Research Institute for
Biomedical Sciences

Message from the Director

The Research Institute for Biological Sciences was established in 1989 at the Tokyo University of Sciences to facilitate research and education in biomedical sciences.

Unique innovative projects, especially in the field of biomaterial science, were conducted in our institute. In 1995, Professor Tomio Tada, the founder of immunology in Japan, was invited to become the director; under his leadership, the research institute developed as a well-known international research center for immunology. Rapid progress in biomedical sciences, genetics of higher animals, analytical methods, and molecular biology has facilitated cross-border sciences in various fields. This situation has also led to reorganization of our institute. Over the last 10 years, the institute’s research field has also expanded to medical and translational sciences, as reflected in its new name, the Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences in 2012, and in the formation of the Center for Animal Disease Models in 2013. In 2014, our university formulated a strategy to enhance research activities by setting four priority areas of research field including medical and life science, and fully promoting original research.

In accordance with this policy, and with strong support by the university, our institute has launched a new division, named the Division of Biomedical Technology, in collaboration with other faculties in our university, and the National Cancer Center, by using a cross appointment system.

To further promote joint research, and to widen collaboration with other institutions, the Division of Collaborative Research was renamed the Division of Integrated Research in April 2020, and its activities have been further expedited. In addition to research of immunology, we aim to promote basic research, including embryology, neurology and inflammation, and to conduct a wide range of medical research for cancer and intractable diseases. In addition, to enhance our research activities with government and private funding, we invited a research group with significant achievements in translational research to work with us, and in April 2018, we established a new division: the Division of Molecular Regulation of Inflammatory and Immune Diseases.

These are obviously new challenges for our institute. Thus, the Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences has been changing and developing. Whereas applied sciences and translational research are clearly important, understanding of basic biological processes is often fruitful in unexpected ways. Accordingly, our institute must continuously develop as a hub for biomedical investigations, in our university and beyond. The Graduate School of Biological Sciences has been established as an attached school to the institute, and it has masters and doctoral programs in the biological sciences, and we enroll 20 to 30 students each year.

The most important principles of our institute are curiosity, respect for life, and sympathy to human suffering, and in the Graduate School of Biological Sciences, we aim to produce researchers and engineers who understand these principles.

OCHIAI Atsushi

Director, Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences
Profile

Division Groups

Division of Immunology and Allergy
This division focuses on the development and function of the immune system. We are working on the mechanisms of differentiation,regeneration and tumorigenesis of the immune cells. These studies will lead to the development of the novel regenerative immunotherapy.
Division of Cancer Cell Biology
Cancer cells arise from normal cells through genetic insults and are hallmarked by overgrowth and invasive/metastatic abilities.Cancer cells are affected by surrounding normal cells and immune system.This research division aims to uncover the nature of cell growth, differentiation, genetic and metabolic regulation of the cells in such abnormal-normal cell society.
Division of Biosignaling
This division seeks to understand a variety of biological functions in brain and immunity from the viewpoint that living organisms are multi-layered complex systems.To this aim, we are collecting, analyzing, and integrating multimodal data obtained by advanced measurement techniques and visualization tools.
Division of Cell Fate Regulation
The mission of our division is to understand the alteration and regulation of life & cell-fate by investigating them at each of multiple chronological stages, and at each scales between biomolecules, genome, RNA, protein, cell, tissue, and a living organism.
Division of Molecular Pathology
This research division seeks to understand a picture of the homeostatic regulation by cytokines. Aberrations of the cytokine system is known to tightly associate with various immunological disorders. Our ultimate goal is to understand cytokine biology to control immune responses. This can be a powerful way to control disease.Therefore, this division pursues research investigating the mechanisms underlying the cytokine related pathogenic situations, including infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and allergy.
Division of Molecular Regulation of Inflammatory and Immune Diseases
Clinical development of therapeutics based on basic research for intractable inflammatory and immune diseases, particularly chronic inflammation-associated organ fibrosis and cancer.
Division of Experimental Animal Immunology
Animal disease models generated by gene modification techniques are useful to analyze the pathological roles of a gene in diseases.Using these disease models, we are trying to develop new therapeutics to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases by targeting cytokines and C-type lectin receptors.
Division of Biomedical Technology
A project laboratory is set in NEXT Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cancer Center(NCC)Hospital East, which is equipped with common research facilities of TUS and NCC. Proper research staff members of the laboratory (cross appointment assistant professors) are also affiliated to both TUS and NCC. By the direct collaboration between academic researchers and medical doctors, we are developing innovative medical devices for realizing "hyper-assisted medical care" that assists medical care with "abilities beyond human skil".
Divison of Integrated Research
Our division researches together with other faculties on campus, other research institutes, and industries to promote advanced interdisciplinary collaborative research. To achieve our mission, we maintain an animal facility with high quality and support to create the genetically modified mice. We also provide the various advanced and well-maintained equipment, and the research space in our insitute.

List of Faculty Members

Director OCHIAI Atsushi
Division of
Immunobiology and Allergy		 Professor IKAWA Tomokatsu
Assistant Professor

SHIGEHIRO Tsukasa
Assistant Professor HIRAKAWA Mayumi
Associate Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 NAKAMURA Yoshikazu
Division of
Cancer Cell Biology		 Professor KITAMURA Daisuke
Junior Associate Professor KON Shunsuke
Assistant Professor TENNO Mari
Assistant Professor KONNO Masamitsu
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 AOKI Shin
Associate Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 HARADA Yohsuke
Division of
Biosignaling		 Professor NAKAMURA Takeshi
Associate Professor KOZONO Haruo
Assistant Professor

KOINUMA Shingo
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 WADA Naoyuki
Division of
Cell Fate Regulation		 Professor GOITSUKA Ryo
Associate Professor SAKURAI Masayuki
Assistant Professor MIZUNOE Yuuhei
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 HIGAMI Yoshikazu
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 WADA Takeshi
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 TORIGOE Hidetaka
Division of
Molecular Pathology		 Professor KUBO Masato
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 MIYAZAKI Satoru
Associate Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 MASAIKE Tomoko
Division of
Molecular Regulation of
Inflammatory and
Immune Diseases		 Professor

MATSUSHIMA Kouji
Associate Professor UEHA Satoshi
Junior Associate Professor

TERASHIMA Yuya
Assistant Professor SHICHINO Shigeyuki
Assistant Professor

CHANDRASEKAR Balachandran
Division of Experimental
Animal Immunology		 Professor IWAKURA Yoichiro
Assistant Professor CHUNG Soo-Hyun
Division of
Biomedical Technology		 Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 TAKEMURA Hiroshi
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 SOGA Kohei
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 HAYASE Masanori
Professor
(Concurrent faculty)		 YASUMORI Atsuo
Assistant Professor

TAKAMATSU Toshihiro
Assistant Professor

DOAN Thi Kim Dung
Divison of
Integrated Research		 Professor OCHIAI Atsushi
Associate Professor HAENO Hiroshi
Junior Associate Professor OGAWA Shuhei
Shared equipment Technical Assistant

HARA Yasushi

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