Fluorinated compounds are used everywhere—from pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals to advanced materials in imaging techniques. One promising method for the synthesis of fluorinated compounds is using quaternary ammonium fluorides, but these fluorinating agents tend to absorb moisture (hygroscopic), which affects their reactivity. To overcome this challenge, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, have synthesized a new fluorinating agent (R4NF(HFIP)3) using KF salt through ion-exchange reaction—with promising applications in electrochemical fluorination. 

A five-dimensional (5D) Langevin approach developed by an international team of researchers, including members from Science Tokyo, accurately reproduces complex fission fragment distributions and kinetic energies in medium-mass mercury isotopes (¹⁸⁰Hg and ¹⁹⁰Hg). The model successfully captures the unusual “double-humped” fragment mass distribution observed in mercury-180 and offers new insights into how nuclear shell effects influence fission dynamics—even at higher excitation energies than previously thought—advancing our understanding of fission in the sub-lead region.

The research group at the ISM-MCC Frontier Materials Design Laboratory (a joint research division of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics (ISM)) has discovered a phenomenon known as the "scaling law^*a of Sim2Real transfer learning^*b" in the integrated analysis of large-scale computational materials property databases and experimental data, in collaboration with research groups from the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS).

Phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE3) inhibitors are clinically approved drugs used for treating thrombosis, heart diseases, and asthma. Now, however, scientists have found that PDE3 inhibitors can also stimulate key signaling pathways that trigger Ca2+ influx into bone cells, promoting extracellular matrix production and bone growth. This new therapeutic potential of PDE3 inhibitors was demonstrated using both in vivo and ex vivo approaches, suggesting that existing PDE3 inhibitors could be repositioned as therapies for skeletal disorders. 

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that EGR1-expressing CD14+ monocytes and CD8+ T cells with a type II interferon signature are associated with scleroderma renal crisis and interstitial lung disease, respectively, in patients with systemic sclerosis. Understanding the specific immune cell abnormalities underlying different clinical manifestations of the disease could help predict and prevent serious complications.

Innovation Center of NanoMedicine has published a research result on the website of Journal of Controlled Release on June 5, 2025. The paper titled "Structural stability and RNase resistance of mRNA Polyplex micelles for systemic delivery" describes a method for more stable delivery of mRNA drugs, which are prone to losing their activity to degrading enzymes when mounted in micelles, to target tissues.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have successfully increased the production of D-lactic acid from methanol by exposing Komagataella phaffii yeast to ultraviolet irradiation.

A research team at The University of Tokyo has discovered that inhalational anesthetics activate a protein called type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1), which contributes to the induction of general anesthesia.

This finding shed light on a long-standing mystery: the mechanism of action of inhalational anesthetics, which has remained only partially understood for nearly 180 years. A precise understanding of how anesthetics work could pave the way for the development of more effective anesthetic agents and improved methods of administration.

    Chuo University ELSI Center and The University of Osaka established the Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (The University of Osaka ELSI Center) jointly hosted the "University ELSI Summit", a two-day event held on March 15^th and 16^th, 2025 (Saturday-Sunday) at Chuo University's Korakuen Campus (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan).

    ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues) and RRI (Responsible Research and Innovation) are seeing rapid development globally. These approaches are being examined across various fields both domestically and internationally. The ELSI University Summit focused on ELSI and RRI initiatives in academia and industry. These initiatives concentrate on research areas related to advanced AI and social challenges. The summit included reports from multiple stakeholders responsible for development, utilization, and regulation — including the business community, government agencies, educational institutions, science and engineering researchers, and humanities researchers. In addition, through Q&A sessions and panel discussions, the summit engaged in intensive discussions about their respective roles and the importance of collaboration. The event attracted a total of 607 on-site participants and online ones.

Signaling a major advance in small-data AI for medical imaging, a research team from Institute of Science Tokyo has developed a novel artificial intelligence model called “MHP-Net,” which delivers cutting-edge performance in liver tumor segmentation with a limited dataset. Unlike conventional models that require thousands of patient cases, this model uses sampling of 3D patches obtained from 7 to 28 tumors. Also, it outperforms the top entry of the MICCAI 2017 (worldwide liver tumor segmentation competition).