Emiyu Ogawa: Toward a Future of Prescribing Light

2025/05/27

What if we could save the lives of our loved ones with optical technology? "There is a limit to the number of lives a doctor can save in a lifetime, but new medical technology has the potential to save countless lives in the future." These words from my former mentor are the starting point of my research. Lives that medical care could not reach 100 years ago can now be saved as a matter of course thanks to scientific progress. This is proof that science and technology have quietly and surely supported life. I am working on the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic systems using optical technology.

Life has always been with light. From the moment our ancestors were born on this planet, living things on Earth have been enveloped in light and have evolved in response to its rhythm. Just as we wake up with the morning sun and become sleepy at dusk, our bodies naturally respond to light. From circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles to the tuning of the mind, light quietly permeates the depths of physiological phenomena. Light is not just a wave. It functions as a medium that resonates with the living body and tunes the interaction between the environment and the mind and body.

However, there are still unexplained mechanisms in this "interaction between light and the living body." In addition to wavelength, intensity, and irradiation time, special optical technologies that apply physical force have also attracted attention in recent years. Exploring the effects of light on the human body is an intellectual adventure, like unfolding an uncharted map. If "light prescriptions" were to become a part of daily life in the future, what kind of society would emerge? Beyond the limited space of a hospital, homes, workplaces, and even urban spaces would become platforms for healing people and promoting health. Realizing a society that fosters health in daily life has the potential to fundamentally change the nature of medical care.

To realize such future medical care, collaboration across diverse fields is essential. It is not only doctors and nurses who support medical care. Researchers, engineers, government officials, people who support social infrastructure, and educators—I believe all of them are one team creating the medical care of the future. At the university, we are designing the future of medical care and society while learning from each other as we nurture human resources who play these diverse roles and return that knowledge to society. Exploring new possibilities for light and giving shape to treatments that do not yet have a name—that is our challenge.

Believing that today's research will become the light that brings a smile to someone's face tomorrow.