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Ito Lab
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The lab builds its biology on methods that accurately measure the physical quantities living things use.
AboutAbout the lab
Start biology by measuring.
The Ito Lab begins its research by accurately measuring the physical quantities that living things make use of, such as force, heat, and electromagnetic waves.
Because the lab believes that the advancement of biology itself has been supported by the development of measurement methods, it also works on developing new ways of measuring.
Centered on methods for detecting very small amounts of protein, the lab covers early diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancer, human brain activity and pain, and learning and memory in snails.
The lab has collaborations with universities and research institutions in Japan and abroad, and graduate students take part in them.
Key terms
- ELISA
- A method for measuring very small amounts of protein, using an antigen-antibody reaction and color development from an enzyme reaction as clues.
- Enzymatic cycling
- A mechanism that repeats an enzyme reaction to amplify the signal itself, lowering the minimum detectable concentration.
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)
- A method that shines near-infrared light from outside the head and examines brain activity from changes in blood flow in the surface layer of the brain.
NewsLab news
A doctoral student published a paper on detecting extracellular vesicle proteins with ultrasensitive ELISA
Published a review summarizing the current state and outlook of ELISA tests for sexually transmitted infections
A doctoral student published a paper on a thio-NAD cycling ELISA for detecting Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Published a paper on dengue virus cross-reactive antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines
A graduate published a paper on detecting malaria parasite infection with ultrasensitive ELISA
ResearchResearch themes
The Ito Lab pays attention to the physical quantities that organisms use, such as force, heat, and electromagnetic waves, and clarifies the mechanisms of biological phenomena by measuring them accurately. Based on the idea that the advancement of biology has depended heavily on the development of measurement methods, the lab also works on developing new measurement methods.
*Illustrative imageUltrasensitive ELISA for measuring proteins
By combining ELISA, which uses antigen-antibody reactions, with thio-NAD cycling, the lab established a method that amplifies the signal from a target protein and detects it with ultrahigh sensitivity. Using this method, the lab is trying to detect cancer biomarkers and the bacteria and viruses involved in infectious diseases.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping nucleic acid measurement without amplification
PCR, the mainstream method, has problems such as false negatives, complicated procedures, and cost. By combining nucleic acid hybridization with thio-NAD enzymatic cycling, the lab is developing a method that measures nucleic acids quickly and simply without amplification.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring human brain activity through cerebral blood flow
Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), the lab noninvasively evaluates human brain activity from changes in blood flow in the surface layer of the brain. Measurement only requires wearing a headgear-like probe, so it needs no restraint and places little burden on the participant.
*Illustrative imageResearch on learning and memory using snails
Using the freshwater pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis, the lab investigates how changes in nutritional state alter learning ability. The snail has an open circulatory system and a small number of large neurons, so the central and peripheral nervous systems can be analyzed together down to the single-cell level.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Ito Lab consist of faculty, invited researchers, a secretary, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2025
- ProfessorEtsuro Ito
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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: “Antibody IgG1 surface” Tokenzero / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Ultrasensitive ELISA for measuring proteins: “ELISA Plate image” Kim.kan / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing nucleic acid measurement without amplification: “Agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA” Ultrabem / CC0 (cropped)
- Measuring human brain activity through cerebral blood flow: “Prefrontal cortex (left) - lateral view” Polygon data were generated by Database Center for Life Science(DBCLS) / CC BY-SA 2.1 jp (cropped)
- Research on learning and memory using snails: “Glänzende Wasserschnecke” 4028mdk09 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (園池研究室): “Lime chloroplasts” Mjolk1 / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (富永研究室): “Canadian Pond Weed Leaf Tip” KarlGaff / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (久保研究室): “CSIRO ScienceImage 7113 Honey bee comb showing cells” Nick Pitsas, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (細研究室): “Sinistral x dextral Limicolaria martensiana” Jxd / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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