Message from the Professor
Our bodies are constantly exposed to a wide range of abnormalities and threats in daily life, including viral and bacterial infections, as well as cancer. To cope with these challenges and maintain homeostasis, the body is equipped with sophisticated biological defense systems. Understanding both the responses to such abnormalities and crises, and the mechanisms by which the body recovers and preserves homeostasis, is essential to gaining insight into the fundamental nature of life.
In the Department of Pathological Biology, we focus particularly on endogenous molecules released from damaged or dead cells in response to abnormalities or crises, including damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Our goal is to understand, at the molecular and cellular levels, how these molecules act on surrounding cells to induce specific responses, and to clarify how such responses contribute to biological defense mechanisms. Furthermore, we aim to elucidate how disruption of these mechanisms is involved in diseases such as cancer, thereby contributing to the establishment of new disease concepts and the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Looking back on my own experience, the joy and excitement of discovering new phenomena have been a major driving force in my research career. I hope to create an environment in which such opportunities for discovery can be experienced as often as possible. While textbooks and established concepts provide important starting points, I encourage students to engage in research with their own questions and perspectives, without being constrained by conventional ways of thinking.
Our department also places great importance on collaboration across disciplines, both within and outside the university, and both domestically and internationally. We believe that the introduction of new technologies and diverse perspectives can lead to unexpected discoveries and new ideas. I hope that members of the department will pursue their research with intellectual freedom and without fear of failure. Although research in basic medicine does not always yield immediate visible results, I believe that its steady accumulation will ultimately contribute to future advances in medicine and the life sciences.
We look forward to working with many people, including students interested in research, as well as researchers and companies considering collaborative projects. Through such partnerships, we hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of biological defense mechanisms and to the advancement of their applications. I look forward to meeting and working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Laboratory Overview
The Department of Pathophysiology aims to elucidate, at the molecular and cellular levels, how response mechanisms activated when the body encounters abnormalities or crises, as well as the disruption of homeostatic regulation, contribute to the onset and progression of diseases.
Our research integrates molecular biological, biochemical, genetic, and immunological approaches, together with mouse models and various omics-based analytical methods. In particular, we focus on endogenous molecules released from dead or damaged cells, known as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).
We conduct multifaceted analyses of the roles of DAMPs not only in inflammation and immune responses, but also in tissue repair and protective responses, as well as in the regulation of the tumor microenvironment, with the goal of clarifying their physiological and pathological significance.
By transcending conventional concepts and achieving an integrated understanding of pathophysiology, we aim to contribute to the establishment of novel disease concepts and the identification of new therapeutic targets.
