Reserch Outline

Three missions to uncover the mystery of sleep,
and to solve sleep-related social problems

[ Our Missions ]

  • 1. To elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of sleep/wake regulation
  • 2. To elucidate molecular pathogenesis of sleep disorders and related diseases
  • 3. To develop preventive majors, diagnostic methods, and treatments for sleep

IIIS sets 3 missions to advance research activities; (1) Elucidation of the fundamental mechanisms of sleep/wake regulation, (2) Elucidation of molecular pathogenesis of sleep disorders and related diseases, (3) Development of treatments for sleep disorders.

To accomplish the missions above, IIIS has established a highly ambitious and novel research field, “sleep sciences”, by integrating basic biology, experimental medicine and pharmaceutical science.

Moonshot Project

In 2021, the research project “Development of new-generation medical care systems through customizing sleep and hibernation”, for which Masashi Yanagisawa, Director of the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Science (WPI-IIIS), serves as Project Manager (PM), was selected as a moonshot research and development project.
This moonshot research and development project is being conducted by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), with the goal of “Realizing sustainable medical and nursing care systems to prevent and overcome major diseases by 2040 for everyone to enjoy life until 100 years old. Since its establishment, IIIS has been conducting research and building its organization based on the “World Premier Research Center Program” of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. From now on, IIIS aims to achieve the moonshot goal, and IIIS will make further progress from the world to the moon, and then to the space.