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NDTV
4 hours ago
- Health
- NDTV
Universal Artificial Blood For All Types In Clinical Trials, Could Save Millions
In a medical breakthrough that could save millions of lives, Japanese researchers have started clinical trials to explore the effectiveness and safety of universal artificial blood. Led by Professor Hiromi Sakai at Nara Medical University, the artificial blood, usable for all blood types, could have a shelf life of up to two years. If successful, it could transform the emergency medicare system across the globe. Their approach involves extracting haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells, from expired donor blood. It is then encased in a protective shell to create stable, virus-free artificial red blood cells, according to a report in Newsweek. Unlike donated blood, these artificial cells have no blood type, eliminating the need for compatibility testing and making them invaluable in emergencies. Notably, donated blood has a shelf life of just 42 days, and even then, there is not enough of it, and requires compatibility amongst different blood groups. For the trial, the researchers administered 100 to 400 millilitres of the artificial blood to 16 healthy adult volunteers in March. If the test safety and efficacy are achieved, the researchers are hoping for practical use by 2030, making Japan the first country in the world to deploy artificial blood for real-world medical care. "The need for artificial blood cells is significant as there is currently no safe substitute for red cells," said Professor Sakai. Social media reacts Reacting to the start of the clinical trials, social media users marvelled at the potential implications with some claiming it was a Nobel Prize-winning endeavour, if it was a success. "If true, and not inordinately expensive, this is going to be completely transformational," said one user, while another added: "If it is safe, this is worth a Nobel Prize." A third commented: "Japanese scientists are really doing the most between this, regrowing teeth, and the shots that make cats live longer. Really hope this stuff makes it worldwide." Notably, the US has been developing ErythroMer (made from 'recycled' haemoglobin) for the past few years, and has already started pre-clinical testing. Last year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a Rs 394 crore ($46 million) grant to a University of Maryland-led consortium to develop a shelf-stable, field-deployable whole blood substitute with ErythroMer as its core.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Japan's Eneos says unplanned shutdown begins at 77,000-bpd unit at Kawasaki
TOKYO, June 5 (Reuters) - Japan's biggest refiner, Eneos Corp, experienced an unplanned shutdown of the 77,000 barrels-per-day No.3 crude distillation unit at its Kawasaki refinery near Tokyo, starting June 4, a company spokesperson said on Thursday. The company declined to provide a reason for the shutdown or an expected timeline for resuming operation. The refiner, part of Eneos Holdings (5020.T), opens new tab, restarted another crude distillation unit, the 105,000-bpd No.3 CDU at its Mizushima-B refinery in western Japan on June 3, following a scheduled turnaround that began on February 26, the spokesperson said. At the same refinery, the company had resumed operations at the 95,200-bpd No.2 CDU on May 16 after an unplanned shutdown that started on April 24. Also on May 16, Eneos shut the 141,000-bpd CDU at its Sakai refinery in western Japan for scheduled maintenance, with plans to restart it in early July, the spokesperson added.
