HISAKAGE FUNABASHI

Last Updated :2025/11/04

Affiliations, Positions
Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Professor (Special Recognition)
Web Site
Self-introduction
Our research focuses on the utilization of biomolecules and living cells as functional materials. We are developing novel functional molecules such as biosensing molecules with proteins or nucleic acids. We are also exploring new methods to create, evaluate, and manipulate functional living cells.

Basic Information

Academic Degrees

  • Doctor of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • Master of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Educational Activity

  • [Bachelor Degree Program] School of Engineering : Cluster 3(Applied Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering) : Program of Biotechnology
  • [Master's Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Biotechnology
  • [Doctoral Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Biotechnology

Research Fields

  • Engineering;Process / Chemical engineering;Biofunction / Bioprocess

Affiliated Academic Societies

  • The Bioelectrochemical Society
  • The Electrochemical Society of Japan
  • The Chemical Society of Japan
  • The Society for Biotechnology, Japan
  • American Chemical Society

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 2Term, Introduction to Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering,and Biotechnology
  2. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Biochemistry I
  3. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 4Term, Basic life science
  4. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Experiments on Biotechnology II
  5. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Year, Graduation Thesis
  6. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 1Term, Special Lectures in Integrated Sciences for Life
  7. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 3Term, Life Science and Gene Technology B
  8. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Year, Seminar in Biotechnology
  9. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 1Term, Exercises in Biotechnology A
  10. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 2Term, Exercises in Biotechnology A
  11. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 3Term, Exercises in Biotechnology B
  12. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 4Term, Exercises in Biotechnology B
  13. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Biotechnology
  14. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Integrated Life Sciences

