Background and Objectives

  When pathogenic bacteria or viruses　invade our body, the immune system responds and eliminates them. The inadequate response of the immune system will lead to infectious diseases. On the other hand, an excessive immune response may cause autoimmune diseases. Therefore, the appropriate intensity of the immune response is essential for our health.
  Dendritic cells capture the invaded pathogen, process them and present the pathogen-derived antigen peptides to T cells using MHC molecule. The antigen presentation induces activation of T cells and initiates pathogen-specific immune responses. Dendritic cells induce an immune response against tumor cells by presenting tumor-derived antigens to eliminate the tumor cells. In addition, T cell activation by dendritic cells is necessary for immune memory to prevent re-infection of the pathogens. Therefore, to clarify the activation and regulation mechanism of the immune response by dendritic cells is important in disease treatment and vaccine development.

Our activity

  To elucidate the regulatory mechanism of the immune response, we focus on the intracellular transport of antigen-presenting molecules and pathogen-derived antigens in dendritic cells. By targeting dendritic cell-mediated immune responses, we are willing to develop novel vaccines and medicines against infectious diseases and tumors.