I am interested in finding ways to make the acquisition of English and other foreign languages easier for Japanese learners. Therefore, my research focuses on acquisition of vocabulary and grammatical structures, and effective methods of education, including extensive reading and content-based instruction.

The cardiac synchronicity attracted attention because in human medicine prolongation of QRS duration is an independent prognostic factor of heart failure patients. It is believed that this is due to delayed electrical excitement of the ventricle, resulting in inefficient myocardial movement, which is supported by the benefical effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy. However, as a problem of cardiac resynchronization therapy, it is mentioned that there are many cases called non-responders. One of the methods for detecting this non-responder is mechanical dyssynchrony assessed by echocardiography. Dogs have electrical conduction systems similar to humans, and are often used as dyssynchronous model animals. I suspect that mechanical dyssynchrony assessed by echocardiography in dogs may be a factor that worsens the prognosis of heart disease? We are conducting research using clinical cases and model animals.

Reproductive success is an important factor directly related to management of domestic animal farms, and its improvement needs multi-approach from various directions, such as reproductive technique, hygiene management, feed,etc. From now, I would like to make studies aimed to solve the reproductive problems in the field, not only with cow ,but with small ruminants（goat, sheep, deer）and Japanese local horse.

Liife expectancy is getting longer in developed countries, which result in progressive increase in the number of elderly individuals. In parallel, the number of patients with neurodegenerative diseases that cannot yet be cured or significantly slowed, such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is increasing. The cytoplasmic aggregation and accumulation of the nuclear protein TAR DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) is a hallmark of FTD and ALS. TDP-43 action in the nucleus is essential for cellular homeostasis, and TDP-43 aggregation in the cytoplasm is toxic to cells. These findings indicate that TDP-43 accumulation in the cytoplasm mediates development of FTD and ALS. Notably, TDP-43 pathology in the affected region spread over brain and spinal cord simlar to prion diseases. However, the mechanism for cell-to-cell spreading of TDP-43 pathology has been unknown. We previously showed that macroautophagy, a cellular degradation system, suppress aggregate-prone TDP-43 accumulation. Thus, we examine whether dysregulation of macroautophagy develops TDP-43 pathology. For cure of neurodegenerative diseases such as FTD and ALS through suppression of TDP-43 pathology, we are working on fundamental reserach.

In general, tooth morphology has been used to identify mammalian fossils. Some groups of primates have very similar tooth morphology, and other external morphologies are also hard to use for identification. To overcome this issue, we are attempting to use the morphology of the calcaneus and astragalus, which have been used to classify higher taxa traditionally, to identify primates and their fossils.
We are also conducting the comparative anatomy of various animals, such as whether the unique blood vessels of specialized mammals, e.g.) cetaceans, are homologous which arteries of other mammals.

Vision is an essential sensory function for both humans and animals, playing a crucial role in daily life and closely related to quality of life. Uveitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the uveal tract within the eye. Progression of this condition can result in visual impairment or blindness. In canines, uveitis is recognized as a significant cause of vision loss, emphasizing the importance of early detection and appropriate treatment.
My research primarily focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the onset of uveitis, with the aim of identifying and evaluating novel therapeutic candidates. The anti-inflammatory properties of diverse chemical compounds are evaluated using research models meticulously designed with future clinical applications in mind.
The objective these studies are threefold: to establish new therapeutic strategies for uveitis; to protect visual function; and to contribute to the improvement of patients’ wuqlity of life.

To protect from viruses, animals including humans have acquired various innate immunity. However, viruses have also gotten the abilities to evade the host immune responses in order to efficiently propagate.
In the relation between viruses and host immune responses, I focus on the “programmed cell death”, which is the cell suicide to inhibit the infection to other cells, and “stress granule”, which is recently identified as the new host immune response. In the future, I’d like to investigate emerging infectious disease viruses to elucidate the viral survival-strategy against the host.

