GROUP

Our group is developing next-generation organoid technologies and xenograft methodologies using human organ-derived cells, aiming to establish foundational platforms for physiological function analysis that were previously unattainable.
Typically, the use of human tissues in organoid research faces numerous constraints; however, by forming the “Organoid Consortium” in collaboration with ten clinical departments at Keio University Hospital, we are able to expedite the research ethics review process and accelerate research at the intersection of clinical and basic medicine. Practical collaboration is fostered through the development of tissue sampling methods that leverage clinical experience to obtain optimal cell sources for organoid establishment. The “Organoid Consortium” provides a foundation for young researchers and graduate students to conduct research that bridges basic and clinical medicine, promoting an integrated research environment and contributing to the training of the next generation of physician-scientists.

We have already established numerous endoderm-derived tissue stem cell organoids and archived them, along with analytical data, as an organoid biobank. By combining gene knockout methods and functional visualization technologies optimized for organoids with our biobank resources, we aim to drive mechanistic analysis research and advance the development of functional organoids.