FBS Colloquia No.385RIKEN BDR

Toward Clinical Applications of Active Hypometabolism: Hibernation Study Using Mice

Some mammals have the remarkable ability to actively slow down their metabolism and enter a state called torpor. When this state extends over weeks or months, it is known as hibernation. Importantly, torpor is not a passive shutdown in response to harsh conditions—it is a carefully regulated, biological strategy for energy conservation. During hibernation, animals drastically reduce their oxygen consumption and lower their body temperature to near ambient levels, yet they remain unharmed. If we could recreate this active hypometabolic state in humans—a concept we refer to as synthetic torpor—it could offer a powerful new approach for medicine. By lowering the body’s energy and oxygen demands, synthetic torpor may help sustain life in critical situations where normal organ function is compromised. It might also open up new ways to preserve organs before transplantation and support innovations in regenerative medicine. In this presentation, I will first introduce what is currently known about natural torpor and hibernation in animals. I will then highlight our lab’s research using mice to model daily torpor and hibernation-like states in the lab. Finally, I will discuss how these findings may guide future efforts to induce synthetic torpor in humans, and the biological, technological, and ethical challenges we will need to overcome to make clinical applications possible.