RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research Laboratory for Physical Biology

Team Director: Tatsuo Shibata (Ph.D.)

Japanese Page

Research Summary

Advances in measurement technologies have revealed the dynamic processes underlying living systems, including morphogenesis, cellular decision-making, and information processing in cells and tissues. These processes arise through coordinated interactions among molecular signals, genetic programs, cellular behaviors, and mechanical forces across multiple scales. Understanding these processes requires theoretical frameworks that integrate quantitative measurements with concepts from mathematical sciences such as physics and mathematics. At the Laboratory for Physical Biology, we aim to uncover the design and operating principles of living systems by combining advanced measurements with theoretical and quantitative approaches.

Keywords

Cell polarity
Body axis formation
chemotaxis
Cell migration
Collective cell migration

Selected Publications

1. Shibata T.
"Geometric framework for curvature-dependent collective behavior of polar active agents on curved surfaces."
Physical Review E 113(2), 055406 (2026) doi: 10.1103/mxgg-9w4l
2. Nakaya Y, Tarama M, Tasaki S, et al.
"Migrating mesoderm cells self-organize into a dynamic meshwork structure during chick gastrulation"
eLife 14, e84749 (2025) doi: 10.7554/elife.84749
3. Yamamoto T, Ishibashi T, Mimori-Kiyosue Y, et al.
"Epithelial cell chirality emerges through the dynamic concentric pattern of actomyosin cytoskeleton."
eLife 14, e102296 (2025) doi: 10.7554/elife.102296
4. Bhattacherjee B, Hayakawa M, Shibata T.
"Structure formation induced by non-reciprocal cell–cell interactions in a multicellular system"
Soft Matter 20(12), 2739-2749 (2024) doi: 10.1039/d3sm01752d
5. Tarama M, Shibata T.
"Pattern formation and the mechanics of a motor-driven filamentous system confined by rigid membranes."
Physical Review Research 4, 043071 (2022) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.043071
6. Wen FL, Kwan CW, Wang YC, Shibata T.
"Autonomous epithelial folding induced by an intracellular mechano–polarity feedback loop."
PLOS Computational Biology 17(12), e1009614 (2021) doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009614
7. Hayakawa M, Hiraiwa T, Wada Y, et al.
"Polar pattern formation induced by contact following locomotion in a multicellular system."
eLife 9, e53609 (2020) doi: 10.7554/eLife.53609
8. Wen FL, Wang YC, Shibata T.
"Epithelial Folding Driven by Apical or Basal-Lateral Modulation: Geometric Features, Mechanical Inference, and Boundary Effects."
Biophysical journal 112(12), 2683-2695 (2017) doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.05.012
9. Sato K, Hiraiwa T, Maekawa E, et al.
"Left–right asymmetric cell intercalation drives directional collective cell movement in epithelial morphogenesis."
Nature Communications 6, 10074 (2015) doi: 10.1038/ncomms10074
10. Sato K, Hiraiwa T, Shibata T.
"Cell Chirality Induces Collective Cell Migration in Epithelial Sheets."
Physical Review Letters 115(18), 188102 (2015) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.188102

Recent Research Results

Dec. 22, 2025
How chirality goes from the molecular level to the cellular one
Jun. 6, 2024
How tubular tissues form uniform channels

Lab Members

Principal investigator

Tatsuo Shibata: Team Director

Core members

Biplab Bhattacherjee: Research Scientist
Tomoki Ishibashi: Research Scientist
Goshi Ogita: Special Postdoctoral Researcher
Vivek Semwal: Postdoctoral Researcher
Motohiro Fujiwara: Research Scientist
Ryohei Nishizawa: Junior Research Associate
Abhinandan Angra: Junior Research Associate

Contact Information

2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku
Kobe, Hyogo
650-0047 Japan

Email: tatsuo.shibata@riken.jp