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. Direct detection of a target nucleic acid on a surface by spraying DNA-nano-tweezers-based biosensing molecules, Analytical Biochemistry, 709(709), 116003, 202602
  2. Role of the Pho regulon and genetic reconstruction of a phosphite-dependent Escherichia coli, J. Biosci. Bioeng, 140(3), 117-122, 2025
  3. Laboratory evolution and characterization of nitrate-resistant phosphite dehydrogenase (PtxD) for enhanced cyanobacterial cultivation, JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, 402, 59-68, 202506
  4. Electrochemical manipulation of the insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells directly cultured on a PEDOT:PSS electrode, BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS, 281, 20250801
  5. Discovery of long-chain polyamines embedded in the biosilica on the Bacillus cereus spore coat, JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING, 137(4), 254-259, 202404
  6. Investigating the Blocking Effect of Alkanethiol Self-assembled Monolayer on Electrochemical Response of the Split Gq-based DNA-NTs-based Biosensor, ELECTROCHEMISTRY, 92(2), 2024
  7. An Artificial Insulin Receptor that Self-assembles and Works on a Gold Surface, ELECTROCHEMISTRY, 92(2), 2024
  8. Chromatographic purification of small extracellular vesicles using an affinity column for phospholipid membranes, BIOTECHNOLOGY LETTERS, 45(11-12), 1457-1466, 202312
  9. Detection of fine asbestos fibers using fluorescently labeled asbestos-binding proteins in talc, JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES, 12, 202311
  10. A novel salt- and organic solvent-tolerant phosphite dehydrogenase from Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142, FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, 11, 20230818
  11. Gatekeeper Residue Replacement in a Phosphite Transporter Enhances Mutational Robustness of the Biocontainment Strategy, ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, 11(10), 3397-3404, 20221021
  12. Design of Split G-quadruplex-based DNA–Bridged Nucleic Acid Chimera Nanotweezers that Recognize Short Nucleic Acids with a Single-base Mismatch, Sens. Mater., 2022
  13. Engineering Cofactor Specificity of a Thermostable Phosphite Dehydrogenase for a Highly Efficient and Robust NADPH Regeneration System, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 20210401
  14. Application of peptides with an affinity for phospholipid membranes during the automated purification of extracellular vesicles., Sci. Rep., 10(1), 18718-18718, 2020
  15. Aggregation - Induced Emission and Retention of Crystal Chiral Information of Tetraphenylethylene Incorporated by Polysaccharides in Water, ChemPhotoChem, 4, 577-581, 2020
  16. Arginine-mediated dissociation of single cells and cell sheets from a polystyrene culture dish, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 1-4, 20190904
  17. Insulin sensor cells for the analysis of insulin secretion responses in single living pancreatic beta cells, Analyst, 144, 3765-3772, 2019
  18. Live-cell imaging of macrophage phagocytosis of asbestos fibers under fluorescence microscopy, Genes Environ., 41, 14, 2019
  19. High photodynamic activities of water-soluble inclusion complexes of 5,15-diazaporphyrins in cyclodextrin, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 17(12), 3141-3149, 20190227
  20. Stabilisation of lipid membrane-incorporated porphyrin derivative aqueous solutions and their photodynamic activities, PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 18(2), 459-466, 20190201
  21. Synthetic Phosphorus Metabolic Pathway for Biosafety and Contamination Management of Cyanobacterial Cultivation, ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, 7(9), 2189-2198, 201809
  22. Improvement of Photodynamic Activity of Lipid-Membrane-Incorporated Fullerene Derivative by Combination with a Photo-Antenna Molecule, CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, 24(29), 7335-7339, 20180523
  23. Photodynamic Activities of Porphyrin Derivative-Cyclodextrin Complexes by Photoirradiation, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 8(5), 555-559, 2017
  24. A Novel Biocontainment Strategy Makes Bacterial Growth and Survival Dependent on Phosphite, Scientific Reports, 7, 44748, 2017
  25. Improved photodynamic activities of liposome-incorporated [60]fullerene derivatives bearing a polar group, Chemical Communications, 53(20), 2966-2969, 2017
  26. Continuous Monitoring of Specific mRNA Expression Responses with a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer-Based DNA Nano-tweezer Technique That Does Not Require Gene Recombination, Analytical Chemistry, 88(16), 7894-7898, 20160816
  27. Porphyrin-uptake in liposomes and living cells using an exchange method with cyclodextrin, RSC Advances, 5(127), 105279-105287, 2015
  28. A split G-quadruplex-based DNA nano-tweezers structure as a signal-transducing molecule for the homogeneous detection of specific nucleic acids, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 74, 222-226, 20151215
  29. A BRET-Based Homogeneous Insulin Assay Using Interacting Domains in the Primary Binding Site of the Insulin Receptor, Analytical Chemistry, 87(5), 2764-2770, 20150303
  30. A FRET-based DNA nano-tweezer technique for the imaging analysis of specific mRNA., Analyst, 140(4), 999-1003, 2015
  31. Assembly of zinc finger motif-fused enzymes on a dsDNA scaffold for catalyzing consecutive reactions with a proximity effect., Biotechnology Letters, 37(1), 109-114, 2015
  32. A universal DNA-based protein detection system., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 135(38), 14008-14011, 2013
  33. Targeted delivery of a decoy oligodeoxynucleotide to a single ES cell by femtoinjection., Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, 9(7), 855-863, 2013
