Department of Physiological Regulation Mechanisms

Basic principle

We aim to clarify the molecular and cellular mechanisms for regulating immune and inflammatory responses, mainly by utilizing a variety of gene-manipulated mice and establish novel therapeutic maneuvers for treating various immune disorders and inflammatory diseases. We also teach medical students the principal theory and practice on molecular biology and immunology, including up-to-date and cutting-edge findings, and educate them to be medical scientists with “research mind”.

Place: The second floor of the research building, Wakayama Medical University

Research

Research outline

Our body maintains the homeostasis not only by eradicating pathogens from the outside but also keeping the metabolic or inflammatory balances inside. The immune system plays key roles in the maintenance of the homeostasis and its failure leads to a variety of immune disorders or inflammatory diseases. We aim to clarify the molecular and cellular mechanisms that keep the homeostasis and lead to various pathological conditions, by focusing on antigen presenting cells (APCs) such as macrophages or dendritic cells.

Research contents

Mammalian immune system depends on innate and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity consists of APCs such as macrophages or dendritic cells and detects not only pathogens from the outside but also endogenous molecules produced under various situations, through the functions of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) including Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Adaptive immunity consists of lymphocytes such as B and T cells carrying a huge repertoire of receptors against a variety of antigens. Upon activation by PRRs, APCs not only present antigens but also produce various cytokines to establish the adaptive immune responses. These functions are critical not only for host defense but also for the maintenance of the homeostasis. The failure should lead to various kinds of disorders such as autoimmune or inflammatory diseases.

We aim to clarify physiological and pathological mechanisms for the immune system at the molecular and cellular levels, by focusing on APCs and utilizing a variety of gene-manipulated mice and establish novel therapeutic maneuvers for treating various immune disorders and inflammatory diseases.

Staff introduction

E-mail address: Please put @wakayama-med.ac.jp after blue letters.

Undergraduate

• School of Medicine
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  • List of Medicine
• School of Health and Nursing Science
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• School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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