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Development of novel control strategies for intractable diseases in animals
Development of immunotherapy using antibody drugs and protein preparations for chronic infectious diseases and tumors in domestic and companion animals
In case of intractable diseases, the elimination mechanisms of pathogens and tumors are disturbed in vivo. This is thought to be due to various immunosuppressive factors that exhaust immune cells. the mechanism of eliminating pathogens and tumors in the body is disturbed, probably due to various immunosuppressive factors that exhaust immune cells. This study is aimed to develop novel formulations that target the immune evasion mechanism and apply them as a novel treatment for animal diseases.
Research
Research objective: Development of veterinary antibody drugs and protein drugs targeting PD-1 and other immunosuppressive factors and their application to therapeutics. Comparison with and advantage over conventional technology: This approach does not target a specific disease, but rather a wide range of diseases in which the anti-pathogen and anti-tumor effects are lost due to immunosuppressive mechanisms. Since the immunotherapy is based on activated lymphocytes, it is expected to have a multifunctional immune-enhancing effect. Uniqueness of the research: There are limited reports of clinical applications of this approach in the veterinary fields. Characteristics: We will establish therapeutic antibodies for animals and evaluate their effectiveness against various diseases. Efficacy: We aim to provide new treatments for diseases of livestock (cattle, horses, pigs, etc.) and companion animals (dogs, cats, etc.) for which there are no effective vaccines or treatments.
Satoru Konnai Professor -
Development of Therapeutic Agents and Biomarkers for Stress-induced Diseases
Molecular psychoneuroimmunology to understand the molecular mechanism of “disease starts in the mind”
Chronic stress has become a widespread problem in our society as it may lead to sudden death or other serious problems due to overwork or insomnia. We have clarified the molecular mechanism by which chronic stress induces organ damage and sudden death in mice through the activation of specific neural circuits. This system can be used to search for therapeutic targets for stress-induced diseases.
Research
We are studying the link between stress and disease. Recently, when autoreactive T cells against central nervous system antigens were transferred to mice that had been subjected to chronic stress, the mice suddenly died. The cause of death was heart failure due to hemorrhage in the stomach and duodenum, as found with humans. Stress-specific activation of neural circuits induced microinflammation in the brain, where transferred T cells, etc. were accumulated in specific blood vessels, and a new neural circuit activated by this triggered the gastrointestinal disorder and heart failure. There have been no animal model of stress in which the molecular mechanism has been elucidated, and this model is useful for screening of new drugs for stress-induced diseases. Using this system, we also identified a group of molecules of which the expression is upregulated in specific blood vessels in the brain during stress, and antibodies against these molecules suppressed sudden death. We are also currently identifying marker candidates for autoreactive T cells in humans.
Masaaki Murakami Professor
