Immune Regulation
Members
- Professor
- Katsuyuki Yui
- Associate Professor
- Shusaku Mizukami
- Research Fellow
- Jiun Yu Jian
- Research Fellow
- Cervantes Eleonor Avendo
- Assistant
- Nobuka Kawamoto
- Assistant
- Mayumi Taniguchi
- Assistant
- Akiko Noguchi
･Mizukami Group
Activities
Our scope is the human immune response against malaria, and malaria vaccine development.
Malaria parasite life cyc le is divided into liver（pre-erythrocytic） stage and erythrocytic stage in human. Even with urgent appearance of drug resistant strain, many antimalarial drugs are available for erythrocytic stage. However, in liver stage, only a few drugs with side effects are available, and thus, vaccine and novel antimalarial drug development are still and urgent issue for liver stage.
Considering the immunity against malaria pathogen in liver stage, cytotoxic Tlymphocytes in cellular immunity is essential. However, current vaccine development biased in inducing neutralizing antibody.
To archive the goal, our vaccine development focuses on cellular immunity during malaria liver stage. We put effort in examining and optimizing（a）vaccine antigen,（b） antigen delivery system,（c）vaccine adjuvant, and（d）route of administration.
Our study started with mouse malaria model, and eventually, we aim to apply our understanding into vaccine development to against Plasmodium falciparum, one of the malaria parasites affected human most.
Recent main research achievement
- Tayama et al. Trop Med Health 2023;51(1):12.
- Mizuta et al. Chem Med Chem 2023;18(7):e202200586.
- Kawaguchi et al. J Phram Sci 2023;112(5):1401-1410.
- Kamiya et al. Pharamaceutics 2022;14(11):2357.
- Ogawa et al. J Control Release 2022;348:34-41.
Achievement list
･Yui Group
Activities
ndividuals living in endemic regions of malaria acquire resistance to infection and disease after repeated i nfection over time through the development of host immune responses to establish chronic infection status. Persistent infection maintains immunological memory, which effectively control re-infection. However, it remains unclear how the immunological memory to malaria is regulated during chronic infection.
Focus of our study is mechanisms underlying the regulation of immunological memory to malaria with emphasis on the role of regulatory cytokine, IL-27. We are also involved in field study in the Philippines investigating the maintenance of malaria memory in individuals living in different levels of malaria control. We will contribute for the development of next generation malaria vaccine and for the control of malaria re-infection in semi-endemic areas.
Recent main research achievement
- Macalinao et al. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 2023.In Press.
- Ntita et al. Int Immunol 2022;34:21-33.
- Enders et al. Curr Res Immnol 2021,2,79-92.
- Jian et al. Int Immunol 2021;33:409-422.
- Yui et al. Parasite Immunol 2021;43:e12763.