Research

Bringing Biology, Physics, and Chemistry Together to Unravel the Mysteries of Cells and Life

Living organisms are made of matter. As such, every component that makes up living systems must obey the laws of physics and chemistry. In other words, every phenomenon occurring inside a cell should ultimately be understood on the basis of physical and chemical principles.

The same idea underlies our approach to understanding life by redesigning the interior of cells. To freely “reconstruct” intracellular organization, we first need to understand the physical and chemical processes underlying the organization, and then develop technologies based on that understanding.

Our research therefore brings together insights and methods from biology, physics, and chemistry as extensively as possible. By integrating these three disciplines, we aim to develop new technologies and tackle the many fundamental questions about cells and life that still remain unanswered.

Introducing Basic Technologies

We are developing tools based on established technologies in the field of molecular biology, biotechnology, optics, chemical biology, and synthetic biology. Briefly described below are several representatives.

Ongoing Research Projects

Project 1: 

Arbitrary "Construction", "Demolition", and "Modification" of intracellular objects

Project 2: 

Development of "Synthetic" Cytoskeletons and Molecular Motors in situ

Project 3: 

"Dissection" and "Surgery" of living cells

Project 4: 

Multicellular Applications ~intercellular space, tissue, and multicellular organisms~