Institute for Integrated Cell-Material SciencesVol.

62018 October

Kyoto University
Institute for Advanced Study

contents

02

FeatureMicropores are Here to Help!

Welcome to the World of PCP/MOFs

07

iCeMS Frontrunners
Potential for a New Kind of “Empty Space”
Susumu Kitagawa(Director of iCeMS)

10

iCeMS Fund — Help us growA structural model of a porous
coordination polymer, as publishedin 1997. Kitagawa realized a stable
polymer structure that could withstandthe removal of solvent molecules fromits micropores and the introduction of
methane or other gases. Turn to page
7 to read the full story.

11

iCeMS in brief

Welcome to the

The History of
Porous Materials

各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください
各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください
各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください※すべてつかう必要はありません※すべてつかう必要はありません※すべてつかう必要はありません℃※すべてつかう必要はありません※すべてつかう必要はありません※すべてつかう必要はありません

The discovery of porous coordination polymers (PCP/MOFs) in 1997 by Susumu Kitagawa, now the director of iCeMS, wasa breakthrough in materials science. With innumerable micropores arrayed in regular patterns, these materials have the
つかう必要はありません
potential to transform many aspects of our lives, ranging from environmental protection, energy, medicine, aerospace andmanufacturing. In this article, two leading researchers各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください
will guide us into the World of PCP/MOFs.
環境保全

宇宙

エネルギー

近くに適当にちりばめてください※すべてつかう必要はありませんmay

医療Realms Where PCP/MOFs Have Significant Roles
医療

医療

医療

医療

医療

宇宙

医療

宇宙

宇宙

宇宙

宇宙

宇宙

H2

各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください
産業

産業

エネルギーエネルギーエネルギー

Energy宇宙

エネルギーエネルギーエネルギー

産業

Susumu Kitagawa

H2

Director

Industry

自然

自然

自然

自然

NO

かう必要はありません医療

Biophysics

エネルギー
2

自然

PCP/
MOFs

Materials
Science

医療CH 4

Environmental
Conservation

宇宙

O2

NO

自然

℃

H2O

Foremost PCP/
MOF Researcher

Masakazu Higuchi

宇宙Program-Specific
Assistant Professor

Aiming to create as-yet
unknown value
with PCP/MOFs

エネルギー

Susumu Kitagawa Born in 1951 in Kyoto. Received a PhD
in Chemistry from the Graduate School of Engineering of
Kyoto University. Held the positions of Associate Professor
at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Kindai
University, Professor at the Department of Chemistry ofTokyo Metropolitan University,
Professor at Graduate
エネルギー
School of Engineering of Kyoto University, and Professor at
iCeMS. Has been the Director of iCeMS since 2013. He wasselected as a Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate in 2010,
and received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2011.

産業

CO

H2

TissueEngineering

CO 2

Nature

宇宙

宇宙

産業

℃

エネルギー

Medical
Care

自然

℃

環境保全 環境保全 環境保全

CO 2

くに適当にちりばめてください

CH 4

℃

℃

環境保全 環境保全 環境保全

自然

産業

℃

産業

℃

産業

自然

自然

医療

CO

CH 3 OHCH 4

医療※すべてつかう必要はありません

各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください

医療産業

20 years ago

CH 3 OH※すべてつかう必要はありません
産業

Let’s explore
the PCP/MOF world
together !

H2O

Aerospace

産業

宇宙
Still rather young at age 20,
PCP/MOFs havestrong growth potential

PCP/MOFs are a type of porous material.
As the name suggests, porous materials
contain empty spaces. Riddled with
innumerable micropores, these materials may seem unserviceable at firstglance, but, in fact, they have long beenutilized in familiar ways. The following
are some examples of porous materials,
with a review of their history.

