Clinical Medicine
This is the only clinical department in NEKKEN, which does clinical practices in Nagasaki University Hospital. We conduct a wide range of multi-disciplinary studies bridging our strength of clinical epidemiology to laboratory-based microbiology and immunology both in-and outside Japan. Our main research interests are respiratory infectious diseases, acute undifferentiated febrile illness, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. Specific research topics are as described below:
Members
- Professor
- Koya Ariyoshi
- Professor (Respiratory)
- Konosuke Morimoto
- Professor (TMGH)
- Chris Smith
- Associate Professor
- Yoshinao Kubo
- Assistant Professor
- Mai Izumida
- Assistant Professor
- Momoko Yamauchi
- Visiting Professor
- Michio Yasunami
- Visiting Professor
- Takao Ohmagari
- Visiting Professor
- Motoi Suzuki
- Visiting Professor
- Eiichiro Sando
- Visiting Professor
- Bailey Robin
- Visiting Professor
- Sakib N Burza
- Visiting Researcher
- Emi Kitashoji
- Visiting Researcher
- Kentaro Sakashita
- Assistant Researcher
- Taisuke Nakamura
- Assistant
- Rina Shiramizu
- Assistant
- Megumi Michitsuji
- Assistant
- Naomi Kitada
- Assistant
- Yumi Araki
- Assistant
- Fumiyo Tsujita
- Graduate Student
- Hiroshi Fujii
- Graduate Student
- Eriko Ikeda
- Graduate Student
- Tohru Ogasawara
- Graduate Student
- Kentaro Hayashi
- Graduate Student
- Haruka Maeda
- Graduate Student
- Koki Shimizu
- Graduate Student
- Olivier Tshiani Mbaya
- Graduate Student
- Carol Susan Devamani
- Graduate Student
- Saho Takaya
- Graduate Student
- Yuka Nakamura
- Graduate Student
- Su Myat Han
- Graduate Student
- Mukadi Kakoni Patrick
Activities
Respiratory Infections Diseases, including Tuberculosis
We apply our in-house multiplex-PCR assays to id entify 19 different viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens and a novel nano-fluidic real-time PCR-based assay to determine 50 pneumococcus serotypes for studies in-and outside Japan. We also conduct TB research with a special interest in TB-specific cellular immune responses protective to the disease progression. In response to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we started to conduct clinical epidemiology research on COVID-19 in the Philippines in early 2020.
Fever management in the tropical countries
It’s challenging to diagnose and manage non-malarial fever without localizing sign such as leptospirosis, rickettsiosis, dengue fever, which are common in the tropical countries. We are investigating acute undifferentiated febrile illness in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Bac Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam and the National Infectious Disease Hospital (San Lazaro Hospital), the Philippines, by applying various new diagnostic tests.
HIV/AIDS Studies and others
In collaboration with National Institute of Health, Thailand, we have conducted a natural history cohort of HIV infection. New research is still on-going based on the data and clinical samples derived from the cohort. Furthermore, we investigate molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis caused by retroviruses and other microbials.
Recent main research achievement
- Saito et al. Clin Infect Dis 2021;72:61-68.
- Mukadi et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021;15:e0009670.
- Domai et al. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 2021;19:100334.
- Yanagisawa et al. PLoS One 2020;15:e0242438.
- Katoh et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019;13:e0007928.