A Year in Review: 2023

2023 was a year of great achievements, with 5 awards, 1 master’s degree recipient, hosting 1 research student, sending 1 intern abroad, welcoming 2 international interns, publishing 5 papers, presenting at 6 conferences, engaging in 4 collaborative research projects, receiving media coverage twice, editing 5 papers, reviewing 6 papers, and delivering 120 hours of lectures.

The five awards were all for the industrial application of organ chip research. The specific details of the business plan were greatly advanced through the mentoring programs of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Tsukuba Clinical Medicine Research Institute of the University of Tsukuba.

One of the published papers was a collaborative research project with NANOTEC Thailand, which was launched as part of a joint project between UNCTAD and Okayama University. This is a notable achievement, as it was accomplished despite the difficult environment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related: First meeting of UNCTAD researcher development program

Looking ahead to 2024

My core principle is to “nurture talent through university research and contribute to society by applying research outcomes to industry.” The objective of commercializing organ chip research is to transform the pharmaceutical process, eliminating the need for experimental animals and enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of drug efficacy validation. Specifically, our goals include:

1. Integrating organ chip technology into a corporate entity.
2. Establishing specifications for the blood-brain barrier chip.
3. Validating the functionality of the heart chip and commencing collaborative research with a pharmaceutical company.
4. Cultivating master’s and doctoral talents through academic research.
5. Strengthening international collaborative research and fostering academic exchange.

Achievements in 2023

Awards

1. Feb 1, 2023. Finalist. NEDO Technology Commercialization Program Final Examination. Awarding organization: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
2. Feb 4, 2023. OLBA Healthcare Prize. The 5th Okayama Tech Plan Grand Prix. Awarding organization: OLBA HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS, Inc.
3. Feb 4, 2023. BIPROGY Award. The 5th Okayama Tech Plan Grand Prix. Awarding organization: BIPROGY Inc.
4. Sep 14, 2023. Finalist. U-START UP KANSAI open pitch for university-based startups. Awarding organization: The Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kansai Innovation Initiative
5. Oct 21, 2023. Top Performing Team. Research Studio 2023. Awarding organization: Tsukuba Clinical Research & Development Organization (T-CReDO)

Graduation

1. Qian Li, a student under my supervision, obtained his master’s degree and entered the doctoral program.

Qiang Li obtained his master’s degree through research on the development of a pulmonary fibrosis model using lung chips, and he has advanced to the doctoral program to further expand this research. The organ chip research conducted by the Takahashi team at Okayama University contributes to the cultivation of research talent.

Related: Qiang Li embarks on a Ph.D. journey to develop lung fibrosis on a chip

Acceptance of research students

1. Accepted one research student from China.

Dispatch and acceptance of internships

1. Dispatched one third-year medical student to the Sorbonne University in France for three months.
2. Accepted one master’s student from the Sorbonne University in France for three months.
3. Accepted one second-year medical student from Mahidol University in Thailand for one month.

Takahashi initiated a collaboration with Professor Sonia Karabina from Sorbonne University in France and dispatched a third-year medical student from Okayama University as a research intern. The joy of experiencing medical research during this internship has had a significant impact on the life of the intern. Additionally, Maxence Maire, a master’s student from Sorbonne University, conducted fluid dynamics research on microfluidic channels in organ chips within the Takahashi team at Okayama University. Thanasin Chalermchat, a second-year medical student from Mahidol University in Thailand, worked on the development of microfluidic chips for organ chips using 3D printing.

Related: French Sorbonne University Student Executes Fluid Dynamics Simulation Project for Organ Chips
Related: A medical student from Thailand designs microfluidic channels of organ chip

Publications

1. Rumaisa Kamran, Yun Liu, Qiang Li, Keiji Naruse, Ken Takahashi. Facilitated differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes in a microfluidic chip. J Physiol Sci. 2023 May 30; 73(S1) 163-163.
2. Qiang Li, Yun Liu, Mengxue Wang, Yin Liang, Keiji Naruse, Ken Takahashi. Development of a lung fibrosis model using lung epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and vascular endothelial cells . J Physiol Sci. 2023 May 30; 73(S1) 166-166.
3. Petpiroon N, Netkueakul W, Sukrak K, Wang C, Liang Y, Wang M, Liu Y, Li Q, Kamran R, Naruse K, Aueviriyavit S, Takahashi K. Development of lung tissue models and their applications. Life Sci. 2023 Dec 1;334:122208.
4. Yun Liu, Rumaisa Kamran, Xiaoxia Han, Mengxue Wang, Qiang Li, Daoyue Lai, Keiji Naruse, Ken Takahashi. Development of a human heart-on-a-chip model using induced pluripotent stem cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. bioRxiv. 2023; 2023.12.06.569751
5. Mengxue Wang, Harumi Idei, Chen Wang, Yin Liang, Yun Liu, Yusuke Matsuda, Ken Takahashi, Hiroshi Kamioka, Keiji Naruse. Effect of mechanical stretching stimulation on maturation of human iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes co-cultured with human gingival fibroblasts. bioRxiv. 2023; 2023.12.15.567696

Publication 3 is a comprehensive review article on lung chip research from a collaborative project between UNCTAD and Okayama University. The joint research focuses on the development of human lung chips to investigate the impact of air pollutants on the lungs. Publication 4, authored by doctoral student Yun Liu, represents the culmination of his doctoral research on heart chips. Publication 5, the doctoral thesis of Mengxue Wang, presents the development of related technologies for heart chips. Both Publications 4 and 5 are currently under review for publication in international peer-reviewed journals.