自然
エネルギー
環境保全 The iCeMS Perspective

on PCP/MOFs

Masakazu Higuchi Born in 1975 in Kochi, Japan. Completed
his PhD in chemistry at the Graduate School of Engineeringof Kyoto University in 2005. Held positions at RIKEN and the
University of Tokyo, and has been at his present position
since 2010. Started the venture company Atomis Inc. in2015 aiming to accelerate the practical application of
PCP/MOFs. Also enthusiastically engages in activities ℃
tocommunicate information about science-business related
topics to the public and children.

1997

also known as

MOF

℃
環境保全

warming, pollution, disease and aging.

℃
ギー

ル

エネ

環境保全

エネルギー

New Industry

Currently within the field of materials(Innovation)science, PCP/MOFs have the potential tointersect with various fields in the future.

Activated Carbons
Today, activated carbons are used in many
common products, including refrigerator and car
deodorants and decolorization agents. They havealso been connected with human life since ancient
times. Records from ancient Egypt show activatedcarbons used for water purification and medical
treatment. Activated carbons are made from vegetable materials such as coconuts. In these typesof products, the pores are not uniformly arranged.

Approx 260 years ago

1756
1862

Discovered innatural rock

Composed
artificially

ZeoliteZeolites are a type of microporous
mineral that exhibit roughly 220 different
structural frameworks. Their uses include
catalysis, ion exchange and gas purification, and they are especially important inpetrochemical manufacturing. Zeolites have a very rigid structure
made up mainly of silicon, aluminum and oxygen, with regularly
arrayed micropores. Although the mineral framework can differentiate molecules by size, it cannot differentiate molecules close in sizewith similar properties. For this reason, it is difficult to use zeolite
for precise adsorption and separation.

Although activated carbons and zeolites are indispensable for modern life, materials with even greater
performance and energy efficiency are still needed.

contemporary problems, such as global

Biology

Cell Biology

Porous coordination polymers(PCP/MOFs) are materials discovered by Professor Susumu
Kitagawa. Containing innumerable micropores of uniform size,
they can take in many times more
molecules than activated carbons and require little energy for
efficient separation performance.
In addition, they have 100 times
more variations of pores thanzeolite. Pore size and characteristics can be freely controlled by
a combination of metal ions andorganic ligands. Research onthese materials began amere 20 years ago,and further applications are expected
expand into a wide
range of fields.

iCeMS is an interdisciplinary group ofChemical
宇宙
Medicine: Metal Organic Framework

環境保全

working from many viewpoints to address

Environment
and Energy

1500 BC

PCP : Porous Coordination Polymer

cell biologists, chemists and physicists,

iCeMS

Approx
3500 years ago

The “jungle gym” framework is
widely known, but PCP/MOFs
can be created with a variety
of structural appearances.

Meanwhile,an innovative material
has appeared.
The name is…

Enormous amounts of energy are consumed in daily
life, transport, manufacturing and other industries,
and of this, 14% is spent on the process of separating chemical products. Development of porous
materials may be the key to reducing the energy
requirements for efficient storage, separation orconversion of target chemicals (gases and small
molecules). (See page 5.)

Inspiring Creativity

Micropores are Here to Help! World of PCP/MOFs

Feature各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください
各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください
各分野の近くに適当にちりばめてください

3Feature : Micropores are Here to Help!

Porous coordination polymers are attractive materials
that bring together all of the advantages of preexisting
porous materials. Introduced here are three key properties that reveal the secrets of their performance.

Large Surface Area
The larger the surface area, the more molecules
adsorbed and the easier for reactions to occur. In
other words, larger surface areameans higher performance.
Activated carbons also havelarge surface area, but they
can’t match PCP/MOFs. A single gram of MOF material has
a total surface area comparable to a soccer field!

・・・・

・・・・・・・＝4cm2

Surface area
・・・・

・・・・

Surface area

＝2200m2
・・・・・・

0.8×0.8 nm2

to maximize the number of molecules
adsorbed and how to minimize thespace needed to hold them.

