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Prevention and amelioration of late-onset hypogonadism by food ingredients

 
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特徴・独自性
  • Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is induced by age-related decline of testosterone synthesis, which leads to decrease muscle and sexual nature as well as mental symptoms such as depression. Now great attention is focused on prevention and amelioration of LOH via ingestion of foods and supplements.
  • We developed screening system of functional ingredients from food extracts for anti-LOH using testis-derived cells, and clarified that vitamins, nutraceuticals, and edible plant extracts have potentiating activities for the production of testosterone.
実用化イメージ

Researchers

Graduate School of Agricultural Science

Hitoshi Shirakawa

Process development using chemical reactions in high temperature/high pressure water; Super/subcritical fluid extraction technology

 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • Most of my research to date have been related to hydrothermal technology (e.g., super/subcritical water technologies), supercritical fluid (CO₂) and subcritical fluid (DME) extraction technologies, inorganic materials synthesis, coal chemistry, biomass conversion, microalgae extraction, and waste recycling. And I have a lot of experimence on the practial application of chemical engineering. The current research themes include spent lithium-ion battery recycling, waste plastic recycling, and automation and intelligence of chemical experiments.
実用化イメージ

Spent lithium-ion battery recycling and waste plastic recycling

Researchers

Graduate School of Engineering

Qingxin Zheng

Production of Tumor-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies

 
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特徴・独自性
  • Podoplanin (PDPN/Aggrus/T1α), a platelet aggregation-inducing mucin-like sialoglycoprotein, is highly expressed in many cancers and normal tissues. A neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb; NZ-1) can block the association between podoplanin and C-type lectin-like receptor-2 (CLEC-2) and inhibit podoplanin-induced cancer metastasis, but NZ-1 reacts with podoplanin-expressing normal cells such as lymphatic endothelial cells. Recently, we established a platform to produce cancer-specific mAbs (CasMabs). The newly established LpMab-2 mAb reacted with podoplanin-expressing cancer cells but not with normal cells, as shown by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry; therefore, LpMab-2 is an anti-podoplanin CasMab that is expected to be useful for molecular targeting therapy against podoplanin-expressing cancers.
実用化イメージ

We can produce cancer-specific mAbs (CasMabs) against all membranous proteins. CasMabs are expected to be useful for molecular targeting therapy without side effects.

Researchers

Graduate School of Medicine

Yukinari Kato

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

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • 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.
実用化イメージ

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.

Researchers

Research Institute of Electrical Communication

Takahiro Hanyu

 Q

Quantitative analysis of microstructure in nuclear materials by week-beam scanning transmission electron microscopy

 
 
 
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概要

We have developed a technique for quantitative analysis of microstructures (e.g., dislocations and irradiation defect aggregates) of activated and nuclear-burned specimens in the context of the Week Beam Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (WB-STEM) method, which boasts extremely high measurement accuracy as a quantitative analysis method for lattice defects.
In combination with a dedicated heated sample holder with fully automated temperature measurement and current control in a cartridge-type heating furnace, changes in dislocation microstructure can be dynamically measured in-situ along with a highly reliable temperature history.

従来技術との比較

Conventional TEM methods require expertise in reciprocal space and dislocation theory, but our WB-STEM method is equipped with automatic analysis software for film thickness measurement and dislocation loop feature extraction, making it possible to analyze irradiation defects easily and precisely.

特徴・独自性
  • Since its design, the WB-STEM method has been developed for implementation and on-site repair in radiation controlled areas where nuclear materials are handled, with special aperture and diffraction disc selection equipment, control and analysis software.
  • WB-STEM accepts irradiation defect analysis of activated specimens from all over the world, including RPV monitoring specimens from European reactors and neutron-irradiated materials from US research reactors.
  • It is also used to analyze the properties of iron-containing nuclear fuel simulated debris in decommissioning projects.
実用化イメージ

We support research organizations that currently use transmission electron microscopy to observe microstructures to introduce the WB-STEM method by special modification. We will instruct researchers who have no experience using transmission electron microscopy in the procedure for dislocation analysis.

