研究者・留学生向け英文メールニュース 「Tokyo Tech Bulletin No. 66」を配信

Droplet systems such as DNA droplets, which are formed by liquid-liquid phase separation of macromolecules, play an essential role in cellular functions. Now, by combining the technologies of DNA droplets and DNA computing, computational DNA droplets have been developed by scientists at Tokyo Tech, which can recognize specific patterns in tumor biomarker microRNA sequences.

The potential of Millimeter-wave Wireless Power Transfer as a solution for Massive Internet of Things has finally been harnessed by researchers from Tokyo Tech, who have created a device for simultaneous transmission of power and 5G signal. This transceiver for 5G network signal is fully wirelessly powered and has high power conversion efficiency at large distances and angles.

In a breakthrough, Tokyo Tech researchers have managed to observe and characterize dynamic assembly of metallic atoms using an ingenious combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy and a video-based tracking. By visualizing short-lived molecules, such as metallic dimers and trimers, that cannot be observed using traditional methods, the researchers open up the possibility of observing more such dynamic structures predicted by simulations.

In a leap forward for diabetes research, Tokyo Tech researchers reveal that the feel-good hormone, dopamine, regulates insulin secretion through a heteromeric complex of receptors, thereby providing new targets for antidiabetic medication and therapy. The study is the first to elucidate the mechanism behind dopamine's down-regulation of insulin secretion.

A new low-loss transmitter allows higher precision low-orbit satellite earth monitoring, according to a study by Tokyo Tech researchers. The novel transmitter works in the Ka band of the microwave frequency spectrum, where no efficient transmission has been possible so far. By using circularly polarized signal, and an innovative internal calibration scheme, efficient transmission with low signal noise and wide-angle scanning is demonstrated.

Modern eukaryotic cells have proteins that enable chromosome segregation during cell division, new discoveries shed light on their origin in simpler prokaryotic organisms.