Tohoku University. Research Profiles

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"P" Keywords - 101 Result(s)

P

 P

[P2P (Peer to Peer)]

Blockchain-based Approachs for High Secure P2P-type Decentralized Cloud Storage and Practical Smart Contract for Trading Personal Data

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We are developing a decentralized P2P (Peer to Peer) type cloud storage that realizes innovative level of security by use of surplus storages of P2P nodes with the Blockchain technology. The developed storage can avoid the risk of large-scale information leakage of stored data due to the weakness of the central server. By using our cryptographic currency for rewards and usage fees in the storage, fair storage usage of all users can also be achieved.
In addition, We are developing a unique smart contract technology for practical decentralized trading of personal data among an unspecified number of users.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We hope to conduct collaborative researches with companies developing Bitcoin 2.0 type application (e.g. smart contract, Fintech) based on the Blockchain technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Medical Database for practical use.

Center for Information Technology in Education
SAKAI Masao, Associate Professor Doctor of Engineering

[pain]

The Novel Ultrasound Irradiation Device

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Features

Dr. Katsunori Nonogaki has developed the novel ultrasound irradiation device, which can improve the autonomic nervous system activity and peripheral circulation. In addition, the ultrasoud device can improve hypertension and hyperglycemia within 20 min in subjects with drug-resistant hypertension and diabetes. Our initial device was approved in Japan (226AIBZX00028000). This device will be avaliable for the treatment of 1) muscle pain, 2) the autonomic neural dysfunction and stress-related disorders, 3) hypertention, and 4) diabetes. Moreover, the device will be usefull for your healthy life and aging care.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Our aims are to export the device internationally. We seek the investment and international business partners.

Department of Diabetes Technology, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering
NONOGAKI Katsunori, Professor MD, PhD

[Pancreatic beta cells]

Development of devices regulating inter-organ neural network for diabetes therapy

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Diabetes induces several complications, including retinopathy and nephropathy. In patients with type 1 diabetes as well as those with type 2 diabetes, pancreatic beta cells have reportedly decreased. Therefore, regeneration therapy of pancreatic beta cells may be very effective for major populations of diabetic patients. We discovered a neuronal network, from the liver, which selectively elicits pancreatic beta cell proliferation (Science 2008, Fig.). In a murine model with insulin-deficient diabetes, stimulation of this network improved diabetes. Thus, building devices which regulate the inter-organ neuronal network may lead to “regenerative therapy” for diabetes which regenerates pancreatic beta cells in the pancreas using patients’ own cells and patients’ own systems. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology.

Center for Metabolic Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine
KATAGIRI Hideki, Professor MD, PhD

[Pannus]

Development of McH-lpr/lpr-RA1 mouse, a study model that spontaneously develops severe autoimmune arthritis, vasculitis, and sialadenitis

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McH/lpr-RA1 mice are recombinant congenic mice descended from MRL/lpr and C3H/lpr mice and develop arthritis, vasculitis, and sialadenitis with high frequency and severity, with severe pannus formation similar to rheumatoid arthritis, polyarteritis nodosa, and Sjogren's syndrome. On the other hand, McH/lpr-RA1 mice do not develop systemic lymphadenopathy and severe nephritis as seen in MRL/lpr mice, so they are easy to breed and maintain and can be used for long-term drug administration experiments.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents for collagen diseases. It can be applied to the elucidation of the mechanism of onset of immunological adverse events caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors and the development of drugs to prevent the onset of such events, etc. Industry-academia collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, test reagent companies, etc. is possible.

Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering
KODAMA Tetsuya, Professor PhD (Engineering), PhD (Medicine)

[parameter-variation compensation]

PVT-Variation-Aware VLSI System Based on Nonvolatile-Device/MOS-Hybrid Circuitry

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Nonvolatile devices, which can remain stored data without power supply, are generally used for ROM (Read-Only Memory) to store boot programs (the information to start up the computer and the basic instructions that operate it) in computers. One attractive feature is that it does not consume any static power while it remains stored data. ‘Nonvolatile logic' is a novel logic style that a nonvolatile device is used for not only a nonvolatile storage element such as ROM but also a logic-circuit element which is the basic component of a CPU and an entire system. By using the nonvolatile devices as storage elements of circuit-configuration information, we can realize a process-variation- aware logic circuit with small hardware overhead.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

The proposed technique is effective for implementing high-performance and highly-reliable LSI fabricated with cutting-edge process technology. We expect we can conduct effective collaborative research in highly reliable VLSI-systems fields.