Researchers

Institute for Materials Research

Kenta Yoshida

Quantum and Molecular Dynamic Simulations of Transport Phenomena in Fuel Cell

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • It is necessary to grasp nanoscale transport phenomena of materials in polymer electrolyte fuel cell to improve its performance. In our laboratory, nanoscale transport phenomena are analyzed by large scale molecular dynamics simulations using a supercomputer system. As the present theme, the dependence of the materials or structures of polymer electrolyte membrane on the ability of proton transfer(Fig. 1), the ability of proton transfer or oxygen permeability of ionomer in catalyst layer(Fig. 2), and the mechanism of transport phenomena of a water droplet in a nano pore in gas diffusion layer or micro porous layer(Fig. 3), are analyzed in detail.
実用化イメージ

These research can be applied to the analysis of flow field in devices which have nanoscale structure, for instance, fabrication process of semiconductor, friction phenomena of such nanoscale devices or next generation batteries, as well as the field of fuel cell.

Researchers

Institute of Fluid Science

Takashi Tokumasu

Quantum devices utilizing nanostructures

特徴・独自性
  • 1) We investigate quantum effects in nanostructures and develop quantum devices like quantum bits and sensors utilizing solid-state nanostructures.
  • 2) We have techniques and skills on electric measurement and control of quantum states and data informatics. We are open to new collaborations.
実用化イメージ

Researchers

Advanced Institute for Materials Research

Tomohiro Otsuka

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Radiological Medical Infomatics

 
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特徴・独自性
  • PET and SPECT have very high sensitivity to detect molecule by means of radiation detection, and are considered to be excellent tools for molecular imaging. We are studying and developing data analysis techniques for PET and SPECT data. Using our approaches, we can analyze data in quantitative manner, and obtain physiological functions in living organism.
実用化イメージ

Pharmaceutical companies who are interested in using PET to evaluate efficacy of new drug. Companies which are related to medical informatics, medical equipments.

Researchers

Research Center for Accelerator and Radioisotope Science

Hiroshi Watabe

Religion, language, society, and life in ancient India

 
 
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特徴・独自性
実用化イメージ

Researchers

Graduate School of Arts and Letters

Naoko Nishimura

Resarch and development for maintaining and improving brain and mental health

特徴・独自性
  • The Smart Aging International Research Center (SAIRC) was founded on 1 October 2009. This Center proposes the creation of a new field to produce well-rounded personnel who have gained “totally comprehensive intelligence” from their experience, in order to cope with various problems associated with the diverse and complex super-aging society. To this end, the Center will promote interdisciplinary cooperative research, international collaborative research projects, and research collaborations with industry, as well as disseminate and exchange information by holding international conferences and symposia.　 The SAIRC is designed to develop an approach for maintaining and improving brain and mental health in a diverse and complex society from the standpoints of brain science, with the aim of maintaining and improving brain functions; cognitive neuroscience and psychology, with the aim of maintaining a healthy and tranquil state of mind at each aging stage; and philosophy, phenomenology and ethics that provide a radical reconsideration of the concept of the “mind.” We welcome collaborative researches with companies, and academic consultations.
実用化イメージ

Researchers

Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer

Ryuta Kawashima

Research and Development of Space Exploration Robots

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • We study and develop mobile robotics technology for lunar and planetary exploration. Our technology is featured by rich experience in locomotion mechanisms for highly rough terrain and advanced slippage control in loose soil environment. Also by 3D map building technology using a laser scanner for autonomous collision avoidance and for operator assistance in remote control/tele-operation. We also contributed to the design and development of Hayabusa and Hayabusa-2, which are sample-return probes developed and operated by Japanese space agency JAXA.
実用化イメージ

These technologies are also applied to terrestrial robots for such as surveillance or disaster response.