  34. Tryptic soy medium is feasible for the in situ preparation of standards containing small defined numbers of microbial cells., Journal of Microbiological Methods, 93(1), 49-51, 2013
  35. Development of a protocol for selection of genes fit for the in vivo knockdown method and its application to insulin receptor substrate genes in mice., Experimental Animals / Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science, 62(2), 117-125, 2013
  36. Analysis of odor compounds in feces of mice that were exposed to various stresses during breeding., Experimental Animals / Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science, 62(2), 101-107, 2013
  37. Potential use of Lactobacillus cell density in feces as a non-invasive bio-indicator for evaluating environmental stress during mouse breeding., Biocontrol Science, 18(2), 101-104, 2013
  38. A mechanical metamaterial made from a DNA hydrogel, Nature Nanotechnology, 7(12), 816-820, 2012
  39. Noise-free accurate count of microbial colonies by time-lapse shadow image analysis, Journal of Microbiological Methods, 91(3), 420-428, 2012
  40. A femto-injection technique for dynamic analysis of protein function in living embryonic stem cells., Biotechnology Letters, 34(7), 1257-1262, 2012
  41. Utilization of Fluorescent Glucose Analog 2-NBDG as a Metabolic Indicator for FACS Analysis during ES Cell Differentiation, Electrochemistry, 80(5), 299-301, 20120505
  42. Biodegradable CpG DNA hydrogels for sustained delivery of doxorubicin and immunostimulatory signals in tumor-bearing mice, Biomaterials, 32(2), 488-494, 2011
  43. A novel glucosylation reaction on anthocyanins catalyzed by acyl-glucose-dependent glucosyltransferase in the petals of carnation and delphinium., The Plant Cell, 22(10), 3374-3389, 2010
  44. Sox2 regulatory region 2 sequence works as a DNA nuclear targeting sequence enhancing the efficiency of an exogenous gene expression in ES cells., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 400(4), 554-558, 2010
  45. Evaluation of small ligand-protein interaction by ligation reaction with DNA-modified ligand., Biotechnology Letters, 32(1), 97-102, 2010
  46. High-yield cell-free protein production from P-gel., Nature Protocols, 4(12), 1759-1770, 2009
  47. The assembly of a short linear natural cytosine-phosphate-guanine DNA into dendritic structures and its effect on immunostimulatory activity, Biomaterials, 30(29), 5701-5706, 2009
  48. Multifunctional nanoarchitectures from DNA-based ABC monomers., Nature Nanotechnology, 4(7), 430-436, 2009
  49. A cell-free protein-producing gel., Nature Materials, 8(5), 432-437, 2009
  50. Pore-scale quantification of colloid transport in saturated porous media., Environmental Science & Technology, 42(2), 517-523, 2008
  51. Design of a thermocontrollable protein complex., Bioconjugate Chemistry, 18(5), 1619-1624, 2007
  52. Construction of intramolecular luciferase complementation probe for detecting specific RNA, Bioconjugate Chemistry, 18(3), 956-962, 2007
  53. Assessment of small ligand-protein interactions by electrophoretic mobility shift assay using DNA-modified ligand as a sensing probe., Biotechnology Letters, 29(5), 785-789, 2007
  54. Bioluminescent enumeration of surface antigen-specific cells using the streptavidin-luciferase fusion protein, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 120(1), 51-56, 2006
  55. Delivery of antibody-captured proteins into living cells using PTD-fused protein A., Biotechnology Letters, 28(15), 1209-1214, 2006
  56. Transduction of NeuroD2 protein induced neural cell differentiation., Journal of Biotechnology, 126(2), 230-236, 2006
  57. In vitro selection of zinc finger DNA-binding proteins through ribosome display., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 345(3), 1149-1154, 2006
  58. Cell-surface-localized ATP detection with immobilized firefly luciferase., Analytical Biochemistry, 352(1), 61-67, 2006
  59. Construction of epidermal growth factor fusion protein with cell adhesive activity., Biomaterials, 27(18), 3451-3458, 2006
  60. Fabrication of an antibody microwell array with self-adhering antibody binding protein., Analytical Biochemistry, 350(2), 298-303, 2006
  61. Glucose oxidase assisted homogeneous electrochemical receptor binding assay for drug screening., Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 21(9), 1675-1683, 2006
  62. Activity-based in vitro selection of T4 DNA ligase., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 336(3), 987-993, 2005
  63. Method for detection of specific nucleic acids by recombinant protein with fluorescent resonance energy transfer., Analytical Chemistry, 77(14), 4308-4314, 2005
  64. Electrochemical evaluation of cellular physiological status under stress in Escherichia coli with the rpoS-lacZ reporter gene., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 90(4), 509-515, 2005
  65. Construction of streptavidin-luciferase fusion protein for ATP sensing with fixed form., Biotechnology Letters, 26(13), 1061-1066, 2004
  66. On-chip biosensing of estrogen receptor-alpha at single molecular level., Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 19(12), 1573-1579, 2004
  67. Intracellular delivery of antibodies using TAT fusion protein A., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 310(3), 730-734, 2003
  68. Non-destructive monitoring of rpoS promoter activity as stress marker for evaluating cellular physiological status., Journal of Biotechnology, 95(1), 85-93, 2002
  69. Fluorescent Monitoring of Cellular Physiological Status Depending on The Accumulation of ppGpp, Biotechnology Letters, 24(4), 269-273, 2002
  70. Bioluminescent Monitoring of Intracellular ATP during Fermentation, Luminescence, 14(6), 291-296, 1999
  71. Hemin/G-quadruplex Complex as a Signal Generator for Electrochemical Assays of Bioanalytes, Electrochemistry, 84(5), 290-295, 2016

