Yasushi Okada

Last updated
Yasushi Okada
岡田康志
Education Nada High School
Alma mater University of Tokyo
Website https://www.okada-lab.phys.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about

Yasuji Okada (born 1968) is a Japanese molecular biologist and physician. He is a professor at the University of Tokyo. [1] He is known for his research in single-molecule biology and bioimage informatics, notably discovering that kinesin can move as a single molecule. Collaborating with Olympus, he also developed a high-speed, high-resolution spinning disk super-resolution microscopy technique. [2] He is the chief researcher at the University of Tokyo's International Research Centre for Neurointelligence, leading the Information Physics of Living Matters project. [3] This project had already secured 1.15 billion yen (approximately US$10 million) of government research grant before it started. [4]

Contents

Career

Okada entered Nada Junior High School in 1981 and Nada High School in 1984. Commuting by train from his home in Osaka, he spent his travel time reading extensively. During his high school years, he read "Mechanics" by Landau and Lifshitz, part of the Course of Theoretical Physics series, and "The Feynman Lectures on Physics". [5]

In 1987, Okada matriculated at the University of Tokyo. Facing a decision in his second year there between the Medical School and the Department of Biochemistry in the Faculty of Science ( Shinfuri ), he chose Medicine following advice from Yoshinori Ohsumi. [6] He began his doctoral studies in 1993. He focused on single-molecule biology using specialised optical microscopy to visualise the physical movements of individual molecules. While the prevailing theory was that kinesin motor proteins worked like two-legged walking, Okada discovered cases where a single molecule could move independently. [7] Okada's doctoral thesis was titled "The motility mechanism of the single-headed kinesin motor, KIF1A".

Around 2005, he and his graduate students discovered the role of Kinesin-2, cilia, and flagella in determining the left-right asymmetry of the heart, a condition referred to as situs inversus. [8]

In 2015, in collaboration with Olympus Corporation, he developed a super-resolution fluorescence microscope with approximately 100 nanometers spatial resolution and 10 milliseconds temporal resolution, named "spinning disk super-resolution microscopy". This technique was noted for being a hundred times faster than existing super-resolution microscopy methods and achieved the world's fastest shutter speed. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise</i> 1987 animated film by Hiroyuki Yamaga

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise is a 1987 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga, co-produced by Hiroaki Inoue and Hiroyuki Sueyoshi, and planned by Toshio Okada and Shigeru Watanabe. Ryuichi Sakamoto, later to share the Academy Award for the soundtrack to The Last Emperor, served as music director. The film's story takes place on an alternate world where a disengaged young man, Shirotsugh, inspired by an idealistic woman named Riquinni, volunteers to become the first astronaut, a decision that draws them into both public and personal conflict. The film was the debut work of anime studio Gainax, whose later television and movie series Neon Genesis Evangelion would achieve international recognition, and was the first anime produced by toy and game manufacturer Bandai, eventually to become one of Japan's top anime video companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Tokyo</span> National University in Tokyo, Japan

The University of Tokyo is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era institutions, its direct predecessors include the Tenmongata and the Shoheizaka Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keiji Fujiwara</span> Japanese actor (1964–2020)

Keiji Fujiwara was a Japanese actor and voice actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagoya University</span> National university in Nagoya, Japan

Nagoya University, abbreviated to Meidai (名大) or NU, is a Japanese national research university located in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya.

Junichi Okada is an actor, fight choreographer and a former member of Japanese boy band V6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hidetoshi Nishijima (actor)</span> Japanese actor

Hidetoshi Nishijima is a Japanese actor model. He is widely regarded as one of Japan's leading actors, having appeared in a wide range of films from science fiction films such as Shin Ultraman (2022) to small-scale art films such as Dolls (2002). He gained international recognition for his critically acclaimed leading role in the 2021 film Drive My Car, for which he received the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taipei Japanese School</span>

Taipei Japanese School (TJS) is a Japanese international school located in Shilin District, Taipei. TJS was established in 1947 and mainly serves the children of Japanese expatriates in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takashi Sanada</span> Japanese wheelchair tennis player

Takashi Sanada is a Paralympic tennis player from Japan who won a series of national championships such as 2011 Osaka Open, Japan Open and Peace Cup. He also was a winner of international championships such as Taiwan Open and the Gauteng Open in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nana Okada</span> Japanese singer and actor