Research Institute of Electrical Communication
HANYU Takahiro, Professor PhD of Engineering

[Parkinson's disease, stroke]

Induction of Neural Cells from Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their Application to Neurodegenerations

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Bone marrow stromal cells have great advantages since they are already applied to patients either by auto- or allo-transplantations, can be harvested in large numbers (10 million cells within several weeks) as adherent cells from bone marrow aspirates, and are with low risk of tumorigenesis. We have established a system to induce neural precursor cells from human bone marrow stromal cells by introducing cells with Notch intracellular domain gene plasmid followed by culturing in neurosphere method. This induction system successfully generates neural precursors which were effective for stroke (J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. , 2005; J Cereb Blood Flow Metab, 2009). They could be further developed into dopamine producing neurons by treating them with cytokines including GDNF (J. Clin. Invest, 2004). The efficiency and safety of induced dopamine neurons were confirmed by rat and monkey model of Parkinson's disease. Importantly, long-term survival of auto-transplanted induced dopamine neurons were verified by 11C-CFT PET scan (J. Clin. Invest, 2013).

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We hope to collaborate with companies and research groups who are willing to utilize our system.

Graduate School of Medicine
DEZAWA Mari, Professor Doctor of Medicine

[passing skills to younger generation]

Changing Corporate In-Service Training

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We have developed a system named PF-NOTE that the system uses video cameras, clickers and a computer to bookmark an audience's clicker feedback into simultaneously recorded video. We are also doing research for creating effective education or learning programs by using the developed system. The system has been mainly used for reflective learning, and we have found that this system is effective in various situations for both teacher and learners, such as practice teaching for early career teachers, developing presentation skills, and developing discussion skills.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We offer PF-NOTE system(s) and education/learning program(s) to companies that are of particular interest with respect to communication skills training, passing skills to the younger generation of employees, observation skill training and job interview training.

Graduate School of Educational Informatics Research Division
NAKAJIMA Taira, Associate Professor

[Passive ]

Development of Passive Millimeter-wave Imaging Device for Practical Applications

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Millimeter wave (MM-wave) which is one of the electromagnetic wave transparent the clothes, the fire and the wall etc. and all natural materials including objects in clothes always radiate the electromagnetic wave as the thermal noise. Using these characteristics of MM-wave, imaging of concealed objects in clothes can be accomplished in a noninvasive and noncontact manner. This technique is called Passive Millimeter Wave (PMMW) Imaging technique and we have developed a PMMW imaging device for security applications.

The wave length of MM-wave frequency range is from 1 mm to 10 mm and the spatial resolution of images in MM-wave range is low compared with sub-millimeter (terahertz) range or Infra-Red range, however, higher transmittance through clothes can be obtained compared with higher frequency range. Furthermore, low noise amplifier (LNA) exists which could be the advantage of MM-wave compared with higher frequency ranges.

Now the device was developed for the purpose of keeping safe and secure aircrafts and ships etc., we hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industrial fields such as the fire rescue, the police equipment and the medical devices.

Graduate school of Engineering
SATO Hiroyasu, Assistant Professor Doctor of Engineering

[Pattern matching]

Internet video streams have identities like fingerprints

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According to recent studies, each video that is streamed online has its own unique characteristic. The pattern of data that are sent through the network can vary from one encoding method to another and the change from scene to scene, which is a unique characteristic of each video. This research aims to identify video content in the network without looking at the data itself.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

This research would be especially useful in preventing illegal distribution of television program such as illegal channel without violating user privacy. Another application would be to prevent confidential online meeting from leaking outside local enterprise network. In addition, it is also possible to investigate the circulation of a video content using method introduced by this work.

Graduate School of Information Sciences
KATO Nei, Professor Doctor of Engineering

[Pattern recognition receptors]

Development of Immunobiotic Evaluation System for Functional Feeds as a Livestock Animal Model

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Pattern recognition receptor (PRR) family plays an important role in the defense through recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns or microorganisms-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/MAMPs).
Some functional feed materials are thought to regulate intestinal immunity by contact and stimulation of epithelial cells and immunocompetent cells via PRRs in the gastrointestinal tract and induction of cytokine production. In this "new world" of feed immunology, however, much remains unknown about the underlying mechanisms of intestinal immunity because of lack of appropriate intestinal immunoassay system for livestock animals.
We have advanced application of originally established porcine and bovine intestinal epitheliocytes (PIE, BIE) cell lines (see photo) for evaluation of immunobiotics and immunogenics exerting anti-inflammatory responses both in PIE cell monolayer and co-culture system with porcine peyer's patch immune cells as a peyer's patch culture model (see illustration).

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

This evaluation system may also contribute to elucidate immunoregulatory mechanism of immunobiotics and immunogenics mediated by pattern recognition receptors essential to future development of not only immunobiotic feeds but also vaccines using immunobiotics to prevent specific diseases. This can benefit mankind by offering immunobiotic feeds as a safer alternative to conventional antibiotic drug therapy.