Publications such as books

  1. Encyclopedia of Sensors and Biosensors, 1st Edition, Ed., chapter 00022. Biosensors: Biosensors Using Engineered Protein., Elsevier, 2022, Dictionary/Encyclopedia, Single work, English, Hisakage Funabashi, 9780128225486
  2. 2011, Embryonic Stem Cells - Basic Biology to Bioengineering, Functional Control of Target Single Cells in ES Cell Clusters and Their Differentiated Cells by Femtoinjection, INTECH Open Access Publisher, 2011, Hideaki Matsuoka, Mikako Saito, Hisakage Funabashi, 978-953-307-278-4, 149-170
  3. 2009, Chapter 17, Nucleic Acid Engineering: towards synthetic biology, Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2009, Wenlong Cheng, Liang Ding, Hisakage Funabashi, Nokyoung Park, Soong Ho Um, Jianfeng Xu, Dan Luo, 549-576

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. Electrochemical Induction of Insulin Secretion from Cultured Pancreatic bete Cells, Hisakage Funabashi, Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-state Science (PRiME 2024), 2024/10/11, With Invitation, English
  2. POCT systems utilizing DNA nanotweezers-based biosensing molecules, Hisakage Funabashi, International Symposium of Biosensors and Molecular Recognition Elements, 2023/06/13, With Invitation, English, Koganei campus, Tokyo Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
  3. Development of a novel protein-based artificial insulin receptor for electrochemical biosensing, Hisakage Funabashi, Mini Symposium on Electrochemical Biosensing, 2023/06/05, With Invitation, English, Pusan University, Busan, South Korea
  4. A Protein-Based Artificial Receptor for Insulin Sensing, Hisakage Funabashi and Hajime Shigeto, Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-state Science (PRiME 2020) Joint international meeting: 238th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society (ECS), 2020 Fall Meeting of The Electrochemical Society of Japan (ECSJ), and 2020 Fall Meeting of The Korean Electrochemical Society (KECS), 2020/10/04, With Invitation, English
  5. Modulation of Insulin Secretion from Cultured Pancreatic beta Cells Cultured on Electrodes by Regulating Membrane Potential, Hisakage Funabashi, 2nd International Workshop on Bioelectrochemistry (2nd BES Workshop), 2025/09/26, Without Invitation, English
  6. Spraying DNA-based biosensing molecules for POCT: a new approach to solid surface detection, Hisakage Funabashi, KSBB-BEST-SBJ Joint Symposium at 77th SBJ annual meeting, 2025/09/11, Without Invitation, English
  7. DNA Nano-Tweezers-based Biosensing Molecules for a Homogeneous Assay, Hisakage Funabashi, MRM2023/IUMRS-ICA2023, 2023/12/16, Without Invitation, English, MRM, IUMRS-ICA, Kyoto International Conference Center, Kyoto, Japan
  8. A simple imaging method for the detection of specific nucleic acids on a solid surface utilizing DNA nanotweezers as a biosensing molecule, Hisakage Funabashi, Hiroya Hatano, Akio Kuroda, Biosensors 2023, 33rd Anniversary World Congress on Biosensors, 2023/06/08, Without Invitation, English, Elsevier / Biosensors & Bioelectronics, BEXCO, Busan, South Korea
  9. Development of biosensing molecules for POCT systems, Hisakage Funabashi, JSPS Bilateral Joint Research Projects/Seminars FY2020, Korea – Japan symposium, 2022/03/07, Without Invitation, English, Live online
  10. Insulin sensor cells for the live-cell analysis of insulin secretion from single pancreatic beta cells, Hisakage Funabashi and Hajime Shigeto, The International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies 2021 (Pacifichem 2020/2021), 2021/12/18, Without Invitation, English, The Organizing Committee is composed of representatives from the seven host societies. The Chemical Society of Japan is the host society for the 2021 Congress., Virtual Meeting, (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA)
