HOME > Outline of our research > Laboratory of Medical Genomics
Outline of our achievements
Laboratory of Medical Gemonics
About our research
Purpose of our research
Elucidation of the human genome structure is expected to solve various human health problems. However, many hurdles need to be overcome before this ultimate goal can be achieved. The main purpose of our research is to overcome the hurdles by obtaining comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying human diseases, particularly immune and allergic diseases, by using advanced genomics.
Features of our research
To date, we have analyzed more than 2,000 genes, and have developed antibodies against the proteins encoded by these genes. In an attempt to make the benefits of this research available to the society, we have worked in close collaboration with clinicians and medical scientists to diagnose and/or treat various diseases by exploiting the genomic data and resources.
Expected fields of application
If we succeed in developing gene-based therapeutic/diagnosis methods and in making a reagent kit for these applications publicly available, we can greatly contribute to the concept of personalized medicine, in which patients will be prescribed medicines on the basis of their individual genomic data. This would ensure that individual patients receive medicines that are most appropriate for them. In addition to the diseases that we are currently studying, we are establishing collaborations with other medical researchers to combat other diseases. With the help of these collaborations, we expect to develop new medicines and more efficient diagnostic methods for various diseases, such as allergies, chronic inflammation, and cancer.
Our research projects
- Analysis of primary immunodeficiency.
- Search for biomarkers useful for predicting the therapeutic efficacy of treatments for immunological diseases.
- Establishment of new technologies to search for biomarkers.
Primary immunodeficiency (PID) is a serious disease caused by a genetic disorder; patients with PID show immune dysfunction and are thus susceptible to infection by a variety of pathogens. More than 200 causative genes for PID have been identified to date, but for most of these genes, the mechanisms of disease onset remain unclear. Therefore, besides carrying out the PID genetic tests for patients, we, in collaboration with medical universities and colleges, are studying the mechanisms underlying PID.
By analysis of patient samples, we aim to identify biomarkers that are useful for predicting the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. At present, we, in close collaboration with Chiba University, are studying sublingual immunotherapy for cedar pollinosis, antibody therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, and immune cell therapy for cancer.
To implement the findings of our previous studies into a practical device, we have developed whole blood pretreatment chips that are capable of separating blood cells from a minute amount of whole blood and determining the levels of specific biomarkers in the plasma. These systems will be used to search for protein biomarkers and, in combination with other systems, for the genes encoding the biomarkers. This project is undertaken in collaboration with academic and industrial groups.