Healthy Individual advances the goal of healthy longevity by addressing health from the cellular to the systems level. Research targets the mechanisms of aging and neurodegeneration, including cellular senescence and astrocyte-driven brain decline, while also pursuing therapeutic strategies to preserve function. In parallel, the Stream develops improved and affordable diagnostics—such as lab-on-a-chip biosensors for daily stress monitoring and biomarker assays for ALS—that make early detection more accessible. Complementing these projects, multi-omics and microbiome studies provide a complex systems perspective, uncovering hidden interactions across biological layers that regulate resilience and decline. Together, these initiatives form an integrated framework for extending health span, linking molecular insights, systemic balance, and innovative diagnostics to support lifelong well-being.
R&D Leader
Keiko Kono (OIST, Associate Professor）
Projects
Overcoming Aging and Dementia by Focusing on Glial Cells
Identifies astrocyte-derived rejuvenation factors and accelerates iPSC-to-astrocyte differentiation to support drug discovery and therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s and age-related decline.
PI: Yukiko Goda
Healthy Aging by Ameliorating Plasma Membrane Damage
Investigates membrane-damage–driven cellular senescence, developing markers and small-molecule inhibitors, and advancing food-derived supplements to address sarcopenia, joint pain, and dementia.
PI: Keiko Kono
Miniaturized Lab-on-a-Chip Devices for Precision Diagnosis
Develops portable cortisol biosensors for real-time stress monitoring, aiming for sub-nM sensitivity, <$1 unit cost, and scalable production.
PI: Amy Shen
Laboratory Automation System Development using AI and Robot Technology
Builds an AI- and robotics-driven lab for automated multi-omics; conducts large-scale, cross-country phenotyping to uncover universal and population-specific health determinants.
PI: Hiroaki Kitano
Development of Biomarker-based Diagnostic Tools for ALS
Uses hiPSC-derived motor neurons and patient CSF to identify and validate biomarkers, with the goal of enabling earlier ALS diagnosis and therapeutic targeting.
PI: Marco Terenzio