Imagine a cube that is one centimeter on each side. If a hole of
1 cm2 is bored through it, four internal surfaces will form. In thiscase, the surface area would be 4 cm2. Now imagine that a seriesof tiny holes, measuring one nanometer on each side, are drilled
through that same one-centimeter cube. The interior surface area
would be tremendously increased. Each pore hole is very small,but PCP/MOFs contain an enormous numbers of them.

200

Metal ion

N
N

N

Tetrahedral (4 directions)example：Zn2+N

N

Octahedral (6 directions)example：Co2+, Ni2+, Fe2+

1.5
1.0

50

N2

0.5
0.0

0
20

40

60

80

100

Square lattice
structure of PCP/MOFs

3

molecule can be selected foradsorption into PCP/MOFs.
In activated carbon, the poresare not of uniform size, so vari-

Metal complex

With coordinate bonds serving
as the adhesive, metal ions arelinked with organic ligands toform a metal complex.

Twoty
are s pes of m
ep
olec
ules
basis aratedonof th
eir s theize.

ous different molecules will beadsorbed at the same time. In
PCP/MOF material, where theholes are all the same size, onlya single target substance isadsorbed, producing outstanding separation performance.

Conversion

One kind of molecule adsorbed into
PCP/MOFs can be converted into a
different type of molecule. Whena highly reactive metal ion is incorporated in the framework of thematerial, it can work as a catalyst,
stimulating a chemical reaction that

Organic ligand

Metal ions are connectable in different directions, depending on their
type. Some can connect in two directions, others in four directions. As
the metal ions connect to both ends of organic ligands, a huge variety
of structures is possible.

4

Coordination bond

Honeycomb
structure of PCP/MOFs

N

N

100

Pressure（kPa）

Metal ions

Square (4 directions)example：Cu2+, Pt2+

CO

150

2.0

Even molecules of similar
size and similar properties
can be efficiently separated
in PCP/MOFs.

When metal ions are mixed with organic ligands,
they link into chains of coordinate bonds,
instantly forming a polymer structure with regular arrays of uniformly sized holes.

Acetylene molecules arrayed in orderly fashion
inside PCP/MOFs. The
pressure can build to
2 atm, a level with highrisk of explosive reaction.
PCP/MOFs, however, enable stable storage.

containing sevSeparation Ineralsubstances
kinds of molecules, one

20Linear (2 directions)example：Ag+, Cu+

N

Pores in PCP/MOFs will adsorb andhold large quantities of molecules. A

Early PCP/MOF research focused onstorage considerations, such as how

1997
The
mic innume
MOF ropores rable
sa
in P
into llow ads CP/
reguolar a rption
rrays.

Storage1

carbon dioxide and other gases, allfor the ultimate purpose of storage.

Designability

N

PCP/MOF material development could not be described without mentioning three key functions: (1) Storage, (2) Separation,(3) Conversion. The main research development has focused on these three functions since work started in 1997. Tracing its
history, the field has shifted over time from simple to complex research, as scientists took on ever greater challenges.

great deal of research has looked at
the adsorption of hydrogen, methane,

PCP/MOFs are a continuous series of “metal complexes”, in which
metal ions and organic ligands are connected by coordinate bonds.
There are about 30 kinds of metal ions, and innumerable kinds oforganic ligands, presenting limitless possible combinations. To date,
23,000 variations on the basic framework have been created, which
represents a mere 20 years of research. As you read this, new PCP/
MOFs may be newly synthesized in some laboratories.
Organic ligands

What Can PCP/MOFs do? — Research Trends

Adsorption amount[molecules / Cu2+]

In the case of a one-centimeter cube

Ease of Fabrication
How do we actually make PCP/MOFs withmetal complexes in endless series? The answer
is simple: Mix an organic ligand solution with ametal ion solution. That’s all there is to it. Information is added, based on a design preparedin advance to instruct the ions to connect withboth ends of the ligands. From this, the material is automatically generated.

