Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy
Division of Biochemistry
The Hase Laboratory
All diseases begin in the gut
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said, "All disease begins in the gut." The Hase lab is an academic research laboratory at the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy, located in downtown Minato-ku, Tokyo. Our work particularly emphasizes gut immunity and commensal bacteria. Our overarching goal is to understand the mechanism of disease development that begins in the gut.
In recent years, the number of patients with immunologic allergic diseases such as hay fever, food allergy, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease has increased every year. Abnormalities of the intestinal bacteria and the immune system are deeply involved in these diseases. In addition, cytokine storm, an overactivation of the immune system, is deeply involved in the severe disease of COVID-19. Our laboratory aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of various systemic diseases that originate in the intestinal tract, i.e. the molecular mechanisms of "disease starts in the gut".
Projects
Elucidation of immune and metabolic control mechanisms by intestinal bacteria and diet
As many as 40 trillion bacteria live in the human intestinal tract. This state of friendly coexistence between intestinal microorganisms and host cells is called "intestinal symbiosis. We are working to elucidate the impact of intestinal bacteria and nutritional signals on the intestinal immune system and their regulatory mechanisms.
Research topics
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Immunomodulatory Mechanisms by Intestinal Metabolites
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Searching for novel metabolites that suppress inflammation and obesity
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Regulation of lymphocyte dynamics by fasting
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Drug development targeting intestinal bacteria
Elucidation of disease mechanisms caused by intestinal bacteria and intestinal immune abnormalities
Abnormalities in intestinal bacteria cause various diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes, but the pathogenesis mechanisms of these diseases are unknown. Therefore, we aim to elucidate "Diseases start from the gut" through integrated analysis of various omics data such as microbiome, transcriptome, and epigenome.
Research topics
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The effects of intestinal bacteria on fetal development
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) pathogenesis by intestinal metabolites
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IgA nephropathy development by leaky gut
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The regulatory mechanism of the uterine immune system by single-cell transcriptome analysis
Microbe-host interactions originating from specialized epithelial M cells
The mucous membranes of the intestinal tract and respiratory tract contain large amounts of substances that are antigens. The intestinal tract has a barrier to prevent these substances from entering the body on their own. However, "M cells" activate the immune system by taking in antigens. This uptake mechanism is deeply related to inflammation and allergy. This research aims to clarify the function of M cells and to understand the regulatory mechanism of immunity.
Research topics
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Respiratory M Cells in Hay Fever
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M cell-dependent antigen uptake in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases