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- [Fine Particles] Year Started : 2017
Professor
Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences
Hiroshima University
Almost all cells in the human body have “micro-hairs” called primary cilia. In this study, I will reveal what organs small particles released from the primary cilia to the extracellular space or lumen target in the body. I will also examine how the targets of the particles alter when the condition of the body changes like obesity and aging. Based on what I learned through this study, I aim to develop new technologies that are useful in medical and industrial fields, trying to manipulate the particles through modifying their contents to control the target of the particle.
Chief
Division of Cancer Cell Regulation
Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute
Exosomes are small membrane vesicles that are believed to play important roles in intercellular communications. The amount and composition of exosomes vary depending on the physiological state of cells such as diseases, but the mechanism has not been established. In this project, we will try to develop a new analytical method of exosomes and clarify the mechanisms underlying the regulation of exosome biogenesis by identifying and analyzing the molecules responsible for exosome formation and encapsulation.
Researcher
Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo
This project aims to develop single-exosome transcriptome analysis by using barcoded nucleotides capable of identifying hundreds of thousands of single exosomes to realize comprehensive analysis of RNA-sequencing in the single exosomes.
Professor and Chairman
Department of Immunology
Hyogo College of Medicine
Fine particles around us are known to affect immune responses. Especially, inhaled particulate matters such as PM2.5 are thought to induce allergic inflammation though the preferential activation of immune responses. However, underlying mechanisms of immune modulation by fine particles are still unclear. In this project, I investigate the mechanisms of action of inhaled fine particle on immune responses using fine particle-induced allergic inflammation model.
Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Medicine
The University of Tokyo
Exosomes are attracting considerable attention as a new class of drug delivery vesicles. It has however, been difficult to achieve delivery of exosomes with minimal off-target delivery. In this study, I will establish a novel high-throughput assay to assess the performance of various exosome-targeting constructs that allows for monitoring of multiple-multiple interactions in vivo. Through this assay, I try to precisely understand and control behavior of exosomes in vivo.
Project Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
The University of Tokyo
Endogenous fine particles are expected to be an important carrier for intercellular communication, but the dynamics of their production from individual cells is not well understood. In this project, I develop the microscopic platform to observe the whole process regarding endogenous fine particles in individual cells, such as intracellular formation, extracellular release and intercellular delivery with single particle resolution in real-time. This technology will be applied for many types of endogenous particles including exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies to elucidate the differences among these in production dynamics, features of individual vesicles and functional aspect for recipient cells.
Project Leader
Cancer institute
Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
In order to understand the physiological role of free nucleic acid fragments (fNAFs) within exosomes secreted from senescent cells, I try to investigate the molecular mechanism of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) induction by fNAFs. My goal is to provide new insights into the biological function of extracellular fine particles and the effects on aging and age-associated pathology, thereby enabling its control in future.
Lecturer
Life Science Research Institute
Kindai University
Protein misfolding and aggregation are associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. To develop therapeutics for such diseases, we need to understand how misfolding and aggregation of disease proteins occur in our body, and how we tackle to prevent such unwanted events. In this study, I will focus on the roles of extracellular vesicles (EV) on protein homeostasis, and perform multiple experiments to elucidate how we suppress protein aggregation by utilizing EV secretion and transmission. This study will provide basic knowledge beneficial for development of therapies and diagnostics for brain diseases and dementia.
Professor
College of Pharmacy
Ritsumeikan University
The inhalation of silica, asbestos, or carbon nanotubes could cause severe diseases such as fibrosis and cancer, which are triggered by macrophage inflammatory responses. However, it largely remains unknown how macrophages recognize and internalize these harmful particles. In this project, by using an interdisciplinary approach, I will identify the macrophage receptor for particles, and reveal the molecular mechanism underlying particle-induced inflammatory diseases.
Professor
Faculty of Life Sciences
Kumamoto University
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been gaining immense interest in recent years as experimental evidence has shown that EVs secreted from cancer cells can modulate the host immune response and contribute to the progression of cancer. In this study, I will characterize the immunostimulatory properties of EVs and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of biogenesis and regulation of such EVs. The major goals of this project are to provide scientific bases to validate EVs as cancer therapy targets, and to develop cancer immunotherapy targeting immunostimulatory EVs.
Associate Professor
Faculty of Life Sciences
Kumamoto University
We previously identified the receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) as a target for transcriptional activation via the lineage-survival oncogene TTF-1 in lung adenocarcinoma. ROR1 facilitates the interaction of CAVIN1 and CAV1 at the plasma membrane in a kinase activity-independent manner, which in turn sustains caveolae formation and pro-survival signaling towards AKT through multiple RTKs such as EGFR, MET and IGF-IR, via its scaffold function for CAVIN1 and CAV1 in lung cancer. In this project, we focus on the role of ROR1 in formation mechanism of endogenous fine particles in lung adenocarcinoma. The goal of this project is to elucidate the dynamics and functions of endogenous fine particles in lung cancer, and then to understand the biological phenomena caused by fine particles.
Assistant Professor
Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering
Kyushu University
Realizing a novel sensing method enabling simultaneous analysis for “shape” and “chemical composition” of just single bionanoparticles is the main mission in this project. Understanding correlations between shape and chemical composition of the particles allows us to ravel the particle functions in our body. Exosome is one of the most important targets from a perspective of this study.