ISAJ Newsletter volume 11 issue 2 (September 2026)

Announcements & Overview • 17th ISAJ Annual Symposium 2026: Will take place at the Kyoto University campus on December 14th and 15th, 2026. The theme is "Converging Frontiers: Science and Innovation for Planetary Health," co-organized with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Special Feature: Rare Earth Elements & Magnets Author: Dr. Gopalan Raghavan (NIMS, Tsukuba). Core Science: Explains how the unpaired electrons hidden deep within the f-orbital give rare earth elements (like Neodymium) their ultra-strong, resilient magnetic forces. Applications: Rare earth permanent magnets (REPMs) serve as the backbone for green technologies, such as wind turbines, electric vehicle traction motors, and consumer electronics. Geopolitics & India's Strategy: Addresses China's historical 95% monopoly on production. To build self-reliance, the Indian government approved a Rs. 7,280 crore scheme in November 2025 to develop integrated REPM manufacturing capacity. Research Spotlight: Nanoscale Plasticity in Fusion Materials Author: Dr. Florian Tropper (NIMS / Kyushu University). Discovery: Mechanically induced and captured a rare, channel-like deformation mechanism in pure tungsten using nanoindentation and advanced electron microscopy (ECCI). Significance: Tungsten is a leading candidate for the plasma-facing wall in nuclear fusion reactors. This discovery provides a controlled laboratory method to study structurally identical material defects caused by severe radiation in extreme reactor environments. Research Highlight: Unexpected Toxicities of Immunotherapy Author: Surabhi Raman (Kyoto University, under Nobel Laureate Prof. Tasuku Honjo). Focus: Investigates systemic immune-related adverse events (irAEs) triggered by cancer immunotherapy (anti-PD-L1 blockade). Findings: Established the first experimental model of anti-PD-L1-induced Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)—a severe, life-threatening blood-clotting disorder—to study how excessive immune activation affects whole-body vascular and tissue homeostasis. Event Report: Best Presentation Awards (ICATS-FHM 2026) ISAJ sponsored awards for young researchers at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Sustainable Food, Health, and Materials held at Hokkaido University. The 10 award-winning research projects include: Environmental Health: Ayaka Yasuda's study linking plastic chemical (phthalate) exposure to altered cell membrane lipids in school children. Advanced Materials: Aakash Singh's work on engineering safer, more stable hybrid perovskite nanocrystals for future optoelectronics. Green Sunscreens: Phennapha Saokham's encapsulation of purple sweet potato antioxidants to serve as natural, stable UV-boosters. Eco-Packaging: Kumari Suraksha's conversion of agricultural waste (millet bran) into active, biodegradable food packaging film. Cancer Therapeutics: Siddhartha Das Pramanik's development of biocompatible honey-loaded nanoparticles that trigger programmed cell death in prostate cancer cells. Diabetes Treatment: Mitiksha Gupta's engineering of beneficial gut bacteria (Lactobacillus) to deliver molecules that reduce chronic inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes. Nutritional Lipidomics: Shujin Li's targeted profiling of essential fatty acids across 10 culinary and medicinal oils. Marine Ecology: Nishu's research mapping the changing bacterial microbiomes across the life cycle of agar-producing red seaweed. Fatty Liver Countermeasures: Sahana Amai's isolation of a selective, natural enzyme inhibitor from paprika targeting fatty liver disease and obesity. AI Diagnostics: Rosemary Edwin's deep learning model (RF-DETR-Nano) capable of detecting the Leptospira pathogen from microscopy images with 90% accuracy.