Organization | International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba

Premier institute for sleep　science aiming to solve mechanisms of sleep/wake regulation by conducting basic to translational research

We spend nearly one-third of our lives asleep. However, the fundamental principles of sleep/wake biology are still unknown, and two big questions remain unanswered:(1) what is the neural substrate for “sleepiness” ? , (2) why do we have to sleep? The importance of sleep is very clear because the loss of sound sleep lowers daytime performance and increases the risk of physical and mental disorders. Deficiencies of sleep cause a huge economic loss, burdening the Japanese society about 1.5 billion yen per year. IIIS approaches this social problem through interdisciplinary sleep science, consisting of neuroscience, pharmaceutical science, and experimental medicine.
IIIS is the world’s premier institute aiming to elucidate the fundamental principles of sleep/wake biology, develop new strategies to diagnose, prevent, treat sleep disorders, and contribute to promote human health through research activities.

Features of the Institute

Based on Yanagisawa’s 20-plus-year experience as a PI at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, IIIS has been established as the best and unique sleep research center in Japan, by learning from the merits of the U.S.-style academic “department.” IIIS has created a free and vigorous atmosphere emphasizing: (i) flexible and timely appointments of independent PIs regardless of their age and career stage, with a necessary startup package (e.g. funding, personnel and space); (ii) a flexible and dynamic allocation of floor space for each laboratory to facilitate free and open communications; and (iii) sharing of major facilities and capital equipments among laboratories. IIIS manages the organization so that all researchers and students can vigorously communicate and maximize their potentials.