| Project Title | Japanese Researcher |
Position and Institution | Abstract of Research Project | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Researcher |
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| 1 | Cortically-triggered robotic hand orthosis for home-based therapy and assistance in activities of daily living | Arata, Jumpei | Associate Professor, Center for Advanced Medical Innovation, Kyushu University | This project aims to develop a brain-triggered robotic hand orthosis to provide assistance and therapy in activities of daily living (ADL) for neurological patients and elderly persons with impaired hand function. It combines the development of a compact and lightweight robotic hand orthosis by the Japanese partner, and the development of a compact and energy-efficient brain-robot interface (BRI) based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy by the Swiss partner. These components will be integrated and clinically evaluated as a wearable BRI to assist patients during therapy and ADLs in the clinic and at home. |
| Gassert, Roger | Professor, Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich |
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| 2 | Development of A Comprehensive System for Assessment of Sarcopenia, Osteoporosis and Joint Dysfunction | Takao, Masaki | Associate Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine |
This project aims to develop a comprehensive system to assess musculoskeletal conditions of high-risk elderly patients of mobility loss, fall and hip fracture by considering osteoporosis, sarcopenia and joint dysfunction simultaneously. Patients with femoral neck fracture or with hip osteoarthritis will be recruited by the Japanese team. 2D X-ray images and 3D QCT of patients' hips will be acquired. 3D musculoskeletal models will be extracted from the 3D data. The Swiss team will develop a system for biomechanical hip modeling and for reconstructing 3D musculoskeletal models from 2D X-ray images. The Japanese team will then test this system as a monitoring tool of rehabilitation by correlating its outputs with the postoperative recovery of muscle power and gait function. This project will deliver a descriptive, integrative and predictive environment that allows the inclusion of essential biomechanical information into the decision making process during clinical management of elderly patients. This innovative approach to health care guarantees future wide-spread access for patients with high-risk of fractures and addresses a key social challenge of our aging society. |
| Zheng, Guoyan | Group Head, Institute for Surgical Technology & Biomechanics, University of Bern |
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| 3 | Preemptive cancer treatments based on detection and elimination of precancerous cells using cell competition and supercompetition markers | Fujita, Yasuyuki | Professor, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University |
This project aims to establish an innovative way to prevent cancer using cell competition between normal and transformed epithelial cells. The Japanese side performs biochemical screenings including quantitative mass-spectrometric SILAC analyses to identify novel regulators for cell competition between normal and transformed epithelial cells, which can be used as potential cancer biomarkers identifying the boundary between normal tissues and precancerous fields. The Swiss side examines a functional role of the identified molecules using Drosophila in vivo model systems. Furthermore, both teams cooperatively analyze the localization of those identified molecules in human cancer samples collected in the clinical facilities in Japan and Switzerland. By cooperatively and efficiently integrating the scientific systems of both sides, it is highly expected to establish a revolutionary therapy to prevent cancer development. |
| Moreno, Eduardo | Professor, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Berne |
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