Department of Immunology

Immunology has long been considered a life system that "recognizes self and non-self," but it has recently become clear that it is a life system that "distinguishes between danger and non-danger." The various pathogen recognition sensors in immune cells are what distinguish between danger and non-danger. When these sensors work normally, our bodies can protect themselves from the threat of infectious diseases, but when they work excessively or in the wrong direction, an immune response occurs to substances or components of our own body that are normally harmless. This manifests as inflammatory diseases such as allergies and autoimmune diseases. Allergic diseases in particular are on the rise in developed countries such as Japan, but detailed mechanisms such as "why are they increasing in developed countries?" and "what triggers the immune response to become disrupted?" are still unclear.

Substances that act on the sensors in immune cells are called "adjuvants." Adjuvants have the effect of stimulating immune cells, and are therefore used in the medical field, such as in vaccines. However, there are also substances in our daily lives that are similar to adjuvants and stimulate immune cells. Examples of such substances are air pollutants and environmental chemicals. These substances excessively act on immune cells, causing inflammatory reactions such as allergies.

We are focusing on the mechanism of such adjuvants and conducting research to clarify how allergies and other inflammatory diseases develop. We are also conducting research and development of new adjuvants that can be applied in medicine, aiming for their application in the prevention and treatment of immune diseases.