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IHS-link Seminar No.1

The Life Question

141021Kaito Kikuchi

Brief Introduction

Kaito Kikuchi

1st year Master’s student

Research Keywords: Microbiology/Quantitative Biology/Bioinformatics

Twitter: @kickingkite

Website: www.kaito.co

I. Lifecommon, extraordinary, diverse, complex.

What is Life?

What is Life?

Extraterrestrial Life?

Complexity

organism cell

II. Life Sciencetackling the life question

“Life Science”

“Life Science”

The Cell: Foundation for Life

organism cell

Single-Cell Biology

Cells Cell

Why Single?

population

cell

orange

homogenous

yellow red

heterogenous

orange

Single Cell Biophysics

• Physical Laws

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• Aim to establish a Law of Living Systems

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• Precise measurement of single cell parameters

Pressure Volumex = Constant

Viscosity Cell Sizex = Growthe.g.

ViscosityCell SizeGrowth

Single Cell Microscopy

E. coli culture

slide glass

microscopesingle cell imaging

Single Cell Imaging

15sec x 300 images = 1hour 15min GFP-tagged protein shown diffusing

III. Relationshipour standing point

Life as a focal pointMathematics

Physics Chemistry

Philosophy

Computer Science

Arts

BiologySociology

Huge public implications

• GMO, Ebola, iPS, Abortion, STAP…

• Life-related issues have huge implications in society

• Insufficient mutual understanding between scientists and the general public

• Common yet remote nature of Life Sciences

Need for cooperative efforts

• Life-related issues demand interdisciplinary attention and cooperation

• Example: brain death ethics

• Remarkable progress in diagnosis technologies,but its accuracy does not yield an answer to

Brain Death = Human Death?

Conclusion

• Life Scientists: try to answer the Life Question

• The cell is the shared basis of life→Single-cell Biophysics

• Life-related issues demand interdisciplinary efforts

• How can we unite forces to address these issues?