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Sugihara Lab
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The lab uses biophysics and physical chemistry to develop new antibacterial drugs and sensors.
AboutAbout the lab
Driving innovation in drug discovery and diagnostics through biophysics and physical chemistry
The Sugihara Lab studies "biophysical engineering," which applies knowledge of biophysics and physical chemistry to engineering.
Through the development of new antibacterial drugs and biosensors, the lab aims to bring new technologies to drug development and disease diagnosis.
Its work includes antimicrobial peptides that tackle drug-resistant bacteria, which are not killed by existing drugs, and materials that make force visible as color.
The lab is located in the Institute of Industrial Science, and most of its members are people who moved from other universities at the master's or PhD stage.
Key terms
- Drug-resistant bacteria
- Drug-resistant bacteria: bacteria against which antibacterial drugs (antibiotics) have stopped working
- Antimicrobial peptides
- Antimicrobial peptides: substances made of short chains of amino acids that kill bacteria. They are produced by the body's immune system
- Self-assembly
- Self-assembly: a phenomenon in which molecules gather spontaneously, without external intervention, to form a defined shape or structure
ResearchResearch themes
The lab combines biophysics and engineering to investigate the behavior of biological membranes, lipids, and peptides. It applies this knowledge to developing antibacterial drugs effective against drug-resistant bacteria and sensors that change color in response to stimuli.
*Illustrative imageAntimicrobial peptides against drug-resistant bacteria
The lab focuses on the synergistic effect that appears only when antimicrobial peptides, natural antibiotics produced by the immune system, are combined with different types of peptides, and is working to elucidate the mechanism behind it. The aim is to develop next-generation antibacterial drugs that can overcome drug-resistant bacteria.
*Illustrative imageMechanochromic materials that make force visible as color
Using polydiacetylene (PDA), which changes color or fluorescence in response to stimuli such as force and temperature, the lab develops sensors that make friction and pressure visible to the eye, as well as biosensors that allow infectious diseases to be tested for easily.
*Illustrative imageSelf-assembly of lipids
The origin of life began with self-assembly. The lab investigates how lipids self-assemble into various shapes and what functions arise from them.
*Illustrative imageMethods for studying ion flow through biological membranes
Ion channels and similar proteins control the movement of ions through biological membranes and form the electrical circuits in the body. The lab works on improving existing methods and developing new ones for studying this ion flow.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Sugihara Lab include faculty, secretaries, researchers, PhD and master's students, and visiting students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKaori SugiharaPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorHideaki Matsuo
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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: “The surface of highly curved lipid bilayer” Semen Yesylevskyy / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Antimicrobial peptides against drug-resistant bacteria: “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Bacteria colorized scanning electron micrograph - 22” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Mechanochromic materials that make force visible as color: “Thermochromism 1” Girn Kaur / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Self-assembly of lipids: “Thin Film Interference Soap Bubble” Pksois23 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Methods for studying ion flow through biological membranes: “Patch clamp schematic 1” PeaBrainC / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Sakai-Nishikawa Lab): “Murine Organoid Smile” Sach75 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nakayama Lab): “4-Nitrobenzoic-acid-elpot-3D-vdW” Andreas Klamt / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tung Lab): “Molybdenite-238917” Robert M. Lavinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tsuji Lab): “Viscous fingers in a TiO2 sol-gel thin film formed from a Saffman-Taylor instability. 200x magnification reflected light” Claire Trease, Kingston University / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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