Tokyo Weekender
4 days ago
- Health
- Tokyo Weekender
Japanese Scientists Develop Artificial Blood Compatible With All Blood Types
A critical component of healthcare, blood transfusions play a vital role in saving lives around the globe every day. Maintaining an adequate blood supply, though, is no easy task, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The demand for O – negative blood — the universal donor type — often exceeds supply and donations have a limited shelf life. Looking to address the issue are a group of Japanese scientists led by Hiromi Sakai at Nara Medical University . They've developed a new type of artificial blood that can be used in patients of any blood type. The artificial blood is created by extracting hemoglobin — a protein containing iron that facilitates the transportation of oxygen in red blood cells — from expired donor blood. It is then encased in a protective shell to create stable, virus-free artificial red blood cells. As these artificial cells have no blood type, there is no need for compatibility testing. The synthetic blood can reportedly be stored for up to two years at room temperature and five years under refrigeration. That is a significant improvement over donated red blood cells, which can only be stored under refrigeration for a maximum of 42 days . Artificial Blood Trials Small-scale studies began in 2022. Three groups of four healthy male volunteers aged 20 to 50 received a single intravenous injection of hemoglobin vesicles — artificial oxygen carriers that mimic the structure of red blood cells — in increasing amounts, up to 100 milliliters. While some participants experienced mild side effects, there were no significant changes in vital signs, including blood pressure. Building on that success, Sakai announced that his team was accelerating the process last July. In March, it started administering between 100 and 400 milliliters of the artificial blood cell solution to volunteers. If no side effects are confirmed, the trial will shift to examin ing the treatment's efficacy and safety. It aims to put the artificial red blood cells into practical use by around 2030. While these studies are taking place, Professor Teruyuki Komatsu of Chuo University's Faculty of Science and Engineering is also working on the development of artificial oxygen carriers, using albumin-encased hemoglobin to stabilize blood pressure and treat conditions like hemorrhage and stroke. So far, animal studies have shown promising results. As a result, researchers are now eager to move to human trials. Related Posts Japanese Researchers Develop Peptide To Counter COVID-19 Viruses 'Flesh Eating' STSS Infections Reach Record Numbers in Japan Eating Disorders on the Rise in Japan
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
Pop-Up to Pay Out: Inside the $144K Scam That Crossed Borders
New Delhi: It was a typical day for 57-year-old Japanese national Sakai Takaharu, casually browsing the internet on his computer, when a pop-up appeared on his screen, setting off a chain of events that would lead him down a harrowing journey of deception and financial loss. The alert message was alarming, claiming his system was infected with a virus and instructing him to call a specified phone number. With a sense of urgency, Sakai dialled the number, unwittingly stepping into a sophisticated tech support scam that would ultimately drain his bank account of two crore yen ($144,130 USD). The scammers, posing as Microsoft representatives, convinced Sakai to install remote-control software, giving them access to his computer and sensitive financial information. They then instructed him to transfer his bank account balance to a new account, supposedly to secure his funds. Sakai, unaware of the scam, complied, and the scammers disappeared with his money. Takaharu, a resident of Hyogo prefecture in Japan, was not alone. There were multiple victims of this scam. Soon, Koji Suzuki, Masashi Matsui and Sherpa Norsang also approached the cops in Japan, prompting the National Police Agency of Japan to initiate a full throttle probe. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like local network access control Esseps Learn More Undo The investigation that followed revealed a complex network of call centres, fake pop-up advertisements, and cryptocurrency accounts used by the scammers. The perpetrators, based in India, had used sophisticated techniques to make their fake virus alerts and phishing prompts appear legitimate. The Japanese police alerted the CBI here, prompting an investigation and registration of an FIR under sections of extortion, IT Act and criminal conspiracy. The two organisations worked with Microsoft to generate exact IP addresses and physical locations of the accused. On Thursday, the agency said it had arrested six individuals after conducting raids at 19 locations in Delhi, UP and Haryana. A few of the individuals involved in the racket are students and were learning Japanese language. The sleuths dismantled two call centers as well. Probe revealed that the pop-ups were hosted on malicious URLs using Microsoft Azure servers. "Further, the Japanese language used by the callers was notably unnatural and non-fluent. Additionally, background conversations in Hindi were audible during calls, suggesting that the operations were conducted from India. Analysis of malicious URLs used in fraudulent pop-ups and IP addresses used to subscribe to hosting platforms traced the activity back to India," the CBI added. In the case of Takaharu, probe revealed that the suspects had purchased 2.1 BTC (Bitcoins) in a Binance account, which was transferred to cryptocurrency accounts linked to one Kapil Gakhar. In others cases, the suspects instructed the victims to buy Apple Gift Cards as the cost of removing the virus and obtained the codes of the gift card from the victim. The investigation identified key players who had different roles. They created fake pop-ups, operated call centres, and managed infrastructure to target Japanese victims. "The CBI has seized substantial digital and physical evidence indicative of the large-scale operations of the syndicate. Preliminary analysis confirms that the scam leveraged advanced social engineering techniques and technical subterfuge to manipulate victims," the CBI added.