Adsorption amount[ml(stp) / g]

Properties of
PCP/MOFsconverts the adsorbed molecules
into another kind of molecule. An
as-yet unobtained goal using this

CO2

CO
HOOH

When
carbondioxidecomes into contact with
PCP/MOFs structured withthe right catalyst, it is converted into carbon monoxide and formic acid.

method is the conversion of environmentally harmful substances into
useful substances. One such nuisance molecule is carbon dioxide,
which causes global warming and abnormal weather patterns. PCP/
MOF materials present a hope for some sort of alchemical miracle,such as converting carbon dioxide to methane.

It mabso ay be p
ossib
rb ha
le
r
and mful sub to
conv
st
into
e
rt th ances
usef
em
ul su
bsta
nces
.

2018
5

Feature : Micropores are Here to Help!

Real-Life Applications of PCP/MOFs

Practical utilization of PCP/MOFs has so far been
limited to only a few fields, but an enormous
potential for crossover into other fields exists.

Two Commercial Examples
TruPick™ [ MOF Technologies, United Kingdom ]September 2016 The world’s first commercial PCP/MOF product
H
H
Currently, approximately
CC
40% of fruit spoils between
HH
the harvest and the conethylene
sumer. This is because fruit
releases ethylene, which
adheres to the fruit surface TruPickTM
and accelerates ripening.
1-MCP（1-methylcyclopropene）
TruPickTM is a packaging
product that releases 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), a chemicalthat inhibits the production of ethylene. It utilizes water-sensitive
PCP/MOFs, breaking down when contacting moisture in the fruit.
This causes 1-MCP to adhere to the packaged fruit, slowing ripening
and decay and preserving freshness during transport and storage.

ION-X™ [ NuMat Technologies, USA ]October 2016 Safe transport of hazardous gases
ION-XTM is a compressed gas
cylinder that utilizes PCP/MOF
storage functionality. A special
kind of PCP/MOFs placed inside
the cylinder allows gas storageat pressures several times lower
than normal atmospheric pressure. If hazardous gases are
stored at high pressure, they
may leak out of the cylinder,
Semiconductor
Semiconductorgas
gas
an extremely dangerous event.
ION-XTMION-XTM
normal cylinder
By reducing pressure, ION-XTM normal cylinder
enables safe transportation.
NuMat Technologies is developing a gas delivery business serving
semiconductor factories in South Korea.

Further promise . . .

R&D for Innovative Filters“I urge young researchers to step up, claim a new field, and announce it to the world. Open an unexplored area of
research and challenge others to join in. You may feel the exhilaration of a pioneer watching the growth of a newfrontier.” Such is the advice of iCeMS Director Susumu Kitagawa, who himself opened a new frontier in materials
science with the development of next-generation porous materials. Although now widely recognized as a fieldwith high potential, when Kitagawa first published his work on porous materials, he was seen as a maverick. On
a hunch, he took a new direction that interested him, and he found a gold mine.

Potential for a New Kind of “Empty Space”
Susumu Kitagawa Director of iCeMS
To date, there are about 9,000 papers
regarding porous materials publishedeach year, many dealing with transition
metal ions. When Kitagawa started his
work, Cu+ was regarded as a completely
insignificant ion. There are two types ofcharged copper ions, a +1 charged ion,

March 2018 Joint R&D by Dr. Higuchi and a company in Kyoto
Various deodorant products have long helped eliminate the unpleasantodors of toilets, tobacco smoke, etc. However, existing products do
not remove all the odor molecule, leaving a portion of the unwanted
smell. Dr. Higuchi from iCeMS, working together with Ohara Paragium
Chemical Co., Ltd. is developing PCP/MOFs capable of instantly andcompletely eliminating odors. Still in the development stage, this work
could lead to more comfortable living and work space in the near future.

