Why can cardiac muscle keep beating without pause?
We tackle this fundamental question by viewing the heart through multi‑scale life dynamics that connect molecules, cells, tissues, and the whole organism. Focusing on the sarcomere—the smallest contractile unit in cardiomyocytes—we discovered heat‑induced self‑oscillation of the sarcomere (HSOs) and calcium‑driven sarcomere chaos (S4C). These findings illuminate how living rhythms achieve a delicate balance between “order” and “fluctuation,” a principle we call Chaordic Homeodynamics.
Our core mission is to uncover the molecular machinery that endows the heart with its exquisite rhythm control. To do so, we actively develop and integrate novel measurement and analysis technologies, including:
SL‑nanometry for nanometer‑scale sarcomere length tracking
Photothermal heating techniques
In‑liquid electron microscopy via the DET‑membrane method
AI‑ and data‑science‑driven analytics
Fueled by scientific curiosity in biophysics and physiology, we aim to channel these insights into medical applications, healthcare, drug discovery, and biomaterials—advancing the next generation of life science, medicine, and engineering.
College of Life and Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical Science, Chubu University
Center for AI, Mathematical, and Data Sciences (CMSAI), Chubu University
Seine A. Shintani, Ph.D. (Biophysics & Physiology), Associate Professor
To unravel—and apply to society—the principles of robustness and flexibility that arise from the interplay of chaos and order in living systems, using the combined powers of physics, physiology, AI, and engineering.
Transform 2‑D biological images, captured by observers around the world, into three‑dimensional scientific knowledge with your code. ▶ Details
This hackathon challenges you to harness a vast repository of community‑generated biological images and reconstruct unprecedented 3‑D views of life. Going beyond simple 3‑D model generation, the project unites multi‑view data with scientific insight at the cutting edge of AI × biology. Integrating public datasets with AI is a hot topic in research worldwide. Bring your ideas and algorithms, and help create the new Encyclopedia 3.0!
Concept originator & hackathon organizer: Seine A. Shintani
NIBB‑CU Hackathon 2025: https://ideathonjp.nibb.ac.jp/
2025-9-24: 63rd Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan (Nara) — Co‑chaired Evening Session 1EC (Cell Biology, Molecular Motors, Non‑equilibrium) and delivered oral presentation 1EC004, “Localized Chaos within Periodic Beating of Cardiomyocyte Sarcomeres: Evidence for Chaordic Homeodynamics.” Related paper: “Chaordic Homeodynamics” (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2025) — Quantitative markers and implications of localized chaos during beating.
2025‑09‑17: Invited Educational Lecture, Headquarters‑Organized Symposium 1, 79th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine — “The Potential and Ethics of AI: Streamlining Research and New Horizons in Exercise Science.” In conjunction with the talk, we released open‑source code that automatically analyzes a single‑person laptop‑camera video (hands, body, and mouth/facial expressions) and one‑shot generates a mirror‑corrected overlay video plus a CSV (Qiita explainer; GitHub notebook).
2025‑08‑15: Preprint Posted on Jxiv — Dr. Shintani’s single‑author preprint, “AI to Learn (AI2L): Guidelines and Practice for Human‑Centered AI Utilization as a Learning Support Tool—Four Pillars of Black‑Box Elimination, Accountability, Information Protection, and Energy Efficiency,” is now available on Jxiv (DOI: 10.51094/jxiv.1435). It outlines the four pillars of AI2L: black‑box elimination, accountability, information protection, and energy efficiency.
2025‑08‑08: Selected in the screening phase of the NEDO Quantum Computing Challenge — Our proposal ID Q0006 (Challenge Q‑1: Simulation of disease evolution and progression accounting for biological heterogeneity), led by Shintani as team representative, advanced to the deliverables phase eligible for prize awards.
2025-08-07: Certificate of Completion Awarded — Received the completion certificate for Chubu University’s “Creating Engaging Courses” program from the President at the Teaching Excellence Award Ceremony.