Nana Okada is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor, represented by Avex Asunaro. She is a former member of the girl groups AKB48 and STU48. She was a fixture on AKB48's major single lineups from 2016 to 2022 and is considered one of the best singers to have been part of the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yokohama Yamate Chinese School</span> School

The Yokohama Yamate Chinese School is a Chinese-style primary and junior high school in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Serving levels kindergarten through ninth grade, it is one of two Chinese schools in Japan oriented towards Mainland China, and one of five Chinese schools total. As of 2008 Pan Minsheng is the principal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryusei Yokohama</span> Japanese actor and model

Ryusei Yokohama is a Japanese actor, model, and former singer. He is affiliated with Stardust Promotion. He is best known for playing the role of the pink-haired Yuri Kyohei in the 2019 romantic comedy drama Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi as well as Hikari Nonomura in the 2014 Super Sentai TV series Ressha Sentai ToQger.

Yosuke Asari is a Japanese actor. He is represented with Beacon Lab Entertainment.

Reina Sumi is a Japanese freelance announcer and tarento who is a former TV Tokyo announcer.

Kozo Iizuka is a Japanese engineer who served as Director of the AIST and President of the International Measurement Confederation and Human Frontier Science Program among other positions. On April 19, 2019, while driving his car, he killed a woman and her child, who were on a bicycle, and injured nine pedestrians in what is called the Higashi-Ikebukuro runaway car crash. Following the crash, perceived special treatment of him by the police, legal system and media, ostensibly due to his privileged position in society, drew much attention and criticism.

Shiro Matsumoto, better known by his ring name Shiro, is a Japanese Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He currently competes in the bantamweight division of RISE, where he is the inaugural and current RISE Bantamweight World champion.

Sanzaburo Kobayashi was a Japanese surgeon. He founded hospitals in Hawaii and Japan, and also founded the Seizasha Dojo.

Kenta (健太) is a Japanese professional kickboxer.

Kunio Shiota is a Japanese life scientist specializing in biochemistry and epigenetics. He is a Professor Emeritus at University of Tokyo and a former Guest Senior Researcher at Waseda University.

Secular Shrine Theory or Jinja hishūkyōron (神社非宗教論) was a religious policy and political theory that arose in Japan during the 19th and early 20th centuries due to the separation of church and state of the Meiji Government. It was the idea that Shinto Shrines were secular in their nature rather than religious, and that Shinto was not a religion, but rather a secular set of Japanese national traditions. This was linked to State Shinto and the idea that the state controlling and enforcing Shinto was not a violation of freedom of religion. It was subject to immense debate over this time and ultimately declined and disappeared during the Shōwa era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoichi Ochiai</span> Japanese academic and media artist

Yoichi Ochiai is a Japanese academic and media artist. He has a doctorate from the University of Tokyo. He is also an associate professor at the University of Tsukuba Library, as well as an Information and Media Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Digital Nature Development and Research. Specially-appointed professor at Digital Hollywood University, visiting professor at Osaka University of Arts and Kyoto City University of Arts, Visiting Professor at Kanazawa College of Art.

References

  1. ↑ "OKADA Yasushi". SCHOOL OF SCIENCE THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  2. ↑ "オリンパス　ニュースリリース： 超解像蛍光顕微鏡法の新技術を理化学研究所と共同開発". www.olympus.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. ↑ "Members – Planned Research". Information physics of living matters (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  4. ↑ “8104 研究概要 (採択時)”. KAKEN 科学研究費助成事業データベース. 国立情報学研究所. 2020年8月22日閲覧。
  5. ↑ "世の中、上には上がいる〜私が見た「大秀才」たち（週刊現代） @gendai_biz". 現代ビジネス (in Japanese). 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  6. ↑ "第42回 | この人に聞く「生命に関わる仕事っておもしろいですか？」 | 中高生と"いのちの不思議"を考える─生命科学DOKIDOKI研究室". www.terumozaidan.or.jp. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  7. ↑ "第42回 | この人に聞く「生命に関わる仕事っておもしろいですか？」 | 中高生と"いのちの不思議"を考える─生命科学DOKIDOKI研究室". www.terumozaidan.or.jp. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  8. ↑ "夢プロフェッショナル 〜夢を叶えるプロフェッショナルたちの挑戦〜 | すべて自分で「見たんか？」が信条". www.qbic.riken.jp. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  9. ↑ "オリンパス　ニュースリリース： 超解像蛍光顕微鏡法の新技術を理化学研究所と共同開発". www.olympus.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-19.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.