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Higaki Lab
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A bioimaging lab that observes, measures, and thinks about what happens inside plant cells.
AboutAbout the lab
Standing at the boundary, observing life.
The Higaki Lab studies how structures inside plant cells are organized in an orderly way, and how the cells respond to changes in their environment.
The lab's research rests on live-cell imaging, which continuously films living cells under a microscope, and on image analysis, which turns images into numerical data.
The lab values "interdisciplinary integration" (gakuyugo): it is not limited to life sciences, and incorporates the ideas and methods of other fields such as information science and mathematical sciences.
Key terms
- Live-cell imaging
- A method of continuously filming living cells under a microscope to observe changes in their internal structures and movements over time
- Cytoskeleton
- A network of fibers that runs throughout the cell. It supports the shape of the cell and also functions in intracellular transport and cell division
- Stomata
- Small pores on the surface of leaves and other parts of plants. Guard cells open and close them to regulate the exchange of carbon dioxide and water vapor
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to understand how ordered structures inside cells coexist with flexible responses to environmental changes such as light. Using plant cells as its subject, the lab conducts research based on live-cell imaging and image analysis.
*Illustrative imageMorphogenesis of Plant Cells
The lab makes the cytoskeleton and organelles visible in living cells and uses image analysis to turn their structures and movements into numerical data. By observing and measuring the changing interior of cells, it explores the mechanisms by which order arises.
*Illustrative imageStomata That Move in Response to the Environment
Stomata on the surface of plants open and close through the coordinated action of multiple cells. Using live-cell imaging and methods from molecular and cell biology, the lab investigates the mechanism from the perspectives of the cytoskeleton, membrane trafficking, and coordination between cells.
*Illustrative imageAutomatically Detecting Features in Microscope Images
Using analysis with ImageJ/Fiji and Python, and machine learning when necessary, the lab extracts features and changes in state from large numbers of cell images. This research turns "looking at images" into reproducible quantitative data.
*Illustrative imageSelf-Organization of Cells Through Experiments and Mathematics
The lab combines real data obtained by live imaging with quantitative analysis and simulation to study the principles by which characteristic patterns arise inside cells.
MembersFaculty
The Higaki Lab consists of faculty members, master's students, and academic specialists.As of 2026
- ProfessorHigaki TakumiPublications ↗
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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.
- Top image: “Stoma under optical microscope” Paulssanta02 / CC0 (cropped)
- Morphogenesis of Plant Cells: “Onion Epidermis Cells W.M. 40x - 183” loganrickert / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Stomata That Move in Response to the Environment: “Leaf epithelium, stomata” Emilio Ermini / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Automatically Detecting Features in Microscope Images: “Confocal laser scanning microscopy” Database Center for Life Science (DBCLS) / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Self-Organization of Cells Through Experiments and Mathematics: “Belousov Zhabotinsky reaction ( )” Stephen Morris from Toronto, Canada / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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