Life Science & Medical Technology

New research from Japan shows that people may one day be able to vaccinate themselves against maladies — from the coronavirus to the flu — simply by applying a patch to their skin that allows the vaccine to be absorbed into the body quicker than with conventional medical patches.

Inspired by an Osamu Tezuka-created anime TV series from his childhood, Noriyuki Miura is developing a “powder” computer so tiny that people can swallow it to check on their health.

More and more start-ups are using digital technologies to develop "digital medicines" to help treat diseases.

A Japanese research team has discovered a medical agent capable of only removing senescent cells, which can cause aging-related diseases such as arteriosclerosis and diabetes.

A Japanese team said Thursday it had confirmed cases of pediatric lung cancer resulting from a mother-to-baby transmission of cervical cancer during birth for the first time in the world.

Tohoku University and precision equipment maker Shimadzu Corp. have jointly developed a system that checks exhaled breath to detect novel coronavirus infections.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is reportedly preparing to offer “stem cell therapy” in Japan as early as fiscal 2021.

Japan is advancing research to apply induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) to treat heart diseases. After the world’s first-of-its-kind iPSC-based heart cell transplant in January, a second clinical trial has been approved this summer and the third is in the pipeline. Currently, cardiac insufficiency can only be cured by transplants but the waiting list for a donor is long. There are hopes that the new treatment will provide new alternatives in the future.

The growth of rice stems is controlled by two genes that work like gas and brake pedals, researchers here have discovered, a finding that could lead to the birth of a new flood-resistant, productive crop.

A health ministry panel on Thursday approved a Keio University clinical research project to transplant heart muscle cells made from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into heart disease patients.