Takaaki Akaike

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Active researcher; lead scientist on the study

The enzyme best known for relaxing blood vessels has a second job: it builds rings of eight sulfur atoms that shield cells from a form of self-destruction. Researchers in Japan and Germany reported in Science that mammalian cells store these cyclo-octasulfur rings in mitochondria and lipid droplets, where they feed antioxidant defenses.

Updated Sep 27