Research

【Bone】

  • Inducing osteocyte differentiation of osteoblasts or mesenchymal stem cells in 3D culture models
    • Kim & Adachi, Front Bioeng Biotech, 2019 (link)
    • Kim et al., J Biomech Sci Eng, 2020 (link)
    • Kim & Adachi, Tissue Eng Part A, 2021 (link)
    • Kim & Adachi, Sci Rep, 2021 (link)
Scaffold-free spheroid reconstructed by
mouse osteoblast-like cells
  • Mineralization in spheroid culture derived from osteoblasts or mesenchymal stem cells
    • Inagaki, Kim et al., J Biomech, 2026 (link)
    • Kim, Ikebe et al, Under review.
Calcium deposition 35-day spheroids derived from human mesenchymal stem cells
(Inagaki et al., J Biomech, 2026)

【Cartilage】

  • Induction of the initial stage of endochondral ossification using cartilage spheroids
    • Tomida, Kim et al., Cell Tissue Res, 2024 (link)
    • Kim, Tomida et al., Biotechnol Bioeng, 2022 (link)

【Embryo】

  • Early embryo development
    • Ongoing
mouse embryo

Biomechanical studies:

  • Mechanical properties and behaviors of 3D culture models
    • Parallel-plate compression
      • Inagaki, Kim et al., JMBBM, 2025 (link)
      • Kim, Ikebe et al, Under review.
    • Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      • Inagaki, Kim et al., J Biomech, 2026 (link)
Parallel-plate compression test (Inagaki et al, JMBBM, 2025)
AFM measurements on cryosectioned spheroids (Inagaki et al, J Biomech, 2026)
  • Ongoing
  • Nuclear morphology in 3D culture models
    • Tomida, Kim et al., Cell Tissue Res, 2024 (link)
    • Inagaki, Kim et al., Integr Biol, 2023 (link)
3D image analysis using Imaris (Tomida et al, 2024)
Optical clearing + customized image analysis pipeline in Python (Inagaki et al, 2023)
  • Multicellular behaviors of 3D culture models
    • Kim et al., BBRC, 2022 (link)
Kim et al, 2022

Mechanobiological studies:

  • Elucidation of the effect of hydrostatic pressure on osteocytic spheroids
    • Kim, Niioka et al., Biosci Biotech Biochem, 2025 (link)
  • Comparative gene expression analysis by modulation of cell-cell interaction and cell-substrate interaction
    • Kim et al., J Biosci Bioeng, 2021 (link)
  • Hierarchical wrinkle pattern substrates
    (Collaborative research w/ Nagashima group in Nagoya Univ.)
    • Kim, Nagashima et al., Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. H: J Eng Med, 2025 (link)
Screenshot
  • Elucidating the effect of external stimulation on cell and tissue models
    • Hydrostatic pressure
      • Kim et al., Biosci Biotech Biochem, 2025 (link)
      • Charonensombut et al., J Biosci Bioeng, 2022 (link)
      • Kawabata et al., Jap J Clin Biomech, 2020 (link)
      • Kim et al., J Biomech Sci Eng, 2019 (link)
      • Montagne et al., Jap J Clin Biomech, 2016 (link)
      • Kim et al., Biosci Biotech Biochem, 2015 (link)
    • Stretching
      • Suzuki et al, Biomech Momdel Mechan, 2025 (link)
      • Fan et al., J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2022 (link)
      • Kim et al., Sci Rep, 2020 (link)
    • Hypoxia
      • Kim & Adachi, Tissue Eng Part A, 2021 (link)
    • Mechanical boundary condition
      • Kim, Ishikawa et al., Sci Rep, 2021 (link)
    • Hypergravity
      • Kim et al., PLoS ONE, 2017 (link)

Funded projects:

【Principal Investigator】

The Hirose Foundation
Development of a hydrostatic pressure bioreactor to induce osteogenesis for bone regenerative medicine
(2025 – 2026)

The Nitto Foundation
Development of a hydrostatic pressurizing device for promoting bone formation
(2025 – 2026)

The Casio Science Promotion Foundation
Development of a microfluidic device for a 3D culture model aimed at unraveling mechanosensing mechanisms
(2025)

【Co-investigator】

The JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
TBA
PI: Takeo Matsumoto
CIs: Eijiro Maeda, Jeonghyun Kim
(2024 – 2025)

The JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Creation of innovative medical materials to elicit cellular mechanotransduction response and their application for enhancing tendon injury healing
PI: Eijiro Maeda
CIs: Takeo Matsumoto, Jeonghyun Kim
(2024 – 2027)

Previous projects:

【Principal Investigator】

The Hibi Science Foundation
Creation of bone organoids and elucidation of its mineralization mechanism
(2024 – 2025)

The JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists
Elucidation of osteocyte differentiation mechanism for establishment of bone organoids
(2023 – 2024)

The Nagoya – Melbourne Joint Research Workshops Fund 2024
Emerging technologies to study biomechanical and mechanobiological characterization of bone, cartilage, muscle and tendon
PIs: Jeonghyun Kim (Nagoya Univ) & Kathryn Stok (Univ of Melbourne)
(Feb 2025)

The Foundation of Public Interest of Tatematsu Research Grant (A1)
Reconstruction of bone organoids and elucidation of osteocyte differentiation mechanism
(2022 – 2024)

The Nagoya – Melbourne Joint Research Workshops Fund 2023
Emerging technologies to study biomechanical and mechanobiological characterization of bone, cartilage, muscle and tendon
PIs: Jeonghyun Kim (Nagoya Univ) & Kathryn Stok (Univ of Melbourne)
(Sep 2023)

The CCI Holdings Co., Ltd. Research Grant
Development of hydrostatic pressurizing device to elucidate the osteocyte mechanotransduction
(2023 – 2024)

The Hitachi Global Foundation (the Kurata Grant)
Practical application of bone regenerative medicine: Construction of 3D pellet culture model using pluripotent stem cells
(2023 – 2024)

The Naito Science and Engineering Foundation Research Grant
Modulation of osteocyte differentiation in 3D culture model using hydrostatic pressure
(2022 – 2023)

The Nakatani Foundation for Advancement of Measuring Technologies in Biomedical Engineering, Grant for Biomedical Engineering Research (Encouragement of Research)
Development of 4D measurement method for bone-cartilage formation process using 3D tissue model
(2021 – 2023)

The JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists
Reconstruction of three-dimensional osteochondral model by multilayered scaffold-free tissue
(2020 – 2023)

The JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
Establishment of mass-productive fabrication method and new applications for bone organoids reconstructed by rotatory culture toward bone reconstruction
(2019 – 2021)

【Co-investigator】

The JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
Morphogenesis-based manufacturing: Construction of optimal structures based on mechanical response of cells
PI: Takeo Matsumoto
CIs: Eijiro Maeda, Jeonghyun Kim
(2021 – 2024)