Tokyo Weekender
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Izumi Sakai: The Voice of Japan's Lost Decade
On this day in 2007, Izumi Sakai died from brain contusion after falling from an outdoor staircase at Keio University Hospital. Eighteen years on from her death, and the popular lead singer of the band Zard is still fondly remembered in this country. Known as the 'voice of Japan's lost decade,' she was the only consistent member of the group and, as a result, was often referred to as Zard. Here is her story. List of Contents: Izumi Sakai's Background Zard's Debut A Mysterious Figure 'Makenaide' Izumi Sakai's Death More From This Series Izumi Sakai's Background Born Sachiko Kamachi on February 6, 1967, Sakai had a keen interest in music as a youngster. She started learning how to play the piano from the age of 4 and later took guitar lessons. At junior high school, her main focus, outside of class, was track and field, as she was said to have been an impressive sprinter. After graduating with a degree in English from Shoin Women's Junior College — now Shoin University — Sakai worked in the general affairs department of a real estate company. During her time there, she won a 'karaoke queen' contest and was then scouted by the talent agency, Stardust Promotion. She went on to feature as a promotional model for Japan Air System (JAS) — which has since merged with JAL — and as a Nissin race queen. In 1990, Sakai auditioned to become a chorus singer for the J-pop group B.B. Queens, singing 'Roppongi Shinju' by Ann Lewis and 'Tsugunai' by Teresa Teng. Though she didn't get in, Daiko Nagato, the legendary producer for bands such as B'z and Boøwy, liked what he saw and recruited the singer. She subsequently changed her name from Sachiko Kamachi to Izumi Sakai and formed the band Zard. Zard's Debut The group debuted in February 1991 with the single 'Good-bye My Loneliness,' the theme song for the popular drama series, Kekkon no Risou to Genjitsu (The Ideal and Reality of a Married Life). . It peaked at number nine on the Oricon Chart, selling more than 200,000 copies. Zard's first TV appearance came the following year on Music Station , where the group performed its fourth single, 'Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite,' which charted for 17 weeks, selling over 450,00 copies. Speaking to the host, Kazuyoshi Morita — better known as Tamori — Sakai said the group wanted to make sure it was economically viable before performing publicly. A Mysterious Figure Sakai was known to be quite shy and rarely gave interviews or performed in public. According to Nagato, 'she wasn't good at talking and wanted to focus on recording.' Her record label also didn't release much personal information on their artists, so she had a reputation for being mysterious. Adding to this mystique was the fact that Zard's first live show wasn't until August 1999 — eight years after the group formed — aboard the luxury cruise ship Pacific Venus. It was watched by a crowd of just 600 people, who were randomly selected out of 2 million ticket requests. The group's first and only tour with Sakai as the singer came five years later. Despite rarely appearing in public, Zard became one of the best-selling Japanese bands, or female artists — as many viewed it as a solo project with a backing band — of all time. She had 12 hits which topped the Oricon Singles Chart and nine albums that reached the number one spot. 'Makenaide' The song that resonated with Japanese people the most was 'Makenaide,' released in 1993. A motivational phrase encouraging people to persevere and not succumb to defeat, it offered hope to the working masses in the early 1990s after the Japanese stock market crashed. 'Makenaide' became the theme song for Japan during its so-called 'Lost Decade,' selling over 1.6 million copies. The other two Zard singles to exceed 1 million in sales were 'Yureru Omori' and 'My Friend.' Sakai was a prolific writer who wrote around 150 songs during her 17-year career, including the opening theme tune to Dragon Ball GT — 'Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku' — for Field of View. She also wrote hits for other J-pop groups, such as Wands and Deen, and penned the lyrics for all but two of Zard's tracks. As well as music, Sakai was known for her poetry and oil paintings. Izumi Sakai's Death In 2006, Sakai was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Though the tumor was removed, in April 2007, the cancer spread to her lungs. While in Keio University Hospital, she was known to take daily walks. Encouraged by how treatment was going, she had reportedly started planning for a new album. During one of her walks on May 26, Sakai accidentally fell 3 meters off a landing of a staircase outside the hospital, which was wet as it had been raining. A passerby saw the singer and she was taken to the emergency room. Sadly, she never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead the following day. She was 40. A public memorial service was held for Sakai a month after her death. Around 40,000 people attended. A series of memorial concerts were held in September 2007, which immediately sold out. The following year, Zard embarked on a nationwide tour in her honor, with the final concert taking place at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium on the first anniversary of Sakai's death. More From This Series Kenzo Tange: Japan's Most Influential Architect Yukio Mishima: A Troubled Literary Genius Miki Matsubara: A City Pop Icon
