Division of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University
Bioengineering Laboratory
TANAKA Group
Research subjects
The mission of this laboratory is to create novel and effective methodologies of treatment, prevention, and diagnosis for osteoporosis from the aspect of bioengineering. For the treatment, tissue-engineered bones with highly-mechanocompatible with bone tissue are studied utilizing techniques of tissue-engineering. For the prevention, we focus on electromyostimulation on as a promising non-pharmacological intervention, feasible for elderly people, to prevent osteoporosis. For the diagnosis, we are developing an optical bone densitometer utilizing infrared laser diodes, which smaller, safer, and easier to operate than the conventional X-ray device. To these ends, cell culture, animal experiments, and computer simulations are performed in our laboratory.
Education policy
Acquiring broad knowledge is required to accomplish a bioengineering research. Knowledge of biology and medicine are important in applications of the research to clinical and engineering fields. Several research groups are organized in the laboratory and each group presents the progress of research project in a lab meeting weekly. Small meetings with the professor are also held at any time and current problems are deeply discussed. Spontaneous actions are required for all students based on thier research plan, managing time and relationships with other lab members.
Daily life in our laboratory
All information about our laboratory such as lab meeting schedule, experimental protocols, and graduation/master theses are accessible in our private laboratory web site. All students use their own laptop computers in the laboratory, and access to Internet through the university Wi-Fi network. Workstation PCs are also available in our laboratory for various simulation, CAD, and image processing. To deal with animals and cells, the special knowledge and experimental skill are required for all the students.
Master theses in last 3 years
Development of optical bone densitometer
Study on non-linear osteoblastic response to physical stimulation
Evaluation of the mechanical properties of tissue-engineered bone under impact loading
Study on osteogenic effect of electrical muscle stimulation
Osteogenic effect of electromagnetic filed stimulation on an OVX rat
Improvement of mechanical properties of a tissue-engineered bone constructed with a calcinedbovine trabecular bone scaffold using electromagnetic field stimulation
Development of an optical device for monitoring of calcification in a tissue-engineered bone
Osteogenic effect of electrical muscle stimulation with random pulse train waveform
Study on osteogenic effect of electrical muscle stimulation
Study on promotion effect of electromagnetic filed with random pulse train on osteoblasticcalcification in vitro
Message from the professor
Technological innovations are often created in the border areas of established academic or engineering fields. Bioengineering is in the border area including mechanical engineering, medicine, biology, and material engineering and so on, in which our creativity is stimulated by the variety of concepts. Environmental diversity promotes our adaptability to the rapid-changing global society, recommending us to study broad knowledges, especially abroad.