[1] He is known for his research in single-molecule biology and bioimage informatics, notably discovering that kinesin can move as a single molecule.
Facing a decision in his second year there between the Medical School and the Department of Biochemistry in the Faculty of Science (Shinfuri), he chose Medicine following advice from Yoshinori Ohsumi.
While the prevailing theory was that kinesin motor proteins worked like two-legged walking, Okada discovered cases where a single molecule could move independently.
Around 2005, he and his graduate students discovered the role of Kinesin-2, cilia, and flagella in determining the left-right asymmetry of the heart, a condition referred to as situs inversus.
This technique was noted for being a hundred times faster than existing super-resolution microscopy methods and achieved the world's fastest shutter speed.