Researchers

Graduate School of Engineering

Kazuya Yoshida

Robot Technology for Achieving Secure Society

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • Tadokoro Laboratory developed ‘Active Scope Camera,' a world-unique rescue robot that can search deep in rubble piles of collapsed structures through a gap of a few cm wide. It also developed ‘Quince,' a world-unique unmanned ground vehicle that could survey the second to fifth floors of Nuclear Reactor Buildings of Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Its technologies was applied industries, including unmanned transfer vehicle for outdoors under ice and snow environment being actually used in a factory of Toyota Motor East Japan, and ‘Robo-Scope' for debris inspection in collaboration with Shimizu Corporation.
実用化イメージ

We have a policy of education through and research for solution to actual problems. Current nearly ten collaborative researches focuses on outdoor investigation, infrastructure/plant inspection, and remote/autonomous task execution by robots.

Researchers

Tough Cyberphysical AI Research Center

Satoshi Tadokoro

Role of Volatiles on Petit-Spot Volcanoes

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • The new kind of volcanoes, petit-spot, are located off NE Japan and Chile. They erupt at a submarine portion to be far from tectonic plate boundaries (e.g., mid-oceanic ridges and volcanic arcs) of the usual sites of volcanoes, earthquakes, and related geologic activity. The magmas have extremely high carbon dioxide and possibly originate from the base of tectonic plate.
実用化イメージ

The magma is squeezed upward and erupts in deep submarine environment wherever the tectonic plate flexes and fractures in the world. Collaborating work with business community would be required in order to search the submarine volcanoes and their related mines.

Researchers

Center for Northeast Asian Studies

Naoto Hirano

Room temperature bonding using thin metal films (Atomic Diffusion Bonding)

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • Atomic diffusion bonding of two flat wafers with thin metal films is a promising process to achieve wafer bonding at room temperature. High surface energies of metal films and a large atomic diffusion coefficient at the grain boundaries and film surfaces enable bonding at room temperature without unusually high loading pressure. This technique, which enables bonding of any mirror-polished wafer, is gaining wider use for fabricating optical and electrical devices. Moreover, bonding of mirror polished metals and polymer sheets can be achieved, which further extends the application of this bonding technique.
実用化イメージ

Optical, power and electrical devices, MEMS, bonding of polymer sheets, metals, and ceramics for precision mechanical equipments.

Researchers

Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences

Takehito Shimatsu

 S

newScientific Evaluation and Implementation of Social Policies Based on Econometric Methods

概要

Evaluating the effectiveness of social policies and business strategies through rigorous scientific methods—and improving them based on empirical evidence—is a pressing challenge across the public sector, private enterprises, and local communities. In Japan, the promotion of Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) has recently gained attention; however, its practice remains largely confined to traditional administrative data, while the diverse and rich resources held by corporations and local communities remain underutilized. Building mechanisms that enable collaboration among public, private, and academic sectors is essential for sharing knowledge that contributes to solving societal challenges.

This research employs econometric methodologies to assess the causal impacts of policies and programs implemented by governments and corporations, linking the findings to real-world applications. By integrating administrative records with diverse private-sector data—including consumption, labor, education, and health—this study seeks to generate robust evidence and contribute to the advancement of evidence-based policy and strategy formulation.

従来技術との比較

Conventional policy evaluations and social surveys have often relied on descriptive statistics and case studies, which have limited capacity to identify generalizable causal relationships. Likewise, corporate initiatives have only rarely been subject to systematic and rigorous impact evaluation. This research employs econometric causal inference methods—such as regression discontinuity design, instrumental variables, and event studies—and applies them to both large-scale administrative data and non-traditional (“alternative”) data. Compared with conventional correlation-based analyses, this approach enables more robust and practically relevant evaluations of causal effects.

特徴・独自性
  • Diverse Data Integration: Integrates administrative, corporate, and community data—regardless of type or continuity—to comprehensively evaluate policy and program impacts.
  • Rigorous Causal Inference: Applies advanced econometric methods, such as regression discontinuity design and instrumental variables, to provide evidence that goes beyond simple correlations.
  • Cross-Sectoral Applicability: Offers applicability across education, labor, welfare, urban policy, and consumer behavior.
  • Social Implementation: Directly links research outcomes to policy improvement and corporate strategy design, fostering implementation through industry–government–academia collaboration.
  • Capacity Building: Provides training in statistics and econometrics for municipal officials and corporate analysts, helping them build sustainable, data-driven decision-making cycles.
実用化イメージ

Public Sector: Provides scientific evidence for addressing educational inequality, designing welfare systems, labor market interventions, and urban environmental policies, thereby supporting the effective allocation of public resources.
Private Sector: Evaluates employee welfare programs, health management, workplace reforms, and reskilling initiatives, offering insights for sustainable and competitive strategic planning.
Society as a Whole: Builds sustainable and efficient social systems by integrating data and knowledge across governments, firms, and academic institutions.

