hHeart Chimera Zebrafish group
Our goal is to develop cardiac-humanized zebrafish, which serve as valuable
tools for drug testing and heart regeneration models. We are currently
conducting experiments where cardiomyocytes, derived from human pluripotent
stem cells (hiPSCs), are xenografted into zebrafish embryos.
Microfluidics Embryo-on-a-chip group
Microfluidic devices are gaining attention due to their benefits in promoting
animal welfare and enabling more precise cell experiments.
Our ultimate goal is to use these devices to elucidate human embryonic
development.
At present, we are developing novel microfluidic devices and conducting
differentiation induction experiments using PDMS-based systems.
Embryonic Self-organization group
The goal of the Self-Assembly Group is to elucidate the mechanisms of human
development using human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which possess
characteristics like those of human embryos.
We are currently tracking and quantifying cell movements in controlled
culture systems using fluorescently labeled cells.
Planarian Whole body reconstruction group
Our ultimate goal is to mimic human embryos using neoblasts with the pluripotency
of planarian differentiation, in order to elucidate the mechanisms of human
embryonic development.
At present, we are focusing on achieving stable neoblast growth and culture
by conducting large-scale screenings of small molecular compounds to comprehensively
identify potential growth factors.