August 17, 2017
Niigata University
Keio University
The University of Tokyo
A joint research team, led by Professor Hiroshi Hibino and Assistant Professor Genki Ogata of the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences and the Transdisciplinary Research Program at Niigata University, and Professor Yasuaki Einaga and his team at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, has developed a drug monitoring system using a needle-shaped "diamond electrode sensor." In collaboration with teams led by Professor Hiroyuki Kusuhara of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Professor Madoka Takai of the Graduate School of Engineering at The University of Tokyo, they have succeeded for the first time in the world in the real-time measurement of the behavior and effects of various "drugs" in extremely small spaces (less than 1 mm) within the brain and inner ear of living animals.
These findings will be published on August 10 in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature Biomedical Engineering (launched in January 2017, with an acceptance rate of less than 6%).
[Key Points of This Research]
When a drug enters the body, it is transported to organs throughout the body, including the brain. Each organ is composed of many "small" clusters of cells with different functions. The concentration of the drug changes moment by moment within each of these clusters. This drug behavior and the resulting changes in cellular function are deeply related to the drug's efficacy, but until now, it has been impossible to measure them.
This study successfully performed these simultaneous measurements in laboratory animals using a newly developed drug monitoring system with a needle-shaped "diamond electrode sensor." This is a world first.
This technology will advance the development of drug administration methods that maximize efficacy while minimizing side effects, as well as the discovery of safe, secure, and effective new drugs.
Please see below for the full press release.