Breast tumor cells have various differentiation states, and it has been reported that clinical malignancy and prognosis vary depending on the differentiation stage. Therefore, it is very important to know the differentiation status of mammary tumors, but the mechanisms of tumor differentiation are still largely unknown. This research focuses on the function of type Ⅵ collagen in mammary tumor cell differentiation, mainly using canine mammary tumors. Many canine mammary gland tumors have luminal epithelial progenitor cell characteristics, and it is considered important to understand the differentiation mechanism of this characteristic. I am currently conducting histological and molecular biological research on the differentiation mechanism of breast tumors and related tissue morphology, focusing on various differentiation factors.

My research goal is to identify the impact of antimicrobial use in animals (farm animals & small animals) to the human population using various epidemiological methods, ranging from quantitative to molecular techniques. With the development of the sequencing technology, we will look into the whole-genome of the bacteria and microbiome derived from diverse animals and the environment. My other research interests are in developing epidemiologic data visualization and bacterial evolution analysis.
Image: Showing the prevalence of　antibiotic resistant Salmonella in cattle after the treatment with ceftiofur and chlortetracycline

In veterinary clinical practice, neoplastic diseases are important which is one of the leading causes of death. Furthermore, it is known that spontaneous tumors in companion animals which share a living environment with humans exhibit many characteristics in common with human tumors, and research on small animal tumor has the possibility to contribute to the medical field. However, biological characteristics of small animal tumor are largely unknown, and biological analyses to clarify the metabolic changes and gene and protein expression characteristic of tumors, as well as research for novel treatments, are under way. My research aims to analyze the biological characteristics of small animal tumors and explore novel therapeutic strategies such as immunotherapy.

Tumors in companion animals (e.g., dogs and cats) have been increased with the advances in veterinary medicine, reaching to the top cause of death. To overcome it, we need to understand their pathology, i.e., why they occur and how they progress. Currently, I am studying the mechanisms of tumor progression in various companion animal cancers, mainly focusing on canine mammary gland tumors or urothelial cancers, with molecular biological methods as well as state-of-art technology like comprehensive genetic analysis (e.g., microarray, RNA-seq, exome analysis, whole genome analysis), single-cell RNA-seq, or spatial transcriptomics. Also, I am working on the development of deep-learning-based artifical intelligence models with my expertise on bioinformatics to help diagnostic radiology.

The bone is essential for structural support of the body and protection of internal organs, and also provides mineral storage for metabolic homeostasis. Bone mass is regulated in a fine-tuned balance between bone formation and resorption, and breakdown of this balance leads to bone disorders characterized by alterd bone mass, such as osteoporosis and osteopetrosis. It has been established that osteoblasts and osteoclasts play critical roles in bone formation and resorption, respectively, and indeed dysfunction of these cells is involved in pathogenesis of alterd bone mass. I have been working on osteoclast. Recently, we reported steoclats specific actin-binding protein Profilin1 knockout (Pfn1-cKO) mice have skeletal dysplasia associated with osteopenia and Pfn1-cKO osteoclasts exhibit increased migration, indicating that Pfn1 protects mice from osteopenia and skeletal deformities by negatively regulating osteoclast migration (Kajikawa S. et al., JBMR PLUS (2018)). Now, I am working on regulatory mechanisms of osteoclast migration by Pfn1.

In mammals, auditory organ is composed of two types of hair cells, inner and outer hair cells, and various supporting cells. In contrast to the clear anatomical diversity of hair cells and supporting cells in mammals, the auditory organs of non-mammals show a simple structure in which hair cells and supporting cells are arranged in a row. I’m studying the evolution of the mammalian auditory system from a comparative anatomical perspective. In addition, I’m studying the molecules that are expressed characteristically in various types of supporting cells in order to elucidate the roles of each type of supporting cell in mammals.

