Chrono-nutrition
Until the past, nutrition has been the study of what and how much to eat. Chrono-nutrition is a new nutritional discipline that adds the question, "When?" to the new study of nutrition. In our laboratory, we are searching for food components and nutrients that regulate the body's internal clock, using cultured cells and mice. We are also studying what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to efficiently and successfully lose weight, and how to prevent frailty and sarcopenia in the elderly.
Chrono-Health Science
Irregular lifestyle and night shifts can cause a disruption in the body clock, and if this condition becomes chronic, it can lead to lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and hypertension. Therefore, it is important to keep the body clock in good order in order to maintain good health. However, in this convenient society we live in, it is difficult for us to lead a regular life. We are conducting practical chrono-health science research to find out what kind of lifestyle is safe and what to do the next day after a late night out. In our research, we conduct experiments by integrating human big data analysis, mathematical models, and animal models.
Circadian clock imaging
Using PER2::LUC or Bmal1-ELuc mice, in which the clock genes PER2 and firefly LUCIFERASE make a complex protein, and an in vivo imaging system (IVIS, Caliper), we established the in vivo luminescent rhythm measurement method (Tahara et al., Current Biology, 2012). This has made it possible to measure circadian clocks in peripheral tissues (kidney, liver, and submandibular gland) of an individual living mouse stably, with minimal individual differences, and in a simple manner. Recently, we have also performed molecular imaging of the brain using a miniature fluorescence microscope that can be attached to the head of a mouse. Using these techniques, we are approaching the aging mechanism of the biological clock.