In dogs and cats, morbidity of heart disease is very high. My research are investigation of the pathology, examination of new therapy and the methods of early diagnosis.

In Imaging diagnosis of veterinary, The development of diagnostic imaging apparatuses is remarkable. Cntast CT and contast ultrasound were applied to the differential diagnosis of lhepatic and splenic tumors. In MRI, various special methods are used for the application of diagnosis tiool of various disease. I study the new image diagostic tool and determining the most suitable imaging method of various diseases.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease based on chronic inflammation in synovium. Since RA is a relatively common disease in human, there are many studies on its pathogenesis, and recently we can control RA with biological drugs or small molecular compounds. Dogs may develop a disease similar to that of human, also known as canine rheumatoid arthritis (cRA). However, since there are few studies on its pathophysiology, most dogs with cRA take only symptomatic treatment, and joint structures are irrevocably destroyed. I am studying to elucidate the inducer of inflammation in cRA, identification of early diagnostic marker, and development of new therapeutic drug.
I am also studying the Wnt5a antagonist Sfrp5. Sfrp5 is an adipokine that regulates the metabolism of adipocytes. We already found that Sfrp5 regulates not only adipocytes but also osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In other words, fat tissue may control bone. I am studying the mechanisms how Sfrp5 regulates bone.

Smooth muscle composes a muscular layer in various organs, such as blood vessels, gastrointestinal tracts, bladder, uterus, etc. in the vertablate body. It plays important roles in many life stages from birth to death. To achieve different roles in different locations, each smooth muscle has unique regulatory mechanisms of contraction and relaxation. For example, renal arteriolar smooth muscle, which regulates blood flow in the kidney, contracts in response to a vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II by activating molecular motor in the cells. On the other hand, another vasoconstrictor, endothelin 1, induces abnormal contraction in the arteriole by excessively activating the motor. I hve been studying the molecular mechanisms of smooth muscle contractions, especilly in the renal arterioles.

To explore my interest using a molecular biology approach, we employ novel transgenic animal models and ex vivo or in vitro systems such as isolated vessel and cell culture.
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality. In particular, the prevalence of hypertension is high and increasing (American Heart Association). To understand the mechanism of outbreak and molecular alterations in hypertension, we examine how genes regulate organ function related to regulating blood pressure including vessel, heart, kidney and brain using transgenic model.
Gut microbiome research is becoming the key to better understanding physiology and pathology. Clinical evidence is accumulating for a role of the microbiome in contributing to aging and inflammtory disorder. We try to find how microbiome affects body.

Reproductive disorders in cows are major health and financial problems on farm. Endometritis and ovarian dysfunction such as cystic ovarian disease, ovarian quiescence, and ovulation failure often occur concurrently in cows. We have demonstrated that lipopolysaccharides (LPS) produced by Gram-negative bacteria suppress the function of granulosa cells in follicles, leading to ovarian dysfunction in cows.
It is our firm belief that further investigation for this mechanism are needed to enhance reproductive performance and support veterinarians on farm.

　About 1/2 of Japanese people develop cancer, and about 1/3 of them are said to die from cancer, and overcoming cancer is a human task. Especially, colon cancer is increasing in Japan. In order to improve the prognosis of colorectal cancer, it is necessary to clarify the detailed mechanism of onset and malignancy of colorectal cancer and to identify new therapeutic targets. I am focusing on cancer stem cells as a target for that purpose. We aim to clarify the role of protein phosphatases in the control mechanism of cancer stem cells and to develop novel therapeutic strategies for colon cancer.

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.

Veterinary pathology is the study of the causes of animal diseases and the study of their mechanisms. The results revealed by veterinary pathology are returned to clinical practice to help diagnose and treat animal diseases. Although our research targets all kinds of animals other than humans, we also contribute to the human medicine through basic research using laboratory animals.
I have experience in pathological diagnosis in a variety of animals, including companion animals, industrial animals, laboratory animals, wild animals, exotic animals, zoo and aquarium animals, fish, and invertebrates. I aim to identify issues from spontaneous diseases seen in various animals and to conduct research that can be fed back to clinical practice. At the same time, I will develop basic research using experimental pathological methods.

There are many disease for which the mechanism has not been elucidated yet and there are not cure. In paticular, the treatment of heart diseases and kidney diseases which are common at elderly animals, are often “care”, not “cure”. I am currently conducting researches on the mechanism of these deseases (e.g. moleculer, signaling, genetic etc…) for new “cure” treatment methods.
Furthermore, I concentrate my efforts on developing method of veterinary education and postgraduate education.

Chronic exposure to psychological stress leads to increased levels of hormones and cytokines, including glucocorticoids, in the blood or brain tissue. These substances may be involved in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders such as depression. To study the chronic effects of glucocorticoids on the nervous system, we are creating animal models of depression to identify useful targets for the treatment of depression. Steroid hormones are also known to protect nerve cells (neuroprotection) and I am investigating how this action is altered in the pathogenesis of depression and whether it can be used to develop treatments.

In Japan, average lifespan has grown significantly, but healthy lifespan has not. This indicates a substantial population of elderly individuals requiring long-term care. Musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. osteoporosis and sarcopenia) are prominent causes of needing care. In these conditions, decreased mobility leads to an increased risk of falls and fractures. Prolonged immobility during treatment exacerbates the decline in mobility. Extended periods of immobility often result in a high incidence of bedridden, which can trigger the onset of dementia. Therefore, addressing musculoskeletal disorders is crucial not only for reducing daily burdens but also for preventing the cascade progression to falls, fractures, bedridden status, and dementia.
While exercise is effective in maintaining musculoskeletal health, there are concerns about traumatic injury by engaging in training, potentially leading to further decline in mobility. Drug therapy holds promise as a treatment option, and tremendous efforts have been made for developing novel drugs; however, the creation of effective therapeutic drugs has yet to be achieved.
This study aims to explore compounds that activate cells composing bones and muscles, with the ultimate goal of creating innovative therapeutic drugs for musculoskeletal disorders.

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.

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.

I aim to understand and evaluate the physical and mental conditions of livestock animals from the viewpoints of physiology and behavior, and to construct a rearing environment in which livestock animals can maximize their potential. In particular, we are conducting research on the effects of temperature on livestock animals and examining ways to supply healthy, safe, and high-quality livestock products to people even under climate change caused by global warming.

I am studying the effects of radiation therapy in veterinary medicine. We are also investigating the possibility of using sensors to detect animal behavior and applying this to clinical practice.

Pathology is the study to investigate the causes and mechanisms of wide variety of diseases.
My activities involve;
■Diagnostic pathology of various animal species especially companion animals.
■”Cosmetic autopsy”: this is an animal-owner-friendly procedure while maintaining scientific/medical robustness.
■Establishment of veterinary forensic science in Japan.
■International cooperation: I used to work in Laos (in Southeast Asia) for 3 years as JICA volunteer and in US for 3 years as veterinary pathology resident at Purdue University (in Indiana). Living abroad is always fun and challenging!
■Development of new career path for veterinary students.