Food hygiene is expected to more important due to HACCP and export of meat and marine product.
Pneumonia is a common disease in feedlot, and Mycoplasma bovis may be involved. The bacteria occur such as pneumonia, mastitis, and arthritis. Endocarditis, which causes lesions in the heart, is occasionally observed at slaughterhouses (Fig). The researches of adhesive factors for vaccine development leads to a stable supply of meat product.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC, STEC), Salmonella, Campylobacter,which are known to be food poisoning, are tested at the Meat Inspection Center. The study of food microbiology that have attracted attention in recent years, such as Clostridium perfringens and Listeria monocytogenes, makes to improve food safety.

The number of patients with type 2 diabetes is projected to increase from about 400 million to about 600 million by 2040, and hypertension affects about 1.4 billion people worldwide. It has also been reported that about 85% of type 2 diabetes patients develop hypertension by the age of 50, and about 50% of hypertensive patients develop type 2 diabetes, so there are many patients with both hypertension and diabetes. Functional abnormalities and structural changes in large blood vessels such as the aorta, small blood vessels such as capillaries, and lymphatic vessels are associated with the pathogenesis of hypertension and diabetes. Using genetically engineered animals, excised blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, and cultured cells, I am investigating the pathogenesis of hypertension and diabetes using molecular biological techniques, with the aim of developing new therapeutic agents.

I am working for research on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of dermatosis and ear diseases in companion animals (dogs, cats and exotic pet animals). Furthermore, I am focusing on research on the treatment of infestation by fleas, ticks and Demodex mites. With regard to preventive veterinary medicine, the survey on the prevalence of infectious diseases in dogs and cats and further pharmacoepidemiological studies on vaccines, prophylactics for dirofilariasis, and ectoparasiticides for dogs and cats.

In recent years, advances in high-precision radiotherapy and image-guided technologies have improved the balance between tumor control and normal tissue preservation in veterinary medicine. However, compared with human medicine, the number of clinical cases remains limited due to constraints such as general anesthesia and cost. In addition, differences in long-term follow-up further constrain data availability. Consequently, evidence regarding the evaluation and prediction of radiation effects, particularly late adverse effects, remains insufficient.
In human medicine, image analysis with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiomics, and genomic information is used to assess therapeutic efficacy and the risk of radiation effects, and to inform treatment planning, thereby contributing to the ongoing development of personalized radiation therapy. In contrast, veterinary medicine still relies primarily on evaluations based on radiation dose and clinical outcomes, and quantitative imaging-based assessments as well as integrative multi-factor analyses remain underdeveloped.
Against this background, we have conducted research on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using MRI and are exploring its clinical applications for optimizing treatment planning and evaluating and predicting radiation effects.

In order to conduct animal experiments with due consideration for animal welfare, we are improving to improve experimental techniques and management methods for experimental animals, and the breeding environment. Since we humans and animals can only communicate non-verbally, we are interested in assessing the needs of animals. We are studying pain assessment and temperature management in postoperative mice by setting up an environment that is selective for the animals.
We also view dog walking as a “joint activity between owner and dog,” and research the health promotion of dogs and their owners through dog walking. Dog walking have been reported to have a positive effects on the physical and mental health of dogs and their owners. We are currently researching heat stroke prevention for dog owners and dogs during dog walking from the perspective of safe health promotion.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the major causative diseases for dementia. Characteristic AD pathology, such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, are observed in aged animal brains, suggesting that AD pathology would be the sign of brain aging. Zoobiquity is an approach to investigate and treat diseases without any distinction of species. I have been working on the studies to clarify the mechanism of brain aging and the pathogenesis of AD by using nonhuman primates. I am also interested in how neuronal activities affect membrane traffic system in neural cells.

It is important to understand the physiology and behavior of livestock in relation to their environment, and to manage animal husbandry according to their needs. This is intended to maximize the productivity of livestock. From the livestock keeper point of view, it is important to increase labor productivity by saving labor, and it is essential to harmonize the requirements of livestock and their keepers.