Graduate School of Agricultural Science
KITAZAWA Haruki, Professor Doctor of Agriculture

[PCR-Luminex method]

New High-Throughput, High Resolution DNA Methylation Analysis Method, PCR-Luminex for the Diagnosis of Genomic Imprinting Disorders in ART Babies

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The parent-of–origin specific expression of the imprinted genes relies on DNA methylation acquired during gametogenesis. Recent studies indicate the possibility of excess imprinting disease occurrence in babies conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART). PCR-Luminex method is powerful tool for the methylation analyses, suitable for the use at the clinical diagnosis level because of taking much time and multistep procedures.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We have developed a new high-throughput, high resolution DNA methylation analysis method. PCT international patent was performed.

Environment and Genome Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine
ARIMA Takahiro, Professor Medical Doctor

[pedestrian prediction]

Coexistence of humans and mobile robots

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A variety of new mobilities coexisting with humans, such as service robots, self-driving cars, and personal mobility, are expected to be deployed. In this laboratory, we are studying technologies for the safe and smooth coexistence of these various mobile vehicles with humans.
In particular, we are approaching the problem from the aspect of predicting the movement of humans by considering their characteristics such as visual attention.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

The targeted application is service robots, personal mobility, self-driving cars, and other mobile vehicles that will be expected to coexist with humans, as well as the design of transportation environments for these vehicles to safely coexist with humans.

Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Robotics, Advanced Robotics, ..........
YUSUKE TAMURA, Associate Professor Docter

[Peening]

Cavitation Peening

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Surface modification method to improve fatigue strength has been developed using cavitation impacts, which are normally causes severe damage in hydraulic machineries. The method was called "cavitation peening". In order to make clear the mechanism, a load controlled plate bending fatigue test machine was developed. It was proved by using the test machine that the threshold level of stress intensity factor was improved about 1.9 times by cavitation peening. The mitigation of hydrogen embrittlement by cavitation peening was also improved.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

The cavitation peening can apply to component of automobile and forging die. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industry.

Graduate School of Engineering
SOYAMA Hitoshi, Professor Doctor of Engineering

[Peltier effect]

Development of Potential Thermoelectric Materials

Features

We have been exploring novel thermoelectric materials. Functions of a solid substance primarily depend on the electronic structure, directly derived from its crystal structure. Through high-quality structure analyses using neutron and X-ray diffraction, combined with first-principles calculations, we have been fabricating materials with desired functions. To date, more than 40 novel materials have been discovered based on our guiding principles.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

For developing future device technologies, challenges on thin-film thermionic multilayers and organic thermoelectric materials are currently underway.

Graduate School of Engineering
MIYAZAKI Yuzuru, Professor Doctor of Engineering

[peptide]

Peptide and Protein Designs for Unexplored Fileds

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I am proposing methodologies to design recombinant peptides and proteins with appropriate structures and functions in the medicinal, environmental, material, and nanotechnological fields, with molecular evolutional and domain shuffling engineering. At present, we have constructed the methodologies for efficient renaturation of functional proteins from inclusion bodies expressed in bacteria, generation of peptides and proteins with the function of biomineralization, generation of peptides and proteins with affinity for inorganic materials to spontaneously make linkages between various nanomaterials, and high enhancement of cellulolytic enzyme activity induced by nanoclustering design on nanomaterials.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We hope the business partners in the in the medicinal, environmental, material, and nanotechnological fields would be interested in my approaches and we could conduct effective collaboration research with them.

Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering
UMETSU Mitsuo, Professor Ph.D.(Eng.)

Peptide formation under high P and T conditions: new carbon fibers

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Peptides are formed through the enzymatic actions in living organisms, but difficulty exists to form peptide by non-enzymatic actions. Here we report the success of peptide formation under anhydrous, high P and T conditions. We were successful to form 11-mer of glycine and 5-mer of alanine. They are important constituents of spider silk, which is a candidate of next generation of carbon fibers. Therefore, our techniques have potentials to apply making new carbon fibers without biotechnology.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Geosciences Department, Graduate School of Science
KAKEGAWA Takshi, Professor Ph.D.

[Periodontal disease]

Oral Biofilm Functional Analysis: from “What Are They?" to “What Are They Doing?"

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A large number of microorganisms inhabit the oral cavity, such as the teeth, gingiva and tongue, in the form of oral biofilm. The oral cavity forms an ecosystem where the host (humans) and parasites (microorganisms) coexist. Disruption of the balance of this oral ecosystem leads to dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral malodor, and even deterioration of dental materials.

