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Critically testing magnetoreception mechanisms at the cellular level

Research Project

Project/Area Number 20H02687
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 32010:Fundamental physical chemistry-related
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

Woodward Jonathan  東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (80526054)

Project Period (FY) 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥18,070,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,170,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥10,270,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,370,000)
Keywords磁気受容 / 細胞の自家蛍光 / ラジカル反応 / 磁場効果 / 発光分析 / スピン化学
Outline of Research at the Start

Migratory birds and other animals are capable of sensing the Earth's very weak magnetic field and using it for navigation, but the mechanism underlying this ability remains mysterious. In this research, new biochemical and spectroscopic techniques will be developed to investigate the magnetosensitivity of chemical reactions taking place in living cells. These techniques will then be used to critically compare different possible magnetoreception mechanisms to try to explain the remarkable acuity of the avian magnetic compass.

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This work aimed to investigate the role of radical pairs in the magnetic sensing ability of living systems and to critically evaluate the mechanisms by which magnetic fields can affect cellular biochemistry. The first achievement was the first direct observation of the effect of a magnetic field on the autofluorescence of untreated living cells. Second was the development of new instrumentation to allow automated multiwavelength measurements in our unique time-resolved optical absorption magnetic field effect microscope. This allows transient radical pairs to be identified based on their characteristic absorption of light at different wavelengths. Third was the demonstration of proof-of-principle of a new pulsed laser and magnetic field based fluorescence imaging technique. This allows the direct detection and characterisation of short lived radical pairs on timescales of tens of nanoseconds and is a potentially transformative technique for the study of radical pair effects in biology.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Since the discovery of magnetism, humans have been fascinated with the idea that magnetic fields might affect the human body. This research provided the first direct evidence of magnetic fields directly influencing chemical reactions occurring in living cells through the formation of radical pairs.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Annual Research Report
  • 2020 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (31 results)

All 2023 2022 2021 2020 Other

All Journal Article (5 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 4 results,  Peer Reviewed: 4 results,  Open Access: 2 results) Presentation (19 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 8 results,  Invited: 13 results) Remarks (7 results)

  • [Journal Article] 生物と磁場とラジカル対機構2023

    • Author(s)
      ウッドワード ジョナサン,池谷 皐
    • Journal Title

      放射線化学」

      Volume: 115 Pages: 11-23

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Triplet Born Radical Pairs and the Low Field Effect2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Journal Title

      Applied Magnetic Resonance

      Volume: 54 Issue: 1 Pages: 47-58

    • DOI

      10.1007/s00723-022-01485-9

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Radical pair based magnetic field effects in cells: the importance of photoexcitation conditions and single cell measurements2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward、Noboru Ikeya
    • Journal Title

      biorXiv

      Volume: -

    • DOI

      10.1101/2022.11.09.515724

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Animal magnetism: how magnetic fields can influence chemistry in living cells2022

    • Author(s)
      Woodward Jonathan R.
    • Journal Title

      TheScienceBreaker

      Volume: 8 Issue: 2

    • DOI

      10.25250/thescbr.brk635

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Cellular autofluorescence is magnetic field sensitive2021

    • Author(s)
      Ikeya Noboru、Woodward Jonathan R.
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

      Volume: 118 Issue: 3

    • DOI

      10.1073/pnas.2018043118

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Microspectroscopic Studies of Photochemically Generated Radical Pairs:2023

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      1st Gordon Research Conference on Quantum Biology
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Next Generation Magnetic Field Effect Microscopy for Direct Observation of Spin-Correlated Radical Pairs in Living Systems2023

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Ikeya
    • Organizer
      1st Gordon Research Conference on Quantum Biology
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Quantum Biology: radical pairs under the microscope2023

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology MiS seminar series
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Fluorescence Microscopy of Cyclic Radical Pair Based Photochemical Reactions2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      7th International Symposium on Spin and Magnetic Field Effects in Chemistry and Related Phenomena
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Time-resolved magnetic field effect fluorescence microscopy2022

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Ikeya
    • Organizer
      Annual Meeting of the Japanese Photochemistry Association
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] 時間分解磁場効果蛍光顕微鏡の開発2022

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Ikeya
    • Organizer
      量子生命科学先端フォーラム
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Revealing the potential of quantum mechanics hiding in biology2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      2022 Daesung Haegang Microbes Forum
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Time-resolved magnetic field effect fluorescence microscopy for direct measurement of transient radical pairs2022

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Ikeya
    • Organizer
      第61回電子スピンサイエンス学会年会
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Zero magnetic field eigenstates of radical pairs and implications for magnetoreception2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      第61回電子スピンサイエンス学会年会
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Visualizing the low field effect2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      Kanto Area Spin Chemistry (KASC) meeting 2022
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Radical pair based magnetic field effects on the autofluorescence of living Cells2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      BfS International Workshop : Impact of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields on oxidative stress
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Through a glass brightly: radical pairs under the microscope2022

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      Big Quantum Biology Meetings
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Next generation magnetic field effect fluorescence microscopy: toward applications in nanoscience and life science2021

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      ISMAR APNMR NMRSJ SEST 2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Radical pair based magnetic field effects on cellular photochemistry2021

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      Cell Bio Virtual 2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] 生物の磁気感受性機構を細胞内で探る2021

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Ikeya
    • Organizer
      第94回日本生化学大会
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Spin dynamics of cyclic photochemical radical pair reactions2021

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      Kanto Area Spin Chemistry (KASC) meeting 2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Radical Pair Based Magnetic Field Sensitivity Of Native Cell Autofluorescence2020

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      電子スピンサイエンス学会2020
    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Magnetic field sensitivity of cellular photochemistry2020

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      第58回日本生物物理学会年会BSJ2020
    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Magnetic field effects on the autofluorescence of living cells2020

    • Author(s)
      Jonathan R. Woodward
    • Organizer
      2020年光化学討論会
    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] 2022 DAESUNGHAEGANG MICROBES FORUM

    • URL

      https://www.youtube.com/live/_Rn2YerxD5s

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] Clubhouse event for Quantum Photonics Club

    • URL

      https://www.clubhouse.com/club/quantum-photonics

    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] Magnets dim natural glow of human cells

    • URL

      https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/press/z0508_00158.html

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] 生きた細胞内で生体分子の磁気感受性を直接観測 動物の磁気受容メカニズムの解明へ大きな前進

    • URL

      https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/ja/articles/z0508_00093.html

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] Scientists Observe CellsRespondingToMagneticFields

    • URL

      https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2021/01/08/scientists-observe-cells-responding-to-magnetic-fields-for-first-time/?sh=7b85cd4e4c87

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] Magnetic field can influence cells

    • URL

      https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1380217/earth-magnetic-field-navigate-globe-animals-birds-chemical-reaction-evg

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] Scientists observe ‘quantum sense’

    • URL

      https://www.rt.com/news/511905-quantum-sense-observed-first-time/

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report

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Published: 2020-04-28   Modified: 2024-01-30  

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