Venture companies connecting universities and large companies
Venture companies play two roles in developing new materials: creating materials by applying basic university research andproviding materials to large companies. To date, many venture companies have put new materials into practical use. Unfortunately, in Japan, there is not much of a mechanism for relating basic research to society. In 2015, Dr. Higuchi founded theventure company, “Atomis Inc.”, which specializes in mass production of PCP/MOFs and the creation of newmaterials. The company has tried to be a bridge between universities and large companies.
Universities are responsible for fundamental research; venture companies are responsible for the “bridge”;
and large companies are responsible for wide distribution. To develop new materials, these three roles
are indispensable. In developing new materials, it is essential that people with diverse backgrounds
approach the same goal by using their diverse strengths.

67Interview

Photomicrograph of a porous coordination
polymer crystal, published in 2014. Viewed on
the nanometer level, the structure resembles
that of a bamboo basket. It can be used toseparate carbon monoxide out of a mixtureof carbon monoxide and nitrogen, a taskotherwise extremely difficult.

Cu+, and an oxydized form of +2 charged
ion, Cu+2. At that time, Cu+2 was amply
researched, but no one took no noticeof the Cu+ ion. Both colorless and nonmagnetic, it was seemingly without utility.

The “Insignificant Ion”
that Astonished the World
After completing graduate work inquantum chemistry at Kyoto University,
Kitagawa joined the science faculty of
Kindai University as an assistant professor.
“That is where I encountered coordination
chemistry and started studying the coordination polymers that are constructedfrom organic ligands and metal ions.”
Materials that are constructed fromorganic ligands and metal ions have long
been investigated for their electrical conductivity, which can enable a wide range ofapplications as nanometer-sized wires andelectrocatalysts. It was an area that drew

「おもしろさ」を求めて、まっすぐに

Career summary on page 2

7many competing researchers.
The metal ion that attracted Kitagawa’s
attention was Cu+, which exhibits aspherical electron configuration. While
the Cu+2 ion binds to organic ligands togive a directionally extended structure,
the Cu+ ion can form three-dimensionallyextended structure. Because of its spherical electron configuration, it readily forms
crystals with minimal distortion. “Irealized that when Cu+ ions are bound toorganic molecules, they provide a regular,continuous crystal. I thought this must be
useful, so I kept studying it. However, thediﬀerent electronic structures of metal ionsand organic molecules hardly made electron conducting band structures. I kept

The crystal structure of a porous honeycombtype coordination polymer as discovered by
Kitagawa and his students during computer
calculations in 1989. The rod-shaped lattices
indicate organic molecules linked by copper
ions, and the ball-shapes represent acetone
molecules incorporated in the spaces. The
structure was published in 1992.

8

racking my brain, but I couldn’t
get the results I was hoping for.”A Relaxed Moment
Brings Inspiration

polymerization

The turning point came in
1989. Together with two Kindai
University students, Kitagawa
visited Kyoto University, where a
Porous coordination polymer diagrams drawn bylarge computer for X-ray strucKitagawa for his 1997 paper.
Left: A unit of porous material. The blue parts areture analysis of single crystals wasmetal ions, bound by organic molecules. Throughmade available. They input thepolymerization, the material creates the porous
X-ray diﬀraction data obtained
structure shown below. Right: Simplified drawingof the structure of the molecular model. The green
for a coordination polymer crystal
and orange sections represent different layers withand then waited for modeling andessentially the same tongue-and-groove structure.
simulating the structure. “ManyThat was the moment when his researchresearchers were using the computer at
focus made a crucial shift.
the same time, so the process took more
Nonetheless, it would be some timethan an hour until we get our result. If
before he arrived at the idea of “porous
we had been part of Kyoto University,
materials.” Solvent molecules within
we could have gone back to our own lab
the pores play an important role in theand done some other work, but as visitors
stability of the crystal, and their removal
we had nowhere in particular to go. We
would cause the framework to collapse. “Ijust had time on our hands. Eventuallywasn’t thinking at first about utilizing the
we started looking at some preliminarypores.” After two years of trial and error,
results to try and predict the structure,on the idea that these molecules could
and one of the students said, ‘Hey, there
be removed and leave a non-collapsing
are holes in it.’” When Kitagawa saw theframework, the first porous coordination
honeycomb-like network structure, hepolymer was completed. Allowing gas tonoticed there are regular array of cavities.
flow freely through the countless minute
Kitagawa instantly made up his mind.
empty spaces, groundbreaking findings“Most coordination chemists were
emerged that extended the applications oflooking only at the frameworks themselves
the porous structure. Yet when first pubof the polymers, and paid no attention tolished in 1997, the reception to this finding
the interstices. But I thought those totally
was cool. “At the time, everyone thought
empty spaces were something interesting.”that ‘organic matter is soft, so a frameworkof porous material is not usable.’ Our work
was seen as an adsorption experiment mistake and hardly believed by other scientists.
It was even denounced as a lie…” Only
when enough other researchers had similarfindings, was it accepted that a solid pore
structure can be made using organic matter. Suddenly, porous materials researchbecame a fiercely competitive field.

