Professor Ryuichiro Higashinaka
Researchers'
Professor
Shinichiro Fuse
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
I think it’s important that the saying isn’t “Fortunate homes are merry.” No matter how tough the circumstances are, I want to be merry so that I can let good fortune come in. However, it’s easier said than done, and so I feel all the more that I need to observe the saying. Recently I came across a newspaper article written by Kyosuke Nagata, president of the University of Tsukuba. The article was about the importance of ATM (an acronym of Japanese words meaning “cheerful [akaruku],” “happy [tanoshiku],” and “positive [maemuki ni]”). I really like this saying, too.
We study flow reactions in which solutions are flown through micro-channels. This method differs from the previous standard method, dating back to the days of medieval alchemists, in which reactions were studied using solutions in vessels.
Using flow reactions, we can control with great precision the temperature of reaction solutions and very short reaction times of only a few seconds. This was theoretically difficult to achieve using conventional methods.
If all goes well, we will be able to make possible reactions that were long thought unrealistic; this may open the door to the development of new drugs and more efficient production methods in the pharmaceutical field.
Apparatus for flow reaction experiments
A solution is extruded at a constant rate from the two black devices on the left.
The extruded solution is then mixed through tubes in the micromixer.
Holding micromixers
At school, I was actually always better at the humanities such as Japanese, English, and history. But since I was a child, I’ve had an image of scientists as doing mysterious and interesting things with nature. Looking back, I think this image may be the reason I got into this line of research.
Conceptual image of flow synthesis
It’s probably when something happens that completely contradicts my initial expectations. It is exciting when students, especially those who have faced obstacles in their research, come to me with outstanding results. When we understand the scientific reason behind those results, it is really quite something to know that, in that moment, we may be the only people in the world with that knowledge.
I try to begin with casual conversation, although it’s surprisingly hard to put this into practice when I’m feeling pressed for time or drained in some other way. For that reason, I really like drinking with my lab students because we can set a time for it in advance and focus on trivial conversation. For the past three years, there were restrictions on drinking parties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, I’ve been busy lately and haven’t had as many opportunities to drink with other people as I would like. Still, I think it's important to have a good time with people over drinks (regardless of whether the drinks are alcoholic or not) and discuss things other than our research.
Barbecue on a lab trip
The sign at the entrance to Professor Fuse’s lab. It is special to him,
as it was written by one of his students.
I enjoy drinking alcohol, and so to enjoy drinking to the max, I jog about 16 to 17 kilometers in the early morning while listening to music. I run along the river near my house, and when I look at the blue sky and the surface of the river, I feel I can run enthusiastically even if there are other things weighing on my mind. I also get a runner’s high, which makes me feel drunk in the morning even though I haven’t had any alcohol, and so I feel this is the best way to start a day off. After jogging, I have a soak in the bath and do nothing but drink. But in midsummer, it’s too hot and dangerous to go jogging even if you are well hydrated, so I go cycling instead. I set a hilly route of about 60 to 100 kilometers where I can get back home before noon.
Recently, I have been saying that we aim to develop a new flow reaction that I call Shinki Furo Reaction. (Shinki means new splendor, while furo means perpetual youth and is pronounced similarly to “flow.” Furo is also the name of the place where the Higashiyama Campus of 黑料网 is located.)
Our group focuses predominantly on classical reactions that have been known about for over half a century. However, their value is often overlooked because they tend to produce undesirable reactions. I hope that in combination with the new flow reaction techniques, we can give new value to the classical reactions and upgrade them to Shinki Furo Reactions, and that their newly gained usefulness will be “perpetual.” I also want to grow together with my students as we work on the development of Shinki Furo Reaction.
Name: Shinichiro Fuse
Department: Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 黑料网
Title: Professor
Profile/Hobbies:
Dr. Shinichiro Fuse completed his doctoral studies in 2005 at the Department of Applied Chemistry of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology. After working as a senior researcher at ChemGenesis Inc., he became a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University in 2006. Then, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, he became an assistant professor at the Department of Applied Chemistry of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering in 2008, an associate professor at the Chemical Resources Laboratory in 2015, and an associate professor at the Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science of the Institute of Innovative Research in 2016. He took up his current position at 黑料网 in November 2019.
His hobbies include drinking parties, jogging (to make alcohol taste better), cycling, and going to the sauna.
Website of Professor Fuse's Lab:
