Shimadzu and Tohoku University to establish co-creation research center in April to shed light on highly antioxidative supersulfides: Expectations for development of antiaging foods

Shimadzu Corporation and Tohoku University announced the establishment of the Shimadzu x Tohoku Univ. "Supersulfides Life Science Co-creation Research Center" on April 1 in the Medical Science Building of the Graduate School of Medicine. The two parties will engage in joint research at the Co-creation Research Center for three years starting in April to clarify the characteristics of supersulfides related to the aging mechanism of the living body, aiming to make practical contributions, such as the establishment of diagnostic and therapeutic methods for various diseases and the development of functional foods that promote health. The two parties held a press conference online at Tohoku University on March 13. Mr. Yasunori Yamamoto, the President, and Mr. Ryo Yamaguchi, Deputy Manager, Instruments Expert Group, Solutions Center of Excellence, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, from Shimadzu and Mr. Takuro Ueda, Executive Vice President for Industry-University Collaboration, and Dr. Takaaki Akaike, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Molecular Toxicology at the Graduate School of Medicine at Tohoku University took the stage to provide an overview of the establishment of the Research Center.

Supersulfides is a collective term for substances in which sulfur is bound to organic compounds such as amino acids present in the blood and organs. Supersulfides have powerful antioxidant effects and are thought to regulate the action of reactive oxygen. Excessive reactive oxygen in the body is considered a cause of fatigue, senility (aging) and diseases. The metabolic mechanism of the supersulfides elucidated in this study is expected to be applied to the establishment of new diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic methods for such diseases, as well as to the development of new functional foods.

Tohoku University is a hub for supersulfide research, and Professor Akaike is a leading researcher in the field. In 2017, he made a groundbreaking discovery, demonstrating for the first time in the world that a supersulfide is utilized for energy metabolism by living organisms. Shimadzu has been conducting research in collaboration with Akaike's laboratory since 2020 and developed the "LC/MS/MS Method Package for Reactive Sulfur Profiling" software in 2021 for measuring supersulfides in living organisms using Shimadzu's liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system.

The newly established "Supersulfides Life Science Co-creation Research Center" is focused on developing a method to simultaneously analyze a broader panel of supersulfides, observing the intraorgan distribution of supersulfides using Shimadzu's imaging mass microscope "iMScope" and undertaking other projects. The Co-creation Research Center was established under the "Co-creation Research Center" system established by the Head Office of Enterprise Partnerships, Tohoku University. Although the contract term has to be between three and ten years, Shimadzu and Tohoku University have discussed and agreed to set a term of three years for this Co-creation Research Center. Whether to extend the contract or not will be decided based on the outcomes after three years.

Under this system, the costs of the Co-creation Research Center and the joint research projects are borne by the company, and Shimadzu is expected to bear a total cost of several hundred million yen for the activities of the Center. The minimum unit of the Research Center comprises a specially-appointed faculty member from the company who supervises the operation and a faculty member from a university department who supports the operation. Additionally, a cross-departmental operation support team, consisting of multiple members from each side, can be established.

For this Center, Mr. Ryo Yamaguchi of Shimadzu Corporation assumes the responsibility of supervising the operation as a specially-appointed professor at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. Professor Akaike of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, a leader in this research field, is responsible for supporting the operation. Additionally, Professor Hozumi Motohashi, Research Fellow Minkyung Jung, and Research Fellow Jun Yoshitake join to support research activities. Under the aforementioned scheme, these members work on developing supersulfide analysis technology based on "supersulfides life science," a new research field proposed by Tohoku University. They also accelerate research and explore and plan research themes related to establishing new diagnostic and therapeutic methods and developing food products for health promotion.