EurekAlert! World Premier International Research Center Initiative, Japan

News from WPI Research Centers

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 14-Aug-2025 08:11 ET (14-Aug-2025 12:11 GMT/UTC)

3-Apr-2025

New breakthrough in cancer treatment: tiny vesicles help the immune system fight tumors

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University and colleagues have developed a promising new approach to cancer treatment. By using tiny, naturally occurring particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs), they have created a way to boost the body’s immune system to fight tumors more effectively. This breakthrough could lead to more targeted cancer therapies with fewer side effects.

Journal: Journal of Extracellular Vesicles

3-Apr-2025

Decoding how cells communicate by high-speed imaging of molecular couriers

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, demonstrates a novel approach for nanoscopic profiling of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) videography. This pioneering method provides an unprecedented level of detail in characterizing sEV subpopulations, offering new insights into their biological roles and potential applications in disease diagnostics.

Journal: Journal of Extracellular Vesicles

3-Apr-2025

Overcoming cancer drug resistance

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report in Nature Communications how the targeted suppression of lysosome function may lead to brain cancer therapy.

Journal: Nature Communications

3-Apr-2025

Multitasking exercise enhances objective sleep quality in older women

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have discovered that the so-called "multi-task exercise," which combines cognitive activity with physical movement, enhances sleep quality in older women by activating the prefrontal cortex after exercise. These findings may support the development of exercise programs designed to improve sleep in older populations.

Journal: NeuroImage

31-Mar-2025

Live imaging captures DNA folding in sperm cells for the first time

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University and colleagues have achieved a major breakthrough in understanding sperm DNA packaging. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), they captured the real-time process of protamine (PRM)-induced DNA condensation, providing critical insights into fertility, genome stability, and future applications in medicine. Their findings are published in Nucleic Acids Research.

Journal: Nucleic Acids Research

27-Mar-2025

Identifying the neural mechanisms regulating sequential behaviors in male sexual activity

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have uncovered the neural mechanisms that regulate sequential male sexual behaviors through studies in male mice. Their findings reveal that acetylcholine neurons modulate dopamine neurons projecting to the ventral shell of the nucleus accumbens, thereby orchestrating the execution of each behavioral phase. Notably, stimulating acetylcholine neurons during sexual activity was found to induce ejaculation.

Journal: Neuron

25-Mar-2025

Developing nonviral gene delivery system in Primate

Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Genetic engineering in non-human primates has long been limited by the need for virus-based gene delivery methods. Recently, researchers in Japan successfully used a nonviral system to introduce a transgene—that is, a gene that has been artificially inserted into an organism—into cynomolgus monkeys, which is a species of primate closely related to humans.

Journal: Nature Communications

24-Mar-2025

Antiferromagnets: Micro-ARPES uncovers exotic NdSb surface states

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University

AIMR researchers used micro-focused ARPES to identify domain-specific surface states in antiferromagnetic NdSb that disappear above 16 K. This suggests bulk spin order induces these states through symmetry-breaking, potentially enabling control of surface electrons for applications in spintronics and quantum technologies.

Journal: Physical Review B