Our research group uses both cell biological and biophysical methods to address problems in basic cellular morphology. Specifically, we are interested in the basic molecular mechanism of cytoskeletal dynamics and intercellular communication and have been gaining important insights through our work with methodologies ranging from transgenic animals to cutting-edge spectroscopies. Our active faculty members are engaged in the training of both graduate and medical students through various training programs, research seminars, and journal clubs, and lots of exciting collaborative research efforts with colleagues around the world are now in progress.

We are cell biologists and biophysicists who study how the dynamics of cytoskeletal proteins are regulated. We are also interested in the intracellular communications that support cellular functions, especially those of the nervous system. Visualization or live cell imaging is a key to approach our common research interests, and our work spans multiple disciplines or methodologies such as microscopies, spectroscopies, and probe developments. Our lab has focused in three major directions we are taking with several collaborators.

(1) By utilizing newly developed probe technique POLArIS for fluorescence polarization microscopy, we are now focusing on discovering previously unknown phenomena around cytoskeletal structures, and deciphering their functional significance.

We have been collaborating with Dr. Tomomi Tani, microscopist at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (now at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) on this matter.

(2) We also try to establish effective probes to detect functional intracellular communication to find the logics of neuronal signal transductions.

(3) In addition to live cell imaging, we are interested in development of spectroscopic techniques such as fluorescent correlation spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

Regarding Raman spectroscopy, we have a long-standing collaboration with Prof. Kazuhiko Misawa at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

By combining cutting edge microscopic and spectroscopic technologies with molecular genetics and modelling, we try to solve questions such as: How cytoskeletal dynamics are regulated? How the cell shape is controlled? How the function of the nervous system is maintained?

Department of neuroanatomy and cellular neurobiology takes charge of basic neuroscience education for medical undergraduate student (Lectures and Wet labs), especially from the morphological point of view.
For graduate school students, our group offers introductory courses on both optical and electron microscopy (Lectures and Wet labs), with close relation to molecular and cellular neurobiology.