Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have applied ideas from polymer physics to illuminate the mechanism behind a key pathology in Alzheimer's disease, the formation of fibrils of tau proteins. They showed that fibril formation is preceded by the birth of large protein clusters, mirroring the crystallization of polymers. Crucially, dissolving these clusters helped to prevent fibrils forming in solution. Their work signals a paradigm shift for the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

A new study reveals that impaired brain fluid flow in regions opposite the tumor predicts shorter survival in glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Using advanced MRI techniques, researchers found that dysfunction of the brain’s clearance system, known as the glymphatic system, may worsen patient outcomes. These findings suggest that monitoring whole-brain fluid dynamics could help personalize treatments and identify new targets to restore brain health.

Understanding how the brain learns and applies rules is the key to unraveling the neural basis of flexible behavior. A new study from the University of Toyama, Japan, reveals that our ability to follow procedural rules is encoded in the evolving dynamics of neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).

Shared houses are redefining urban living in Tokyo. By analyzing 1,374 supplier-written property listings through text-mining, researchers identified 11 key promotional themes highlighting safety, community, and convenience as the main selling points. The study uncovers how shared houses are promoted not as low-cost options but as lifestyle-oriented spaces that foster social connection and urban comfort, reflecting Japan’s shifting housing values and evolving notions of city living.

Researchers Kohki Horie, Keiichiro Toda, Takuma Nakamura, and Takuro Ideguchi of the University of Tokyo have built a microscope that can detect a signal over an intensity range fourteen times wider than conventional microscopes. Moreover, the observations are made label-free, that is, without the use of additional dyes. This means the method is gentle on cells and adequate for long-term observations, holding potential for testing and quality control applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

World’s first automatic and adaptive, dual-mode light-emitting diode (LED)-based optical wireless power transmission system, that operates seamlessly under both dark and bright lighting conditions, has been developed by scientists at Science Tokyo. The system, along with artificial intelligence-powered image recognition, can efficiently power multiple devices in order without interruption. Because it is LED-based, it offers a low-cost and safe solution ideal for building sustainable indoor Internet of Things infrastructure.

A discovery of electrically controlled triple quantum dots in zinc oxide by the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, moves us closer to energy-efficient quantum devices can be used practically.

Researchers in Tokyo Metropolitan University developed the efficient method for perfect and selective conversion of polyesters (textiles, cloth wastes, and PET bottle wastes etc.) to raw materials by simply heating a mixture of polyester and alcohol in the presence of iron catalyst. The findings will pave the way for solving the plastic waste problem.