- Synchrotron radiation
- Very bright light, including X-rays, emitted by electrons circulating at nearly the speed of light. It is produced at large accelerator facilities.
- Nematode
- A small transparent animal about 1 mm long. It is easy to raise and is widely used in biological research.
NewsLab news
A master's student won a Travel Award at the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (USA)
Succeeded in measuring molecular motion with nanosecond X-ray video (press release)
Published the textbook "Introduction to Advanced Quantum Probe Measurement" with Maruzen
Lecturer Masahiro Kuramochi joined the Multidimensional Measurement Science Division (cross-appointment with Ibaraki University)
ResearchResearch themes
The lab focuses on single-molecule X-ray measurement, which uses X-rays to measure the motion of a single protein molecule with high precision. Its work ranges from developing new measurement methods for motion inside a single molecule to measurements using proteins and nematodes.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping Methods to Measure Motion Inside a Single Molecule
The lab pursues measurement precision finer than the size of an atom for motion inside a single molecule, together with the temporal resolution to capture it at sub-microsecond speeds. It also develops image processing techniques that extract faint signals from high-speed diffraction video.
*Illustrative imageTracking Single Molecules with X-rays (DXT)
Visible light did not have enough resolution to measure motion inside a single molecule with high precision. X-rays made this possible, and Prof. Sasaki was the first in the world to propose the single-molecule X-ray measurement method, DXT, in 1998.
*Illustrative imageThe Motion of Single Protein Molecules
To truly understand how life works, it is necessary to consider the motion of each individual molecule working inside a cell. Because these are local biological phenomena that occur only for an instant, the lab aims to establish a systematic discipline of measurement at the single-molecule level.
*Illustrative imageResearch Using Nematodes
This research uses nematodes, small transparent animals less than 1 mm in length. Nematodes have been used in discoveries such as apoptosis and RNA interference, and the lab uses them to work on next-generation technologies.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Sasaki Lab are faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral and master's students, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorYuji C. SasakiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorDaisuke Sasaki
- LecturerMasahiro Kuramochi
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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: “SPring- img pano” en:User:Artorius / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Developing Methods to Measure Motion Inside a Single Molecule: “Laue-Cubic-Disoriented” Tizeff / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Tracking Single Molecules with X-rays (DXT): “Gold255” Aleksandar Kondinski / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- The Motion of Single Protein Molecules: “Myoglobin” →AzaToth / Public domain (cropped)
- Research Using Nematodes: “Adult Caenorhabditis elegans” The original uploader was Kbradnam at English Wikipedia. (Original text: Zeynep F. Altun, Editor of www.wormatlas.org) / CC BY-SA 2.5 (cropped)
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