Abstract
This paper describes three examples of our research activities in the health and medical fields. The first example is a project on breath acetone analysis. Acetone is a metabolite derived from fat-burning and could be a good indicator for monitoring fat metabolism. In order to create point-of-care instrumentation for diet-conscious people who wish to monitor their own fat metabolism at home or outside, we prototyped a portable breath acetone analyzer. The second example is a project on skin acetone analysis which requires no active action on the part of the user, unlike the deep exhalation required for breath analysis. Considering that acetone is emitted from human skin, we prototyped a wearable skin acetone analyzer that would provide a powerful tool for preventing and alleviating lifestyle-related diseases. The third example is a project on mobile healthcare-enabled methods for the prevention and early detection of medical conditions common during pregnancies. We will conduct integrative analysis to genome and biomolecule factors with objective data on environmental factors, including lifestyle, as well as body conditions of pregnant women. We believe that our research activities will lead to establish preventive care that utilizes networked mobile and wearable appliances.
