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Laboratory for Intelligent Living Soft Matter Physics and Molecular Computing
Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI);
Department of Computer Science, School of Computing;
Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology,
Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Japan
[Postdoc and Ph.D. student positions available, as of January 4, 2023]
Life is a kind of autonomous computational system using chemical energy. We pioneer molecular computing and biophysics for intelligent soft matter and artificial cells.
Pioneering new science through the fusion of information science, life science, and physics
Using bio-nanotechnology and computational simulations, our laboratory conducts research on (1) Information science for novel computation with materials, (2) Bottom-up synthetic biology for adaptable and evolvable artificial cells, and (3) Physics for information biopolymers and autonomous, intelligent materials.
Living organisms are anomalous matter with information, autonomy, and intelligence. It is necessary to construct novel science and technology that can deal with such an anomalous matter because this is an integrated theme that cannot be handled by conventional divisions such as information science, life science, physics, etc. Through the research described above, we will pioneer a new science related to autonomous and intelligent matter, such as living organisms.
The results obtained will be applied to the development of highly functional biological informational systems like living organisms, such as intelligent molecular systems and nanorobots that adapt and evolve. In addition, the fundamental question, “What is life?” from the standpoints of physics and information will be revealed through the research. In the future, we will develop molecular computers, molecular robots, operating systems for artificial cells, artificial cells for in vivo therapy, drug delivery nanomachines, micro soft molecular robots that can repair themselves like living organisms, and computers based on new principles, and so on.