Researchers

Graduate School of Economics and Management

Yuta Kuroda

Selective recovery of tocotrienol from vegetable oils using ion-exchange resins

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特徴・独自性
  • Tocotrienol, one of vitamin E, has recovered by the conventional method with molecular distillation from deodrizer distillate discharged from the oil refining processes. However, tocotrienol easily loses its activity due to its low thermal stability, so that its recovery ratio and purity were extremely low. We proposed a novel method to selectively recover tocotrienol by adsorption/desorption using anion-exchange resin at 50 degree C. Tocotrienol is retained on the resin by ion-exchange reaction, and then released and recoverd from the resin by other ion-exchange reaction. Prior to the adsorption/desorption, free fatty acid, a major component of the feed, should be removed by esterification using cation-exchange resin at 50 degree C.
実用化イメージ

This innovative technology succeeds in solving the serious problems in the current tocotrienol production, the large weight loss due to the thermal decomposition and large amount of remaining impurities. This technology applies to the production of not only tocotrienol but also tocopherol as bioactive compounds s in food chemicals.

Researchers

Graduate School of Engineering

Naomi Kitakawa

Smart Ageing Initiative

 
 
 
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特徴・独自性
  • In Japan, the percentage of elderly people aged 65 years or over was 23.1% in 2010. It is no doubt that Japan is the world's first super-aging society. In such a super-aging environment, it is necessary to form a society in which each individual can play an active role even as one becomes older in order to maintain and improve the quality of life of all people and to maintain a healthy society. In advanced brain science, research from the fields of brain function imaging, cognitive science, and psychology has been utilized with the aim of realizing a healthy aging society. Up to date information on various new technologies and related discoveries has been disseminated so that individuals can live a healthy life with peace of mind at every stage of aging, while maintaining and improving the health of their brain and mind in a diverse and complex society.
実用化イメージ

We believe to overcome super-aging environments is not only an object of public concern but also big business chances to create new industries.

Researchers

Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer

Ryuta Kawashima

Specializes in clinical neurology, particularly neurodegenerative diseases and skeletal muscle diseases, and clinical genetics, and engaged in drug discovery and translational research for patients with intractable neuromuscular diseases.

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概要

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a representative intractable neurodegenerative disease, and the development of effective therapies is desired. A novel phase I trial of intrathecal administration of recombinant HGF protein was conducted at Tohoku University Hospital. Based on the results, a phase II trial (investigator-initiated clinical trial) to confirm efficacy and safety for ALS was conducted and completed at the Tohoku and Osaka University Hospital from 2016 to 2022. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the primary endpoint, additional analyses are currently ongoing. Clinical development of the same formulation for acute spinal cord injury is also underway.

従来技術との比較

Simultaneous development of a novel intrathecal formulation of recombinant HGF protein, and a medical device (a subcutaneous port with an intrathecal catheter) that enable repeated intrathecal administration for efficient and selective delivery to the central nervous system.

特徴・独自性
  • We developed a novel rat model of ALS model (Nagai M, et al. 2001)
  • Intrathecal continuous administration of HGF protein was confirmed to have a slowing effect on progression in this model
  • Phase I and II clinical trials have been completed, and the efficacy is currently being verified through additional analysis
実用化イメージ

We have been working with Kringle Pharma, Inc., Keio University (Prof. Hideyuki Okano and Prof. Masaya Nakamura), and Asahikawa Medical University (Prof. Hiroshi Funakoshi) to develop this drug. Phase I and II clinical trials for ALS have been completed. In addition, a phase III clinical trial for acute spinal cord injury is near completion. Additional collaboration with pharmaceutical companies is planned.

Researchers

Graduate School of Medicine

Masashi Aoki

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