Research showcase

List of research instruments

As an organization that conducts research on Minamata disease and mercury, we have a full line of research capabilities, equipped with devices required for various research.

Department of International Affairs and Research

  • Heating-vaporization mercury measuring instrument：MA-3000

    For analyzing total mercury and organic mercury in biological specimens (hair, fish and shellfish, etc.)

  • Cold atom absorption spectrometry device：HG201

    For analyzing total mercury

  • Electron-capture gas chromatography：ECD-GC　G3800／G6800

    For measuring methylmercury

  • Atomic fluorescence reducing-vaporization mercury measuring instrument：RA-3FG+

    For analyzing total mercury (mainly for measuring low concentration levels in seawater, etc.)

  • Continuous-flow nutrient-salt analyzer：QuAAtro2-HR

    For analyzing nutrient salt concentration levels in environmental water samples

  • Gas chromatography electron-capture detector：7890b

    For analyzing methylmercury in hair, blood, etc.

  • Reducing-vaporization atomic fluorescence device：RA-3FG

    For analyzing total mercury in urine, environmental water, etc.

  • Gas chromatography fluorescence device：MERX-M

    For analyzing methylmercury in environmental samples, etc.

Department of Clinical Medicine

  • Magneto­encephalography

    An instrument that measures electric phenomena in the brain by capturing slight magnetic fields being generated as a result of the brain's activities

  • MRI

    A device that uses strong magnets and electromagnetic waves to depict conditions inside of the body as cross-sectional images

  • Magnetic stimulation device

    A device that stimulates nerves and muscular tissues by inducing electric currents in tissue in a living body by using magnetic stimulation pulses

  • Navigation system

    A device that shows in real time the locations of the stimulation coils and areas being stimulated by using MRI imaging

  • Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

    A device that assesses changes in brain blood flows by measuring changes in hemoglobin concentration levels in the blood in the brain with the use of near infrared lights

Department of Basic Medical Sciences

  • Imaging system (ChemiDoc Touch)

    A device that quantitatively detects specific proteins, etc. with the use of chemiluminescence, fluorescence and visible lights

  • Confocal laser microscope (C2)

    A device for observing tissue images in high-resolution views with contrast

  • Heating-vaporization mercury measuring instrument (MA-3000)

    A device that measures mercury concentration levels in human and animal specimens

  • Virtual slide scanner (NanoZoomer)

    A device that scans pathological slides at high speed to convert resulting images into high-resolution digital data

Department of Environment and Public Health

  • Direct-reading total water quality meter：AAQ-RINKO Model 175

    For obtaining profiles of water quality (water temperature, depth, salt content, chlorophyll fluorescence, turbidity, DO, photon) in outdoor survey settings

  • Chlorophyll measuring instrument：Trilogy

    For measuring concentration levels of chlorophyll extracted out of sampled water specimens

  • Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)：Agilent 7700x

    For analyzing elements in environment samples (water, etc.) and biological specimens

  • Multi-collector inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry（MC-ICP-MS) ：Neptune Plus

    An instrument that measures composition of stable isotopes existing in metallic elements at natural abundance. The source of mercury in environment samples can be identified using the isotopic compositions.