News from Japan
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 12-Dec-2025 22:11 ET (13-Dec-2025 03:11 GMT/UTC)
Chromatin accessibility maps reveal how stem cells drive myelodysplastic progression
The Institute of Medical Science, The University of TokyoPeer-Reviewed Publication
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) arises from defective blood stem cells that progressively lose their normal functions. Japanese researchers have revealed how changes in chromatin accessibility—how DNA is packaged—reprogram these stem cells toward faulty myeloid gene activity. This shift disrupts the balance of blood cell development and drives disease progression. The team also developed a chromatin-based “progenitor score” that accurately reflects disease severity and predicts patient prognosis in MDS.
- Journal
- Nature Communications
Rare-Earth Europium substitution allows for more control over CO₂-to-fuel conversion
Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
Reproduced human neural circuits show the crucial role of the thalamus in shaping the cortical circuit
Nagoya UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
A Japanese research team has successfully reproduced the human neural circuit in vitro using multi-region miniature organs known as assembloids, which are derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. With this circuit, the team demonstrated that the thalamus plays a crucial role in shaping cell type-specific neural circuits of the cerebral cortex in humans. This discovery may pave the way for developing new medications to treat neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Pure bred: New stem cell medium only has canine components
Osaka Metropolitan UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have successfully cultured canine iPS cells in a medium without using components of human origin.
- Journal
- Regenerative Therapy
- Funder
- JST SPRING, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, G-7 Scholarship Foundation
Mysterious X-ray variability of the strongly magnetized neutron star NGC 7793 P13
Ehime UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Funder
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Engineering magnetism and thermal expansion in BiFeO3 for next-generation memory devices
Institute of Science TokyoPeer-Reviewed Publication
Using a dual-cation substitution approach, researchers at Science Tokyo introduced ferromagnetism into bismuth ferrite, a well-known and promising multiferroic material for next-generation memory technologies. By replacing ions at both the bismuth and iron sites with calcium ions and heavier elements, they modified the spin structure and achieved ferromagnetism at room temperature. Additionally, negative thermal expansion was observed. This ability to engineer magnetism and thermal expansion in a multiferroic material aids in realizing future memory devices.
- Journal
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Funder
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI, Japan Science and Technology Agency-Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (JST-CREST), Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), TSUBAME4.0 supercomputer at Institute of Science Tokyo
Targeting collagen signaling boosts drug delivery in pancreatic cancer
Okayama UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Researchers from Okayama University and Tohoku University have discovered that targeting collagen signaling through the discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) enhances drug delivery and reverses therapy-induced resistance in pancreatic cancer. Their study shows that DDR1 inhibition improves macromolecular drug penetration and mitigates fibrosis triggered by MEK inhibitors, offering new hope for more effective treatment strategies.
- Journal
- Small
- Funder
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), COI-NEXT Program, Okayama University, Harmonic Ito Foundation, Inamori Foundation, Hokuto Foundation for Bioscience, Research Foundation for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan Foundation for Applied Enzymology, Pancreas Research Foundation of Japan, Sanyo Broadcasting Foundation Ryobi Teien Memory Foundation, KAWASAKI Foundation for Medical Science and Medical Welfare
Environmental variability and migration promote the evolution of cooperation among humans: A simulation-based analysis
University of TsukubaPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Chaos Solitons & Fractals
For green energy: Exposing just one active site boosts catalytic activity
Tohoku UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. This research shows how exposing a single active site has huge implications for producing green energy.
- Journal
- ACS Catalysis