This research area aims to gain an integrated understanding of the structure-function relationship of the cell by observing and measuring the dynamics in microspace of cellular higher-order structural components, from supramolecular complexes to organelles and membrane-less organelles, and analyzing their functional correlations.
　In recent years, the development of observation and measurement techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy, super-resolution microscopy, and high-speed atomic force microscopy have greatly improved our understanding of intracellular microstructure and dynamics. This has led to a rapid increase in structural information on large membrane-protein complexes and new phenomena, such as biological phase separation and inter-organelle contacts, which have led to a rethinking of the conventional concept of the cell. On the other hand, for an integrated understanding of the cell, it is necessary to promote bidirectional approaches by increasing the sizes of the targets for high-resolution structural analyses and in turn, increase the resolution of cellular imaging analyses and to obtain precise knowledge of the intracellular higher-order structural components and integrate them.
　In this research area, we aim to develop technologies for observation, measurement, and control of intracellular phenomena to overcome the above-mentioned issues, and to elucidate the functions of higher-order intracellular structural components based on these technologies, in order to understand new biological phenomena.