Challenging Research Award

＜Assistant prof. HISANO＞

Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science

I am deeply honored to receive the prestigious Science Tokyo Challenging Research Award and the Suematsu Special Award. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Atsushi Shishido (Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Integrated Research) and to all the mentors who have guided me thus far, as well as to the collaborators and students who have played an integral part of this research.

Polymers, with their remarkable flexibility, light weight, low cost, and highly tunable functionalities, have long been used in a broad range of applications — from everyday products to cutting-edge industries. More recently, these unique properties have established them as pivotal materials for next-generation soft devices, demonstrating flexible displays and wearable sensors. However, achieving precise and active control of the multi-scale hierarchical structures—from the molecular level to the macroscopic scale—that govern the performance of polymer materials remains a significant scientific challenge. This research project focuses on the “polymerization space” where the synthetic reaction takes place, combining experimental chemistry with computational science to establish novel methods for precise control of mesoscopic structures. This approach enables one to develop new design principles and techniques that link molecular function with macroscopic material properties, ultimately leading to the creation of functional polymeric materials with unprecedented properties and performance.

＜Junior Associate Prof. IITANI＞

Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering

I am very honored to receive the prestigious Science Tokyo Challenging Research Award and the Suematsu Special Award. It is a humbling experience to be counted among the recipients of this award, which has a history dating back to fiscal year 2002. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Kohji Mitsubayashi, Director of our department, as well as to the professors in the School of Medicine and School of Dentistry who have collaborated with us in interdisciplinary research across medicine, dentistry, science, and engineering. I am also sincerely thankful to my collaborators and to my family, and all those who have supported me along the way.

Sensors are now ubiquitous in society, and wearable devices for monitoring medical and health conditions are widely available in the market. However, compared to the use of physical sensors that measure physiological properties such as heart rate and body temperature, the practical application of chemical sensors for detecting biochemical information remains limited. In this research, we focus on “transcutaneous gas” that allows us to evaluate metabolic states noninvasively. We are working to develop optical biosensing devices that employ enzymatic reactions to selectively and continuously measure specific molecules in real-time. We envision a future in which wearable devices enable personalized health check-ups and early screening of diseases by integrating advanced data processing with a wide array of sensors.

＜Associate prof. MIYAKE＞

Institute of Integrated Research

I am deeply honored to receive the prestigious Institute of Science Tokyo Challenging Research Award and the Suematsu Special Award. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Hajime Karasuyama and all the faculty members and students who have supported my research.

Basophils are extremely rare immune cells, accounting for only 0.5% of peripheral blood leukocytes in both humans and mice. Their physiological functions remained largely unknown for many years. However, recent studies using mouse models have revealed that basophils play a crucial role in allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis. Nonetheless, the specific roles of basophils in human diseases, particularly in patients with atopic dermatitis, remain poorly understood.

The awarded research aims to elucidate the function of human basophils in patients with atopic dermatitis using cutting-edge, highly sensitive single-cell RNA sequencing technology. Ultimately, this work seeks to lay the foundation for the development of novel basophil-targeted therapies.