Conference presentations

1. Rumaisa Kamran, Yun Liu, Qiang Li, Keiji Naruse, Ken Takahashi. Facilitated differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes in a microfluidic chip. The 100th Annual Meeting of The Physiological Society of Japan. Mar 15, 2023 (Kyoto). The Physiological Society of Japan
2. Qiang LI, Yun LIU, Mengxue WANG, Yin LIANG, Keiji NARUSE, Ken TAKAHASHI. Development of a lung fibrosis model using lung epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and vascular endothelial cells. The 100th Annual Meeting of The Physiological Society of Japan. Mar 15, 2023 (Kyoto). The Physiological Society of Japan
3. Xiaoxia Han, Yun Liu, Mengxue Wang, Rumaisa Kamran, Qiang Li, Daoyue Lai, Keiji Naruse, Ken Takahashi. Development of a lung fibrosis model using lung epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and vascular endothelial cells. Biomedical Engineering Symposium 2023. Sep 9, 2023 (Kumamoto). Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering
4. Qiang LI, Yun LIU, Mengxue WANG, Yin LIANG, Keiji NARUSE, Ken TAKAHASHI. Development of a lung fibrosis model using lung epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and vascular endothelial cells. The 75th Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan Chugoku-Shikoku Division. Oct 28, 2023 (Okayama). The Physiological Society of Japan
5. Ken Takahashi. Development of an innovative drug testing system using human organ chips. TAMU Cardiovascular Research Institute and JSPS Mini Symposium. Oct 26, 2023 (Austin, USA). Texas A&M University Cardiovascular Research Institute, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
6. Qiang Li, Yun Liu, Mengxue Wang, Rumaisa Kamran, Keiji Naruse, Ken Takahashi. Development of a live imaging system for mechanical stress-induced nitric oxide release in vascular endothelial cells on an organ-on-a-chip. The 17th Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Society for Stress Response, Japan. Nov 18, 2023 (Tokushima). The Biomedical Society for Stress Response, Japan

Doctoral student Qiang Li presented Presentations 2 and 4, master’s student Rumaisa Kamran presented Presentation 1, and international student Xiaoxia Han presented Presentation 3, contributing to the accumulation of achievements by reporting the results of organ chip research. Takahashi delivered an invited lecture on the development of disease models using organ chips at the event hosted by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, held in Austin, Texas (Presentation 5).

Related: Presentation on Organ-on-a-chip Research at the 100th Anniversary Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan
Related: Takahashi Lab develops microfluidic culture system for organ chips to mimic in vivo vascular environment

Research collaboration

1. Bizen Chemical, Co., Ltd.
2. Dr. Nasir Uddin at Texas A&M University, USA
3. Dr. Riccardo Barrile at University of Cincinnati, USA
4. Dr. Sonia Karbina at Sorbonne University, France

Takahashi team has initiated collaborative research with Bizen Chemical Co., Ltd. on “Verification and Mechanism Elucidation of Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability of Food-Derived Functional Substances Using Organ Chip Systems.” We are progressing with the specification formulation of the blood-brain barrier chip. The collaboration with Texas A&M University focuses on the development of a heart failure model using heart chips, while the collaboration with the University of Cincinnati is centered on the development of an intestinal chip. The collaboration with Sorbonne University in France pertains to the dispatch of medical students for research internships.

Media coverage

1. 5th Okayama Tech Grand Prix. Sanyo Shimbun (newspaper). Mar 4, 2023
2. Drug discovery innovation using human organ chips is attracting attention. Sogyo Techo Inc. Startup Catalogue (web article). Sep 26, 2023

Academic Journal Editing

Takahashi has edited five articles for the international academic journal Pathophysiology, and two of them have been published (published article is here). By editing high-quality papers, Takahashi contributes to the advancement of scientific and medical research.

Peer Review of Articles

Takahashi has conducted peer reviews for articles in the following international academic journals, with two of them being published. Through the peer review process, supporting the publication of high-quality papers, Takahashi contributes to the advancement of scientific and medical research.

1. Cardiovascular Diabetology (impact factor: 9.3)
2. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (IF: 7.5)
3. iScience (IF: 6.107) – Published article is here
4. Disease Models & Mechanisms (IF: 4.3)
5. Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes (IF: 3.853)
6. Journal of Personalized Medicine (IF: 3.4) – Published article is here

Lectures and Practical Training

Takahashi actively contributes to nurturing the next generation of future medical doctors and individuals advancing medical research by delivering lectures and practical training. The target audience is undergraduate students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and graduate students in the Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

In Physiology, alongside topics covering the digestive system, blood, and metabolism, Takahashi conducted lectures on organ chip research, discussing how research leads to the advancement of medicine.

In Project-based Learning in Molecular Pathogenesis, Takahashi took an active role as one of the course coordinators in managing the English class system, which includes international students, with the goal of internationalizing mecial education.

For graduate students, including international students, courses on Human Physiology and Myocardial Infarction were conducted in English. In Introduction of Basic Medical Sciences, Takahashi provided lectures on patent strategies in research.

Moreover, in the Fundamentals of Research Methodology, Takahashi conducted lectures on patent strategies in research, with a focus on the industrial application of university research.

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Takahashi Lab at Okayama University uses principles of physiology, cellular and molecular biology, biomecial engineering and biophysics. The purpose of the lab is to develop science and medicine by unveiling the mechanisms of diseases through collaborations with scientists, epidemiologists, and corporate alliances. The alliance includes Harvard University, Texas A&M University, Sorbonne University, University of Cincinnati, and PD Aerospace, Ltd.