Training His Students
to Nurture Intuition“When told ‘There are holes in it,’ I
might have simply thought, ‘It is not anelectron conducting framework, so it’suseless,’ were I the type to go strictly by
the rules. From this, I may have abandoned the idea. But I had a feeling thatthe vacant ‘space’ was something interesting, and instead I followed the path of myintuition,” says Kitagawa.
The secrets to success, Kitagawa constantly tells his students, are luck, patience,and persistence. “Luck is not somethingof chance, like in a lottery. Rather it issomething encountered after a person
A ceramic owl is presented
to each student when
they become a professor,
encouraging them to takea wide, bird’s-eye viewof their field. A symbolof wisdom, the extensive
range of the owl’s neckrotation allows it to see theentire landscape.

unknowingly moves toward
it. The famous dictum of thebacteriologist Louis Pasteur,“Chance favors the prepared
mind,” reflects this. With hard
work, a foundation is builtthat can respond to favorable
Celebrating his 60th birthday with students.
chance. Patience means notreacting quickly. A sharp person may understand phenomena quickly
accomplish things that natural organisms
and immediately move forward. But I
cannot. For example, a natural cell membelieve the opportunity to generate newbrane can transmit a substance both fromfields of science comes to slower types,
the more concentrated side to the less
who pause to skeptically review the situconcentrated side and also vice versa, yetation. Persistence is, of course, the sheer
it will not transmit all substances. “Theperseverance to keep believing without
mechanisms of life are quite well designed,
giving up.” When a student of Kitagawa
but they do not function beyond theirreaches the milestone of becoming a progiven roles. Human-designed materials
fessor, he presents them with a traditional
may achieve additional functions.”
ceramic owl – a symbol of wisdom – with2017 marked twenty years sincethese three words hand-written on it by
the porous coordination polymers were
Kitagawa himself.
developed. “Our bodies are made up ofvarious proteins that are formed from justEndowing Materials with Abili20 diﬀerent amino acids. The body assemties Beyond Natural Organisms
blage is achieved by the widely divergent
combinations. Similarly, porous coordinaWhen iCeMS was founded in 2007,
tion polymers can be synthesized from the
Kitagawa was named the deputy director.
combinations of components enormously
There are two founding principles of themore numerous than proteins. Even theinstitute. “One is to describe cellularmost powerful computer programs can’t
processes in terms of chemistry and createcompute them all for exact structures andmaterials to control them, an aim thatfunctions. This is exactly why we find richcontributes to the medical treatment ofveins away from the main road and why weillness or dysfunction. The other is toneed the patience, from ‘luck, patience, percreate functional materials inspired bysistence.’ The fun of materials science is that
cellular processes.” One of Kitagawa’s
so much may lie buried beneath our feet.”motivations is to create materials that can
9iCeMS in brief