2025‑07‑23：Delivered a lightning talk at the “LLM Safety Symposium 2025” hosted by the NII Large Language Model R&D Center, presenting “AI2L (AI to Learn): Using AI as a learning assistant while ultimately eliminating the AI black box.”
2025‑07‑10 : NIBB‑CU Hackathon 2025 Launched — Joined the organizing team of an AI hackathon that generates 3‑D models from kingfisher images; participant registration is now open.
2025-06-26 : Official Laboratory Website Released — The Seine A. Shintani Laboratory homepage is now live. We will update publications, instrument developments, awards, and more as they occur.
2025-04-09 : Chaordic Homeodynamics Paper Published — Dr. Shintani’s single‑author conceptual paper “Chaordic Homeodynamics” has been published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC).
2025-03-19 : Delivered an oral presentation entitled “Discovery of Chaotic Order in Cardiomyocytes Suggesting Advanced Autonomous Adaptation Mechanisms to Environmental Changes” at APPW 2025—the joint congress of the 130th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Anatomists, the 102nd Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan, and the 98th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society.
2025‑02‑26 : Collaboration on Medical‑Japanese LLM — As leader of the Support‑AI team in a Cabinet Office SIP project, we are pursuing real‑world deployment of a healthcare‑focused large language model.
2024-12-17 : T‑GEx Grand Prize — Our proposal for social implementation of research results won the Grand Prize at the T‑GEx Research Results Exhibition.
2024-12-13 : DX Human‑Resource Development Program Excellence Award — Received the Excellence Award (Community Contribution Award & PBL Excellence Award) in the program sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
2024-12-02 : Served as one of the organizers and hosted the FY 2024 T‑GEx Research Outcomes Exhibition — “Education and Research in the AI Era.”
2024-11-28 : Runner‑up, NIBB AI‑Biology Ideathon — Our multi‑view image integration bio‑encyclopedia concept earned second place.
2025-9-24: 63rd Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan (Nara) — Co‑chaired Evening Session 1EC (Cell Biology, Molecular Motors, Non‑equilibrium) and delivered oral presentation 1EC004, “Localized Chaos within Periodic Beating of Cardiomyocyte Sarcomeres: Evidence for Chaordic Homeodynamics.” Related paper: “Chaordic Homeodynamics” (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2025) — Quantitative markers and implications of localized chaos during beating.
2025‑09‑17: Invited Educational Lecture, Headquarters‑Organized Symposium 1, 79th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine — “The Potential and Ethics of AI: Streamlining Research and New Horizons in Exercise Science.” In conjunction with the talk, we released open‑source code that automatically analyzes a single‑person laptop‑camera video (hands, body, and mouth/facial expressions) and one‑shot generates a mirror‑corrected overlay video plus a CSV (Qiita explainer; GitHub notebook).
2025‑08‑15: Preprint Posted on Jxiv — Dr. Shintani’s single‑author preprint, “AI to Learn (AI2L): Guidelines and Practice for Human‑Centered AI Utilization as a Learning Support Tool—Four Pillars of Black‑Box Elimination, Accountability, Information Protection, and Energy Efficiency,” is now available on Jxiv (DOI: 10.51094/jxiv.1435). It outlines the four pillars of AI2L: black‑box elimination, accountability, information protection, and energy efficiency.
2025‑08‑08: Selected in the screening phase of the NEDO Quantum Computing Challenge — Our proposal ID Q0006 (Challenge Q‑1: Simulation of disease evolution and progression accounting for biological heterogeneity), led by Shintani as team representative, advanced to the deliverables phase eligible for prize awards.
2025‑07‑10 : NIBB‑CU Hackathon 2025 Launched — Joined the organizing team of an AI hackathon that generates 3‑D models from kingfisher images; participant registration is now open.