Using leading-edge techniques of anaerobic experimental systems including original and unique devices, as well as the notion of "omics" such as metagenomics and metabolomics, we conduct research on oral biofilm functions. Knowledge of oral biofilms, from "what are they?" to "what are they doing?", enables us to address their control, that is, prevention of and therapy for oral biofilm-associated diseases.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Risk assessment of oral biofilm-associated diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, oral malodor and aspiration pneumonia
Effects of medicine and food ingredients on oral biofilm function
Evaluation of biofilm-mediated material deterioration

Division of Oral Ecology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Dentistry
TAKAHASHI Nobuhiro, Professor DDS, PhD

[peripheral arterial disease]

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy as a New, Non-Invasive Angiogenic Therapy

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Extracorporeal shock wave (SW) therapy was introduced clinically more than 20 years ago to fragment kidney stones, which has markedly improved the treatment of urolithiasis. We found that a low-energy SW (about 10% of the energy density that is used for urolithiasis) effectively increases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cultured endothelial cells. Based on this in vitro study, we have initiated in vivo studies and have demonstrated that extracorporeal cardiac SW therapy with a low-energy SW up-regulates the expression of VEGF, induces neovascularization, and improves myocardial ischemia in a porcine model of chronic myocardial ischemia, without any adverse effects in vivo. On the basis of promising results in animal studies, we performed a series of clinical studies in patients with severe coronary artery disease without indication of PCI or CABG, including, firstly, an open trial followed by a placebo-controlled, double-blind study. In both studies, our extracorporeal cardiac SW therapy improved symptoms, exercise capacity, and myocardial perfusion in patients with severe coronary artery disease. Importantly, no procedural complications or adverse effects were noted. The SW therapy was also effective in ameliorating left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (MI) in pigs and in enhancing angiogenesis in hind-limb ischemia in rabbits. Based on these animal studies, we are also conducting clinical studies in patients with acute MI and in those with peripheral arterial disease. Thus, our extracorporeal cardiac SW therapy is an effective, safe, and non-invasive angiogenic approach in cardiovascular medicine and its indication could be extended to a variety of ischemic diseases in the near future.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

The treatment for severe angina pectoris was approved as a highly advanced medical treatment by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan in 2010.
The low-energy SW therapy would be applicable to a wide range of diseases. Your inquiries about the collaborative research are always welcome.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine
SHIMOKAWA Hiroaki, Professor MD, PhD

[peripheral circulation]

The Novel Ultrasound Irradiation Device

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Features

Dr. Katsunori Nonogaki has developed the novel ultrasound irradiation device, which can improve the autonomic nervous system activity and peripheral circulation. In addition, the ultrasoud device can improve hypertension and hyperglycemia within 20 min in subjects with drug-resistant hypertension and diabetes. Our initial device was approved in Japan (226AIBZX00028000). This device will be avaliable for the treatment of 1) muscle pain, 2) the autonomic neural dysfunction and stress-related disorders, 3) hypertention, and 4) diabetes. Moreover, the device will be usefull for your healthy life and aging care.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Our aims are to export the device internationally. We seek the investment and international business partners.

Department of Diabetes Technology, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering
NONOGAKI Katsunori, Professor MD, PhD

[peripheral nerve disorders]

Induction of Schwann cells from human mesenchymal stem cells and their application to spinal cord injury and demyelinating diseases

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Bone marrow stromal cells have great advantages since they are already applied to patients either by auto- or allo-transplantations, can be harvested in large numbers (10 million cells within several weeks) as adherent cells from bone marrow aspirates, and are with low risk of tumorigenesis. Furthermore, marrow bank is available. Likewise, mesenchymal cells harvested from umbilical cord are also easily accessible from cord bank and are a good source of mesenchymal stem cells. We have established a system to induce functional Schwann cells (peripheral glia) from human bone marrow stromal cells and umbilical cord mesenchymal cells by treating cells with a series of reagents and cytokines. This induction system successfully generates Schwann cells with very high efficiency (~97%). They were confirmed to elicit neural regeneration in peripheral nerve damages and spinal cord injury (Eur, J. Neurosci, 2001; J. Neurosurg, 2004, J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol, 2005, Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2007; Tissue Eng., 2011). The efficiency and safety of induced Schwann cells were demonstrated in monkey by 1 year follow up (Exp. Neurol., 2010). Importantly, induced cells not only elicited neural regeneration in both peripheral and central nervous system, but also contributed to functional recovery by restoring myelin and saltatory conduction. Therefore, these cells are expected to be effective to demyelinating diseases as well. We hope to collaborate with companies and research groups who are willing to utilize our system.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Graduate School of Medicine
DEZAWA Mari, Professor Doctor of Medicine