iCeMS Fund - Help us growiCeMS is the only research institute in Japan that combines
chemistry and cell biology to develop new research areas. With
this perspective, we aim to create new functional materials andchemical substances, such as "gas medicines" that utilize carbon
monoxide and nitric oxide, among others. Our revolutionary work
also addresses key issues, such as global warming, pollution, fossil
fuels dependency, and the availability of clean drinking water.
Research at iCeMS is called "Pure research". Although it isdifficult to see the results, knowledge gained from pure researchis indispensable for the development of applied research that cancontribute to society. To reach this goal the Center for iPS cell
Research and Application (CiRA) was born, developing clinicalresearch from pure research on iCeMS stem cells. It takes a longtime before pure research is actually used in society. Therefore, it isnecessary to develop a stable system of research for the long term.
iCeMS has grown considerably in the ten years since the 2007
MEXT "World Premier International Research Center Initiative(WPI)". The program's support has ended, but young researchers,
who developed with iCeMS in the ten years since its founding, areexperiencing emerging success in their fields. By providing a place
for them in the future, we hope to further disseminate high impact
research results to the world and further grow as research laboratories.
In order to realize such growth, it is, of course, important toacquire outside research funds, but it is also urgently necessary tobuild a stable fiscal foundation to ensure the continuity of high leveltraining. We appreciate your understanding about the activities
and spirit of iCeMS, and we thank you for your continued support
through the iCeMS Fund.

DonorsSolve social
issuesIndividuals

Corporations /Organizations

DonationsContribution
tohealthcare

iCeMS Fund

Producing promising scientists of thenext generation

SupportResearches
Activities forcontribution tosocietyiCeMS

iCeMS would like tosincerely thank all those whohave given their support.
Hiroshi Tanaka
Hiroyasu Tabe
Junko Kobayashi
Kenichiro Murai
Kenji Takano
Koichi Shirose
Kouetsu Funabiki
Masakazu Higuchi
Takako Yano
Takashi Tokunaga
Tomoko Kato
Yoshinori Takeuchi
Yoshiyuki Tsuda
K-IP ALLIANCE JAPANKyoto Gakuen High School

Kyoto University Fund webpage

http://www.kikin.kyoto-u.ac.jp/contribution/icems/
10

Research Highlights

For more information（www.icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp）

Culturing cheaper human pluripotent stem cells

Realizing the ultimate structure of organic solar cells

The research group led by Kouichi
Hasegawa has developed a new
medium and a new method for
culturing hPSCs. The new medium
is made with chemical compounds
in stead of expensive growth factors,
and that makes this medium five to
ten times cheaper than any currently
available hPSC culture medium.
This is expected to reduce thecost of drug discovery and medical
application, accelerating research.

The research group led by
Susumu Kitagawa and theresearch group of the Ecole
Normale Superieure in France
has, by using a porous
material, created a structure inwhich two different molecules
are arranged in a regular andalternate pattern. It is regarded
as the ultimate ideal structure
for an organic solar cell material
with a charge lifetime of 1,000.

A human embryonic stem cell colony
cultured in the newly developed medium.

Titanium oxide
Polythiophene

Image of the created structure (donor-acceptor alternate array structure)

A shape to remember

Programming synthetic molecular codes to turn genes ‘ON’

Susumu Kitagawa and colleagues have demonstrated a shape-memory
effect in a flexible metal organic material, developing new carbondioxide-adsorbing crystals. This new porous material absorbs CO2, andretains its shape even after CO2 molecules are removed. Their work could
provide the basis for designing more shape-memory porous materials.

Ganesh Pandian Namasivayam
and colleagues fabricated amolecular code called “Bi-PIP”
that mimics a key process thatturns on genes in the body.
The code targets histones, theproteins that are responsible
for packaging DNA so that it fits
inside a cell’s nucleus. Whenhistones undergo a chemical
process called acetylation, an
Bi-PIP was successful in emulating the natuacetyl group is added to partral histone acetylation process and led to theactivation of a specific gene associated withof their structure. This loosens
the central nervous system inside living cells.
the DNA’s attachment to the（Drawn by Izumi Mindy Takamiya）
proteins, which leads to geneactivation. This process could help lead to future gene-based therapies fora wide array of diseases.

