Biography

Co-chair of Microgravity & Aerospace Medicine Research Interest Group

Title: Professor of Medicine, Head of Neuroscience

Place of Work: Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida

Stem Cells: We produce induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and create mini-brains (human brain organoids) from individual iPS cells. This allows us to generate personalized brain tissue to investigate their response to various environments, such as cosmic rays and microgravity.

Exosomes: Exosomes are small (30nm-110nm) nanoparticles released from cells containing cytosolic biomolecules used for intracellular communication. As they can pass through the blood-brain barrier, we analyze exosomal contents in saliva to investigate brain conditions. This enables non-invasive, continuous monitoring of subjects’ brain health. Currently, we’re measuring neurotransmitter levels, such as serotonin, and neural protein factors using this technology. We also use exosomes as a drug delivery system, capable of delivering any biomolecule, including proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules.

Brain-Tech Wearable Device: We developed a small, in-ear wearable device to monitor brain conditions via sound impedance. This device can also monitor other body sounds, such as heartbeats and breathing, to assess general health. Additionally, it functions as a normal earbud, transmitting sound and picking up voice within the ear, enabling communication in noisy environments. As a wireless earbud device, it can be worn continuously without interfering with daily life.

Important Links: (1) https://med.ucf.edu/biomed/person/dr-kiminobu-sugaya/

(2) https://www.research.ucf.edu/compliance/irb/about/Bio%20Pages/Sugaya_Kiminobu.html

(3) https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZmhEpRUAAAAJ&hl=en

(4) https://patents.justia.com/inventor/kiminobu-sugaya

(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/kiminobu.sugaya.1/bibliography/public/