2025‑07‑23：Delivered a lightning talk at the “LLM Safety Symposium 2025” hosted by the NII Large Language Model R&D Center, presenting “AI2L (AI to Learn): Using AI as a learning assistant while ultimately eliminating the AI black box.”
2025-07-10 : NIBB‑CU Hackathon 2025 Launched — Joined the organizing team of an AI hackathon that generates 3‑D models from kingfisher images; participant registration is now open.
2025-06-26 : Official Laboratory Website Released — The Seine A. Shintani Laboratory homepage is now live. We will update publications, instrument developments, awards, and more as they occur.
2025-04-09 : Chaordic Homeodynamics Paper Published — Dr. Shintani’s single‑author conceptual paper “Chaordic Homeodynamics” has been published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC).
2025-03-19 : Delivered an oral presentation entitled “Discovery of Chaotic Order in Cardiomyocytes Suggesting Advanced Autonomous Adaptation Mechanisms to Environmental Changes” at APPW 2025—the joint congress of the 130th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Anatomists, the 102nd Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan, and the 98th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society.
2025‑02‑26 : Collaboration on Medical‑Japanese LLM — As leader of the Support‑AI team in a Cabinet Office SIP project, we are pursuing real‑world deployment of a healthcare‑focused large language model.
2024-12-17 : T‑GEx Grand Prize — Our proposal for social implementation of research results won the Grand Prize at the T‑GEx Research Results Exhibition.
2024-12-13 : DX Human‑Resource Development Program Excellence Award — Received the Excellence Award (Community Contribution Award & PBL Excellence Award) in the program sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
2024-12-02 : Served as one of the organizers and hosted the FY 2024 T‑GEx Research Outcomes Exhibition — “Education and Research in the AI Era.”
2024-11-28 : Runner‑up, NIBB AI‑Biology Ideathon — Our multi‑view image integration bio‑encyclopedia concept earned second place.
2024-06-25 : Presented our research findings at the 21st IUPAB & 62nd BSJ Joint Congress 2024.
2024-04-01 : Promotion to Associate Professor — Dr. Shintani was promoted to Associate Professor.
2024-03-29 : Delivered an oral presentation titled “S4C: Characterizing Chaotic Properties in Cardiomyocytes with Contraction Rhythm Homeostasis” at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan.
2024-01-24 : Publication in Biomaterials Advances — Paper on iodine‑releasing Ti‑CaTiO₃ material published (Gallab M, Shintani SA et al.).
2024-01-12 : S4C Paper Published — Study on sarcomere chaos (S4C) published in Biophysics and Physicobiology.
2023-12-15 : 18th Wakashachi Encouragement Award (Top Prize) — Dr. Shintani received the highest honor in the Basic Science category.
2023-12-01 : Paper in BBRC — New analysis method and discovery of sarcomere waves published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
2023-11-16 : Evident Award, Biophysical Society of Japan — Won the Evident Award at the 61st Annual Meeting pitch contest.
2023-09-04~05 : Served as one of the organizers and hosted the FY 2023 (Reiwa 5) T‑GEx Retreat Camp.
2023-01-18 : MIC “Inno vation” Program Inno‑β Certification — Senior Assistant Professor Shintani was certified as an Inno‑β innovator by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
2022-12-04 : Outstanding Poster Award, Japanese Society for Chronobiology — Awarded at the 29th Annual Meeting.
2022-09-28 : Inoka Award, Biophysical Society of Japan — Won the Inoka Award at the 60th Annual Meeting pitch contest.
2022-09-14~15 : Served as the organizing leader and hosted the FY 2022 (Reiwa 4) T‑GEx Retreat Camp.
2022-06-17 : Paper in Microscopy — DET‑membrane live‑imaging technique published.
2022-06-03 : Selected as T‑GEx Associate — Lecturer Shintani accepted into the global problem‑solving talent program.
2022-04-22 : Paper in BBRC — Research on sarcomere dynamics published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
2022-04-01 : Interview in Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun — Feature story on Dr. Shintani’s AI utilization case study published.