Labs in The University of Tokyo

Economics & Social Systems0 student voices

The lab uses economics to tackle food and agriculture problems by looking at the links between countries and industries.

Saito Lab conducts research that uses economics to solve everyday problems related to food and agriculture. The world's economies are becoming more closely connected, and to understand any single economic phenomenon, one also has to look at the ties between countries and regions behind it. Building on general equilibrium theory, the lab aims to clarify the wide range of economic phenomena related to food and agriculture, and how they change, through both theory and data. Research topics are open as long as they address food and agriculture from an economic perspective, whether micro or macro, Japan or overseas, developing or developed countries.

#International trade theory #Input-output analysis #Development economics

Materials & Nanotech0 student voices

A lab that explores the fundamentals and applications of cellulose through chemistry and structural analysis.

The Cellulose Chemistry Lab studies the structure and functions of cellulose, the main component of plants. Cellulose is a renewable resource made from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and it is the most abundant biomass (biological resource) stored on Earth. Using chemistry and structural analysis as its methods, the lab carries out basic research on cellulose as well as applied research aimed at its advanced utilization. In particular, the lab works on producing fibers and nanofibers from cellulose by a method called TEMPO-catalyzed oxidation.

#Cellulose #Cellulose nanofibers #TEMPO-catalyzed oxidation

Structures & Mechanics0 student voices

The lab explores foldable structures and new materials through the geometry and computation of origami.

The Tachi Lab studies the relationship between the shapes of three-dimensional forms and the way structures function, with the aim of making it possible to design them. Starting from finding the shapes around us fascinating, the lab interprets them using geometric and computational methods. Its main themes are origami, which deals with the shapes and motions created by folding paper, and structural tessellation, which fills surfaces and space with polygons or polyhedra. Possible applications include temporary buildings that shift between a flat-folded state and a rigid three-dimensional state, and devices that control heat, light, and sound.

#Origami engineering #Computational origami #Structural tessellation

Bio & Life Sciences0 student voices

The lab uses its own original imaging technologies to uncover how synapses work.

The lab studies how synapses, which connect neurons in the brain, work. It develops its own visualization technologies, including imaging techniques that use light to visualize neurotransmitter release and super-resolution microscopy. It builds new technologies by combining methods from organic chemistry, chemical biology, molecular biology, and optics. Using these technologies, the lab investigates how neurotransmitters are released from synapses.

#Synapses #Super-resolution imaging #Chemical biology

Bio & Life Sciences0 student voices

The lab observes neural circuits at the cellular level to understand how the brain predicts, chooses, and learns.

The Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology (Matsuzaki Lab) studies, at the cellular level, how neural circuits in the brain give rise to behavior and intelligence. Animal brains predict upcoming outcomes from sensory input and the state of the body, choose actions, and learn from the results. The lab combines two-photon imaging and optogenetics to directly observe active neurons and investigate how circuits function. Using mice and marmosets, a small species of monkey, the lab also studies the circuits that support abilities characteristic of primates, such as understanding the actions of others and imitation learning.

#Two-photon imaging #Frontal cortex #Marmoset

Data Science & Statistics0 student voices

The lab uses statistics to interpret large-scale genome data and investigate how diseases arise and how new drugs can be developed.

The Department of Genome Informatics (Okada Lab) studies statistical genetics, which uses statistics to evaluate how genetic information is linked to physical traits and diseases. Through the analysis of human genetic information and the development of new analytical methods, the lab aims to uncover the mechanisms of disease, advance genome-based drug discovery, and establish personalized medicine. Through international collaborative research, the lab has carried out large-scale genome analyses and identified genes involved in a wide range of diseases. The lab has two sites: a department at the University of Tokyo and the Systems Genetics Team at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences. Members can conduct research at either site.

#Statistical genetics #Genome analysis #Bioinformatics

Bio & Life Sciences0 student voices

A lab that explores the mechanisms of metabolic and immune diseases through the functions of lipids.

Murakami Lab studies how lipids and the molecules produced by their metabolism function in the body and how they contribute to disease. Lipids are the body's largest energy source and a main building material of cell membranes, and they also function as signaling molecules. The lab examines genetically modified mice for enzymes and receptors involved in lipid metabolism, and combines this with lipidomics, the comprehensive analysis of lipids, to uncover the mechanisms of metabolic and immune diseases. Based on these findings, the lab aims to contribute to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases involving changes in lipid metabolism.

#Lipids #Lipidomics #Phospholipase

Bio & Life Sciences0 student voices

神経細胞生物学教室（岡部繁男研究室） (introduction coming soon)

Formation and maintenance of central nervous system neural networks; synaptic imaging

Bio & Life Sciences0 student voices

The lab studies structural biology, using cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the shapes of receptors in the cell membrane.

The Danev Lab (Advanced Structural Science) uses cryo-electron microscopy to study the relationship between the structure and function of proteins and cellular components. The lab aims to reveal the structures of important molecules such as cell membrane receptors, and to use them to understand how diseases arise and to develop therapeutic drugs. The lab also works on improving cryo-electron microscopy itself, including sample preparation, automation, and image contrast.

#Cryo-electron microscopy #G protein-coupled receptors #Structural biology

Bio & Life Sciences0 student voices

The lab studies molecular motors that transport cargo inside cells, and aims to develop therapies based on extracellular vesicles.

Tanaka Lab studies kinesin molecular motors, which carry cargo inside cells, along with transport within the cell and release to the outside of the cell. The lab's work rests on the idea that cell function is determined not only by what is present and in what amount, but also by where it is located in the cell. By examining mice with altered kinesin genes, the lab has traced how various diseases arise, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, and schizophrenia. Currently, using extra-large extracellular vesicles (XLEVs), which have a strong ability to regenerate tissue, as a clue, the lab is pursuing research that leads to treatments for serious diseases.

#Kinesin #Extracellular vesicles #Translational research