Research Field

Research in our laboratory primarily focus on investigating alterations in human T-cell from healthy and patients with cancers and autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Especially we are exploring the mechanism how IL-7Rαlow CD8+ T cells have defect in TCR signaling and their physiological significance through infection or tumor models. Immunotherapy in cancer, which has recently been attracting attention, can be strengthened by regulating tumor-specific T-cell function and regulating the tumor microenvironment. In this regard, we intend to investigate how metabolites and metabolic pathway reprogramming regulate the differentiation and function of CD8+ T cells in both healthy and disease condition such as infection and tumors. In order to broaden the understanding of the differentiation and function of immune cells, we have setup ATAC-Seq to analyze chromatin openness as an epigenetic tool. Recently, we have developed a marker that predicts the response to PD-1 therapy in gastric cancer patients with ATAC-Seq. Lastly, we try to understand whether inflammation (including metabolite) or topographical surface properties modulate the differentiation of stem cells. Overall, our research aims to uncover unknown factors and mechanism affecting the immune system and ultimately contributes to its clinical use for disease prevention and therapy.

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Keyword

Function/differentiation of memory CD8+ T cells, T-cell anergy, Immune modulation by metabolites/metabolism, Immune-oncology, Mechanobiology (surface topology)