TEL. 03-3353-8111
〒162-8666 8-1, Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
● In recent years, infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli O157, AIDS, and emerging infectious diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and H1N1 influenza, have been a major challenge to overcome. The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is a laboratory that analyzes the properties of pathogenic microorganisms and the virulence factors they produce, as well as the mechanisms of our body's defense system (including the immune system) against microbial invasion, in order to overcome these infectious diseases. Our goal is to produce original and cutting-edge results through such research and to translate them into clinical practice. We are always eager to support medical students in their studies of immunology and microbiology. The lectures and practical training of the students are designed to decipher the most advanced topics in an easy-to-understand manner so that they can gain academic knowledge. Students are highly motivated to learn, and the educational and research environment is enjoyable.
● Lectures and practical training for undergraduate education are conducted by all members of the department to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary and sufficient for future practice as a medical professional. The entire department actively participates in human relations education and tutorial education. Post-graduate education aims to provide students with the latest knowledge and advanced skills, and to develop individuals who can carry out and complete research spontaneously with a strong sense of purpose. In medical education, lectures and practical training on "Living Organisms and Microorganisms" and "Biological Defense and Immunity" are conducted for the second semester of first-year students, based on cooperation with other courses; "Practical Training in Microbiology and Immunology" is conducted for fourth-year students, with more clinically relevant content. In the nursing education, lectures and practical training are conducted for second-year students. Post-graduate education is conducted by accepting one classroom-affiliated graduate student in FY 2017 to provide research guidance for degree completion and to be in charge of part of the graduate training in morphology.
● While maintaining the uniqueness and originality of our department, we aim to create new cutting-edge research through abundant joint research with other departments with different specialties, which is the most distinctive feature of our department. We strongly promote translational research with clinical laboratories, and aim to provide feedback to clinical practice by elucidating the etiology of severe infectious diseases such as septic shock, autoimmune diseases and allergic diseases, and developing therapeutic methods. In addition to supporting highly original research based on the own ideas of our members, we hope to send out researchers who can be internationally competitive and active through exchanges with researchers outside of Japan.
Main Research Areas
(1) Molecular analysis of superantigens
(2)Regulatory factors of septic shock
(3) Mechanisms of induction of autoimmune diseases by bacterial infection
(4) Involvement of intestinal microbiota in various diseases
(5) Pathogenesis mechanisms in allergic diseases
Naoko Yanagisawa
Toshifumi Osaka
Our department is responsible for education and research in two related fields. Microbiology focuses on the properties of pathogenic microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and viruses) and their mechanisms of infection and disease, while immunology is the study of biological defense mechanisms, including defense against infection by microorganisms. Our research focuses on the properties of pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus and their toxins, the pathogenesis of human infectious diseases caused by these bacteria, the mechanisms of infection defense, the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases induced by bacterial infection, and the pathogenesis of allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and airway hypersensitivity. In recent years, we have also been investigating the causes of abnormal reactions based on the analysis of the bacterial flora of the body in terms of the basic immune mechanisms of the body. There are many excellent clinical doctors working at Tokyo Women's Medical University, and our department is actively promoting collaborative research with them.
Research Achievements Database
〒162-8666
8-1, Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
TEL +81-3-3353-8111