  11. Development of insulin-sensing protein probe and its application for the analysis of living cellular response, Hisakage Funabashi, Hajime Shigeto, Biosensors 2020/2021, 31st Anniversary World Congress on Biosensors,, 2021/07/27, Without Invitation, English, Elsevier / Biosensors & Bioelectronics, Live and On-demand
  12. Electrochemical Detection of Insulin with a Novel Protein-Based Artificial Receptor, Yusuke Murai, Takeshi Ikeda, Takenori Isida, Ryuichi Hirota, Akio Kuroda, Hisakage Funabashi, Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-state Science (PRiME 2020) Joint international meeting: 238th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society (ECS), 2020 Fall Meeting of The Electrochemical Society of Japan (ECSJ), and 2020 Fall Meeting of The Korean Electrochemical Society (KECS), 2020/10/04, Without Invitation, English
  13. Detection of Specific Nucleic Acids Utilizing DNA Nano-Tweezers Structures, Hisakage Funabashi, Keisuke Yoshinaga, Hajime Shigeto, Keisuke Nakatsuka, Akio Kuroda, Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-state Science (PRiME 2016) Joint international meeting: 230th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society (ECS), 2016 Fall Meeting of The Electrochemical Society of Japan (ECSJ), and 2016 Fall Meeting of The Korean Electrochemical Society (KECS), 2016/10/05, English, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  14. Imaging analysis of specific mRNA expression based on the FRET-based DNA nano-tweezers technique, Hisakage Funabashi, Hajime Shigeto, Keisuke Nakatsuka, and Akio Kuroda, The 2015 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem 2015), 2015/12/18, English, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  15. Detection of Inter/intra Cellular Response by Biofunctional Material-based Sensors, Hisakage Funabashi, 2nd Hiroshima International Symposium on Sustainable Sciences, 2014/11/06, English, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Japan
  16. Development of FRET-based DNA Nano-tweezers for Glucose Transporter Gene Expression Analysis, Hajime Shigeto, Keisuke Nakatsuka, Akio Kuroda, Hisakage Funabashi, 2nd Hiroshima International Symposium on Sustainable Sciences, 2014/11/06, English, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Japan
  17. Development of the split G-quadruplex based DNA nano-tweezers for target microRNA detection, Keisuke Nakatsuka, Akio Kuroda, Hisakage Funabashi, 2nd Hiroshima International Symposium on Sustainable Sciences, 2014/11/06, English, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Japan
  18. Continuous monitoring of insulin secretion response induced by insulin secretagogues in the presence of exogenous insulin, Hajime Shigeto, Takuto Ono, Takeshi Ikeda, Ryuichi Hirota, Takenori Ishida, Akio Kuroda, Hisakage Funabashi, 2017/03/18, Without Invitation, Japanese

External Funds

Acceptance Results of Competitive Funds

  1. 2021
  2. 2018
  3. KAKENHI, 2014, 2016
  4. KAKENHI, 2013, 2015
  5. KAKENHI, 2013, 2015
  6. KAKENHI, 2011, 2014
  7. KAKENHI, 2011, 2014
  8. KAKENHI, Development of a platform for a novel proteome analysis in a living cell utilizing proteoinjection, 2009, 2010

Social Activities

History as Committee Members

  1. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Associate editor, 2019/10, ELSEVIER
  2. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Associate editor, 2019/10, ELSEVIER
  3. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Editorial Board, 2017/06, 2021/05
  4. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Editorial Board, 2017/06, 2021/05

Organizing Academic Conferences, etc.

  1. 2nd International Workshop on Bioelectrochemistry (2nd BES workshop), Chair Organizer, 2025/
  2. Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-state Science (PRiME 2024), K02 Session Co-Organizer, 2023/03
  3. MRM2023/IUMRS-ICA2023, Symposium E-4 Biophysics co-organizers, 2022/08
  4. Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-state Science (PRiME 2020), K02 Session Organizer, 2020/10