Minna Purokivi was appointed as Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Eastern Finland this January. Her research group focuses, in particular, on interstitial lung diseases (ILD), such as connective tissue disease-associated ILD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, in which the cause of the disease is unknown. The group aims to advance the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of these diseases. Their research has provided insight into the safety and diagnostic accuracy of cryobiopsy, which has become increasingly widespread as a method for obtaining lung tissue samples.

Research on using Marchantia polymorpha, commonly known as liverwort, a plant closely related to moss, for food and as an ingredient in medicine and supplements is being conducted at Kobe University. Not only can liverwort be cultivated quickly and in large amounts, it’s also very nutritious, a trait which has gathered attention as the space food of the future. As its genes can be easily manipulated in experiments, liverwort also shows great potential to be used to produce various useful substances. At the center of this research is Professor ISHIZAKI Kimitsune of the Graduate School of Science. He told us more about the hidden potential of liverwort and its future industrial applications.

The term “well-being” has become widely used as a term to express favorable conditions physically, mentally and socially. However, it’s a broad concept, with a wide range of related research fields. In 2022, Kobe University created the Office for Promoting Well-being, a university-wide organization that promotes research, education and regional partnerships, and established the Advanced Research Center for Well-being, which serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research activity. What is the center aiming to achieve, and what kind of activity is being performed there? We asked Professor KATAGIRI Keiko, director of the center and expert in social gerontology and social psychology, about the current state and future prospects of this research.

Freshwater carbon — CO₂ that has been absorbed and accumulated in fresh water areas like lakes and reservoirs — is receiving attention for its potential contributions to achieving a carbon neutral society. Kobe University is a hub for freshwater carbon research, with Graduate School of Engineering Professor NAKAYAMA Keisuke, an expert in aquatic and environmental engineering, at the forefront. Relatively unexplored when compared to the “blue carbon” absorbed by the oceans, Nakayama realized the potential of freshwater carbon and has conducted surveys both in Japan and around the world. Also known for his research on the marimo algae balls in Hokkaido’s Lake Akan, Nakayama told us about the current state and results of his freshwater carbon research.

Despite the well-documented academic, cognitive, and social difficulties associated with persistent language disorders, predicting early-life language issues remains a significant challenge for researchers and clinicians. Using acoustic equipment and an advanced optical motion capture system to record facial movement, URI Communicative Disorders Assistant Professor Marc Maffei aims to improve outcomes for children with early language delays.

One of the world’s most extensive birth cohorts is now entering later adulthood. At the University of Oulu in Finland, the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) is launching a major new follow-up combining decades of biological, social, and environmental data with modern digital health tools to examine how lifelong exposures and the genome shape health and ageing.