Research

Lifeform

What distinguishes life from nonlife? As part of the Life–Nonlife Transition project, the MiLD Group is working to quantify the factors that define this boundary between life and death, in collaboration with a theoretical physicist.

JSPS Transformative Research Areas (B): Life-Nonlife Transition 

Uni-cellular lifeform

A bacterium is a unicellular organism capable of living independently as a single cell. However, we still know little about how bacteria survive in such isolated states, since researchers typically culture them in large populations, often around 10^8-9 cells/mL, for laboratory analyses. The MiLD group aims to uncover the mechanisms of bacterial single-cell survival by using custom-designed nano- and microfluidic devices that allow us to isolate and observe individual cells over long periods.

Capturing of extracellular vesicles derived from single cells of Escherichia coli

Fumiaki Yokoyama, André Kling, Petra S. Dittrich

Lab on a Chip, 2024

Multi-cellular lifeform

Bacteria often form collective living states as multicellular lifeforms. These collective states are common in natural environments and are frequently associated with survival against clinically used antibiotics. The MiLD group investigates the spatial and temporal development of such bacterial communities from single cells to multicellular assemblies and their subsequent generations by tracking cells that escape from a community and establish new ones, aiming to understand the mechanisms underlying bacterial life history.

JST PRESTO: Dual Biological Potential

Super-cellular lifeform

Bacterial cells are found almost everywhere on Earth, in soil, air, and even within the human body. In these diverse environments, they interact with both biotic and abiotic factors, often forming complex communities to survive. The MiLD group also investigates these higher-order living states of bacteria in collaboration with researchers specializing in non-bacterial systems.