Our
group is working on Microbiology and Immunology to elucidate
the "molecular" mechanism of viral replication "in
vivo". We focus on HIV, a representative virus
inducing chronic persistent infection. Our current projects
are clarification of AIDS pathogenesis and development of an
AIDS vaccine.
Most well-known pathogenic viruses exhibit their pathogenic
characteristics in the presence of innate immune responses
but are contained by acquired immune responses. In HIV
infections, however, acquired immune responses fail to
control viremia and allow persistent viral replication
leading to AIDS progression. For clarifying the mechanism of
persistent viral replication and developing an effective
AIDS vaccine interfering with its establishment, we are
working on acquired immune responses in non-human primate
AIDS models of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)
infections.
We have been studying cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses
that are crucial for HIV control and developed a recombinant
Sendai virus (SeV) vector vaccine regimen that efficiently
elicits virus-specific CTL responses. A preclinical trial of
this vaccine system has, for the first time, shown that CTL
memory induction by prophylactic vaccination can result in
control of an SIV challenge. Analysis of major
histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotypes found a group of
macaques showing vaccine-based control of SIV replication.
Taking advantage of this novel system, we are now trying to
elucidate the immune mechanism for HIV control and analyzing
viral genome evolution as a result of the interplay between
the virus and the host. These studies contribute to
establishment of our AIDS vaccine system leading to its
clinical trial.
Our non-human primate experiments are performed at Tsukuba
Primate Research Center, National Institute of Biomedical
Innovation, and Institute for Virus Research. Kyoto
University. The macaque MHC analysis is proceeding in
collaboration with Prof. Akinori Kimura in Tokyo Medical and
Dental University and Prof. Masaaki Miyazawa in Kinki
University. The AIDS vaccine development research using SeV
vectors is proceeding in collaboration with ID Phama Co,.
Ltd. and International AIDS Vaccine Initiatives.
• Toward Global HIV control
>> to the Website, "Message, AIDS Research Center"
• An international collaborative project toward a clinical trial of an AIDS vaccine (IAVI, ID Pharma)
>> AIDS Vaccine Development in Japan
• Introduction of laboratory in CBMS, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
(CBMS: Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences)