The pores in the crystal
remain open after the
release of CO2, but they
can be collapsed easily
with heat.

CO2> 120℃

Technique reveals complex protein movementsin the cell membrane
The research group led by visiting professor Akihiro Kusumi and associatedprofessor Takahiro Fujiwara has developed an imaging method for live cells, incollaboration with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate
University (OIST). Their method improves the observation time of fluorescentmolecules by forty-fold. With the increased time window of observation, theresearchers were able to study how molecules work in the cell far more directly
and clearly.

The single-molecule imaging station in OIST.

11

iCeMS in brief
Building trees: the protein
controlling nerve cell branching

A major step towards
individualized cancer therapy

Kengaku and her team found that inhibiting
the expression of protein MTSS1 in Purkinjecells of baby mice led to incomplete dendrite
growth, indicating that MTSS1 is an important
regulator of their development. Researching
the role of MTSS1 in the development ofbranching dendrites in Purkinje cells can
aid in the development of therapies forneurodegenerative disease, damaged brains
and cancer.

Fuyuhiko Tamanoi and colleagues have developed
a “chicken egg tumor model”, in which cultured
ovarian cancer cells are transplanted on top of themembrane that surrounds a 10-day-old chicken
embryo. An ovarian tumor forms on top of themembrane within three days of transplantation.
They also developed a new type of biodegradable
silica nanoparticle called ‘biodegradable PMO’,
which can prevent anti-cancer drug side effects.

Microscope image of cerebellar Purkinje cells from mice.
Purkinje cells (right) lacking the MTSS1 gene have a reduced number of protrusions compared to Purkinje cells(left) of normal wild type mice.

Visualizing RNA activity within
the brain tissues of live mice fordevelopment of novel drugs
A group led by Dan Ohtan Wang found that amolecule, called m6A, makes modifications atbrain nerve junctions that are essential for proper
signal transmission. This could help further
understanding of neurodevelopmental andneuropsychiatric disorders, including autism.

In vivo proteins in mice controlled by m6A (upper
row: writer, middle row: eraser, lower row: reader)
exist in the dendrites of hippocampal neurons.
The chicken egg model drawn by Izumi Mindy Takamiya.

Controlling the manufacture of stable aerogels
Shuhei Furukawa with colleagues have developed a new approach to control the fabricationof soft, porous materials, overcoming a primary challenge in materials science. The developedmaterials have a stable structure, despite their tiny cavities, and have a wide variety of potential
applications. Building insulation, energy storage devices, aerospace technologies, and evenenvironmental clean-ups can all benefit from incorporating light and flexible materials.

What’s new?

For more information（www.icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp）●iCeMS ties MoU with R&D Center for Membrane Technology, Chung Yuan University(3/16)●iCeMS-CiMPhy holds kick-off symposium(4/11)●iCeMS collaborates with ShanghaiTech University(7/19)●iCeMS participates in the SSH research presentation(8/8-9)

iCeMS
Our World, Your Future
Vol.6
2018 October

The newly developed porous gel.

●Students from four high schools participate in iCeMS Caravan visit(8/8)●iCeMS establishes “Smart Materials Research Center” in Thai(8/22)●iCeMS holds its 24th International Symposium(9/3)●iCeMS ties MoU with AO Research Institute Davos of Switzerland(9/3)

Production Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University
Research Administration Office Public Engagement Unit
Mari Toyama, Izumi Mindy Takamiya, Takayuki Homma
Yoshida Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Phone: +81-(0)75-753-9753 | Fax: +81-(0)75-753-9759
E-mail: info@icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp | Website: www.icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp
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