Nagamine Laboratory is studying on the development of new chemical sensors that can detect chemical components in the body of humans and plants without causing any harm to the body.

Aiming to extend healthy lifespans and reduce medical costs, we are moving away from conventional doctor-directed healthcare where people go to the hospital and receive appropriate medical care when they become ill, and instead strive for patient-directed preventive care by managing their own health. To realize daily preventive healthcare, individual health management technology that can be performed anytime, anywhere without any physiological burden on the body is essential. Nagamine Laboratory focuses on the components of human sweat and saliva, which are secreted outside the human body and are expected to contain some blood biomarkers, and is researching and developing chemical sensors that can easily measure these components. Regarding sweat in particular, we have established a sensing principle that allows sweat components to be extracted and detected simply by touching the hydrogel.

Similar to humans, it is also important to measure the health of plants, especially agricultural crops. Now that the prices of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been rising globally due to the issue in supply chain, there is a need for efficient fertilization and pesticide application by quantifying the health status of crops without relying on experience. Nagamine Laboratory has established a sensing principle that allows the extraction and detection of chemical components within a leaf simply by applying hydrogel on the surface of the leaf. We hope that this will make it possible to quantitatively and non-destructively assess the health status of crops.

Furthermore, we are also focusing on bacteria in a soil, and are researching and developing new technologies to measure and control the activities of bacteria that live there. By achieving in-situ measurement and control of the activities of target bacteria, we want to reveal the communication between the soil bacteria and the root of plants.

These researches require a variety of knowledge, not just biology, but basic knowledge is not required. All you need is interest and motivation for these researches. We are looking for students who will study with us to facilitate our research.