Team Director
Genshiro A. Sunagawa M.D., Ph.D.

Laboratory for Hibernation Biology

LocationKobe / Developmental Biology Buildings

E-maillhb_info[at]ml.riken.jp

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Overview
Selected Publications
Members
News

Toward synthetic hibernation

Our goal is the clinical application of active hypometabolism. We aim to provide effective and meaningful treatment for issues in modern medicine that stem from a high basal metabolic rate of human or human tissues. We believe synthetic hibernation for human can drastically improve medical transportation, tissue preservation, and the safety of general anesthesia. Moreover, if human lifespan can be safely extended by synthetic hibernation, traveling to the future or to deep space would not be a fiction anymore. The spaciotemporal cognitive function of human will change totally. Toward human hibernation, we will especially focus on discovering the mechanism of natural hibernation and torpor.

Selected Publications

Wu W, Sunagawa GA, Chen H.
Synthetic torpor: advancing metabolic regulation for medical innovations.
Nature Metabolism 1-13, (2025) doi: 10.1038/s42255-025-01345-3

Suita K, Ishikawa K, Kaneko M, et al.
Mouse embryonic stem cells embody organismal-level cold resistance.
Cell Reports 42(8), 112954 (2023) doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112954

Kyo S, Murata K, Kawatou M, et al.
Quiescence-inducing neurons-induced hypometabolism ameliorates acute kidney injury in a mouse model mimicking cardiovascular surgery requiring circulatory arrest.
JTCVS Open 12, 201-210 (2022) doi: 10.1016/j.xjon.2022.11.001

Deviatiiarov R, Ishikawa K, Gazizova G, et al.
Integrative transcription start site analysis and physiological phenotyping reveal torpor-specific expression program in mouse skeletal muscle.
Communications Biology 4(1), 1290 (2021) doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02819-2

Takahashi TM, Sunagawa GA, Soya S, et al.
A discrete neuronal circuit induces a hibernation-like state in rodents.
Nature 583(7814), 109-114 (2020) doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2163-6

Iraha S, Tu HY, Yamasaki S, et al.
Establishment of Immunodeficient Retinal Degeneration Model Mice and Functional Maturation of Human ESC-Derived Retinal Sheets after Transplantation.
Stem Cell Reports 10(3), 1059-1074 (2018) doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.01.032

Mandai M, Fujii M, Hashiguchi T, et al.
iPSC-Derived Retina Transplants Improve Vision in rd1 End-Stage Retinal-Degeneration Mice.
Stem Cell Reports 8(1), 69-83 (2017) doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.12.008

Sunagawa GA, Takahashi M.
Hypometabolism during Daily Torpor in Mice is Dominated by Reduction in the Sensitivity of the Thermoregulatory System.
Scientific Reports 6, 37011 (2016) doi: 10.1038/srep37011

Fujii M, Sunagawa GA, Kondo M, et al.
Evaluation of micro Electroretinograms Recorded with Multiple Electrode Array to Assess Focal Retinal Function.
Scientific Reports 6, 30719 (2016) doi: 10.1038/srep30719

Tatsuki F, Sunagawa GA, Shi S, et al.
Involvement of Ca²⁺-Dependent Hyperpolarization in Sleep Duration in Mammals.
Neuron 90(1), 70-85 (2016) doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.02.032

Sunagawa GA, Sumiyama K, Ukai-Tadenuma M, et al.
Mammalian Reverse Genetics without Crossing Reveals Nr3a as a Short-Sleeper Gene.
Cell Reports 14(3), 662-677 (2016) doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.052

Sunagawa GA, Séi H, Shimba S, et al.
FASTER: an unsupervised fully automated sleep staging method for mice.
Genes to Cells 18(6), 502-518 (2013) doi: 10.1111/gtc.12053