Planned collaborative project

Planned collaborative projects are determined by NIPS considering requirements by researchers. “Physiological and neuroscientific research of gene-modified animal models” and “Biomolecular sensors and their physiological functions” have been established as first planned collaborative projects. “Medical and biological applications of phase-contrast cryoelectron microscopy” and “Functional and morphological analyses of cells and tissues by multi-photon microscopy” began 2008, and “Systematic analysis of behaviors of mice and rats” was added from 2009. These three themes are one of the hottest topics of sciences, and are that research activities at NIPS is considered to be very high and excellent. Many excellent new proposals are expected.

“Functional and morphological analyses of cells and tissues by multi-photon microscopy”

“Functional and morphological analyses of cells and tissues by multi-photon microscopy” provides the real images of various fine structures located in the deeper areas of the tissues and living animals with less damage.
Thus, this newly advanced imaging technique is rapidly attracted in the life science field and expected to be a breakthrough for innovative research findings especially in Europe, USA and Japan. Although few laboratories are practically applying this tool because of the technical difficulties in its maintenance and adjustment, our institute (NIPS) is steadily running, and uniquely offering exciting collaborations by using this cutting-edge apparatus with academic and industrial laboratories in Japan. Currently, we run two upright and two inverted two-photon microscopy, which provide the highest class imaging quality all over the world.

In addition, we have improved the laser light path as a joint project with an optics company under the support from Japan Technology and Science Agency. This achievement allowed it possible to observe fine structures in the areas up to 1 millimeter depth from the surface with resolution of less than 1 micrometer. We also succeeded in in vivo Ca2+ imaging obtained from various neurons and glia, and in establishing a special equipment attached onto the skull to help long-term imaging of same fine structures over several weeks in the same animals.

“Medical and Biological Applications of Phase-Contrast Cryoelectron Microscopy”

A novel electron microscope recently developed in NIPS is world-wide unique as the one and only running phase-contrast electron microscope to date. Its imaging capability, particularly enhanced when combined with quick freezing sample preparation, enables us to shoot photos in a spatial resolution of 1nm for unstained structure-preserved biological specimens. Encouraged by past experiences of collaborative works managed inside the Nano-Structure Physiology Division, this planned joint study has started from 2007 and made the novel facility open to biological and medical societies. It is also powered up by a new capability of phase contrast electron tomography from 2009. Challenging researches are to be awaited in such applications as structural studies for receptors and channels, high resolution molecular processes in whole bacterial cells and nanometer morphology for mamallian cells and tissues.

Planned collaborative project on “Behavioral Analysis of Mouse and Rat” has been started from 2009. It has become possible to correlate the gene expression with the behavior by using gene modified animals. However, to accomplish this, multiple behavioral tasks should be conducted in a reproducible manner. It is difficult to conduct these experiments independently by the individuals. The National Institute for Physiological Sciences has thus founded the Section of Behavior Patterns in the Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior and invited Professor Miyakawa to become the first adjunct professor of the section. This section will be responsible for the Planned collaborative project on “Behavioral Analysis of Mouse and Rat”. In year 2009, only the analysis on mice will be available.