[AIDA] Using Microstructures to Develop new Antibiotics – Kazuya Tatsumi @ KIT

Kazuya Tatsumi
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering

Destination: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), KIT Duration of stay: March 15 to 18, 2018 (4 days) Aims: Improve networks between the Machine Engineering Department of the Graduate School of Engineering at Kyoto University and KIT in order to cooperate in joint research projects

Motivation for AI DA application

I conduct research in the field of heat transfer and micro fluid engineering at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Kyoto University. One of my aims was to foster cooperative research between my department and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). I applied for AI DA, because I wanted to develop and expand joint research groups in partnership with a research group at KIT led by Prof. Jan G. Korvink researching on micro measurement systems in the field of micro process engineering.

Results

Preliminary discussions about forming a joint research group with researchers from  KIT’s Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), which led to co-authoring of research papers. 

The starting point for this cooperation was a meeting with Prof. Jürgen Brandner (KIT) in which he explained his technique of local temperature control in microchannels of metabolic mechanisms. The following discussion concentrated on the possible use of this method for the development of new antibiotics. Prof. Jürgen Brandner is working on highly accurate methods for controlling various types of chemical reactions by using micro heat converters that help to regulate temperatures in microchannels in high speed. The development of this trailblazing technology also increases the amount of chemical products by many thousand times. The combination of his heat control technology and my heat transfer acceleration as well as high-speed cell and particle alignment technology might lead to the development of a system, which is able to control and measure heat and material transport in a mechanism of metabolic activation. The development of a high-speed synthesis system for antibiotics can be anticipated.

Outlook

Being granted with this opportunity we were able to archive a mutual understanding of measurement objects and cooperation in our key research. By further discussing details about designs for research conditions and systems, I want to continue this joint research. In addition, I would like to encourage other research groups of Kyoto University to be connected with KIT in order to develop the networks.