1. Members

Project leader	Jun Kunisawa
Senior researcher	Takahiro Nagatake
Project researcher	Hidehiko Suzuki, Ayu Matsunaga
Visiting Researcher	Koji Hosomi, Ichiro Takahashi, Takahiro Adachi, Yosuke Kurashima, Keisuke Tachibana, Yuta Tsunematsu, Michio Sato, Sino Yamasaki, Chika Honda, Rie Tomizawa, Chiaki Matsuzaki, Yoshiko Aihara, Yuichiro Hirayama, Mariko Kamioka, Yuka Sasakawa, Yumi Itoh, Akari Kominami, Michiyo Abe, Keiichi Ishido, Yasunori Yonejima, Hiroshi Horita, Toshio Fujimura, Hidenori Shimizu, Shigeki Okamoto, Mayu Saito, Yoshimasa Oka, Chiaki Tomimoto, Sotaro Hamakita, Satoru Ishikawa, Shota Kajiyama, Hiroji Kitahira, Yuki Shimada, Kanjyun Matsuoka, Sayaka Oki, Noriyuki Ikeda, Tetsuo Takagi, Akiko Ogawa, Koji Masuda, Shogo Tsujino, Osamu Kanauchi, Masaya Kanayama, Yasuyuki Tomita, Yukiko Kato, Koichiro Suzuki, Hitomi Asazawa, Tsubasa Matsuoka, Mao Nishimura, Yuka Goto
Research Trainee	Natsuko Matsumoto, Aiko Yonezawa, Yasuharu Takahashi, Tokiko Tabata, Takehiro Otoshi, Haruna Sasaki, Yuki Miyoshi, Akemi Hirasawa, Rio Kuroda, Kazunari Yamaoka, Shinichi Maeda, Maho Nakada, Atsuro Minami, Ryota Tamafune, Fumi Higashiguchi
Graduate Student	Soichiro Hirata, Azusa Saika, Kento Sawane, Lan Huangwenxian, Yuki Shibata, Wan Yunru, Ken Yoshii
Technical Assistant	Sakiko Morimoto, Tomomi Nishino, Yoko Tojima, Mari Furuta
Secretary	Takako Minamoto

2. Background and Objectives

Materials such as antigen delivery system, adjuvant, immunomodulator are required for the development of vaccines, immunotherapy, and functional foods. The aims of Laboratory of Vaccine Materials are to understand the host immunity controlled by gut environment such as commensal or pathogenic microorganisms and diets and to apply the basic findings to the development of vaccines, immunotherapy, and functional foods.

3. Overview of our research

1. The development of effective vaccine materials based on the unique functions of commensal and pathogenic microorganisms

This project aims to reveal the immunological function of commensal and pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Alcaligenes and C. perfringens) and apply their functional molecules to vaccine materials (e.g., vaccine delivery and adjuvant) to promote active or quiescent immunity without disrupting immunological homeostasis.

2. Elucidation of unique features of mucosal immune system controlled by diets

As diets, the lab focuses on oils and vitamins et al. As the basic research, we have examined immunologic functions of dietary oils as a source of lipid mediators and have identified some good mediators for the control of allergic and inflammatory diseases. We are currently trying to translate them to the development of functional foods and medicine. In vitamin project, we have reported specific functions of some vitamins (vitamin A and B family) as a key regulator of particular type of immune responses and are currently expanding the studies to examine other vitamin-mediated immunologic functions.

Laboratory of Vaccine Materials

Website	http://www.nibiohn.go.jp/vaccine_material_project/english/
E-mail	kunisawa[at]nibiohn.go.jp