Department of
Laboratory Medicine
Representative:
Professor Katsunori Yanagihara
| Outline |
|---|
|
Our interesting is clinical and basic research in the field of infectious diseases and virus-related diseases. The rapid and accurate diagnosis of microorganisms and their drug-resistant mechanisms will contribute to appropriate treatment for patients with infectious diseases as well as infection control. We are trying to detect emerging microorganisms such as multiple drug-resistant bacteria, toxigenic bacteria and unculturable bacteria with using molecular methods. We have actively adopted cutting-edge diagnostic tools for clinical microbiology and provided evidences of their clinical advantages. Currently, we have MALDI-TOF MS and several automatic molecular diagnosis systems, and continuously evaluate the clinical benefits of these devices. Another project is to evaluate the efficacies of novel antibiotics as well as alternative/adjuvant agents. To fight drug-resistant and life-threatening bacteria, we provide basic evidences of new therapies using in vivo and in vitro methods. We are also interested in the understanding the development of infectious diseases and their progress of severity. To approach these tasks, we are challenging to reveal unknown mechanisms focusing on the role of commensal bacteria through the analysis of microbiome. Our laboratory is one of the oldest laboratories researching HTLV-1 virus and adult T-cell leukemia because our facility is located in the HTLV-1 highly endemic region. We have a lot of questions about HTLV-1-related diseases; “How provirus controls the progression of disease?”, “What is the key trigger of the development of disease?” To reveal the pathological mechanisms of HTLV-1-related diseases, we diagnose each case and discuss its clinical and laboratory findings collaborating with department of hematology. We are also studying anti-tumoral effects of novel compounds and their mechanisms including cell death and cell signaling pathways. Currently, many medical doctors from other laboratories/facilities, students and practitioners are studying in our laboratory. We have also accepted people from foreign countries. We warmly welcome studying and collaborating with us! |
