Vision is indispensable sense “veterinary ophthalmology”, as visual information obtained by seeing the objects is important for us.
However, the “visual acuity” examination using the Landolt’s ring like a human (mark like “C” in the alphabet) is impossible in dogs and cats and other animals. So how do you determine the animal’s visual acuity?
One method is to measure brain waves called “visual evoked potentials (VEP)” and evaluate whether the brain recognized the targets.
We are developing “Visual Evaluation Methods of Animals” using “electrophysiological exams of vision”, including VEP measurement.
We suppose that highly accurate visual assessment of animals will allow us to better diagnose and treat ophthalmic disorders in areas essential to constitute the vision of the cornea, lens, retina, etc. in the eye.

In addition, our laboratory uses ophthalmologic examination equipment such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), which has developed remarkably in recent years, in clinical veterinary ophthalmology, and is conducting research on the pathophysiological analysis and treatments of ophthalmologic diseases.

We have identified the bovine major histocompatibility gene complex (BoLA) alleles resistant and susceptible for BLV in five tethered house farms in the Kanto region of Japan, and we have conducted the BLV control strategy using resistant and susceptible cattle. In the future, I would like to conduct the strategy utilizing resistant and susceptible cattle in more tethered farms and futhermore in free-ban and free-stall farms.
In the project for control of tuberculosis and glanders, we focused on tuberculosis and glanders, zoonotic bacterial infections prevalent in Mongolia, and the veterinary and medical researchers in Japan and Mongolia are collaborating on this project to conduct epidemiological surveys and develop rapid diagnostic methods for these both diseases.
In addition, I will conduct a study for genetic diversity of Asian native horses.

More than 200 herpesviruses have been discovered and most of them have very limited host range. Therefore, there are many herpesviruses which have not established cell culture system to replicate or system to evaluate the pathogenicity of the virus using experimental animals. Without these systems it is impossible to analyze the precise mechanism of viral replication and pathogenicity. Thus, I aim to unveil the determination mechanism of host specificity of herpesvirus by analyzing the interactions of virus and host factors by using recombinant viruses. In addition, I also study epidemiology of herpesviruses.

As SFTS virus seems to be spread in Ehime, our lab focuses on SFTS virus. I compare the pathogenicity of SFTS virus and its related virus, Heartland virus and analyze which factor causes the difference.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule is a glycoprotein expressed on cell surface. MHC molecule plays important role for inducing acquired immunity by presenting self or non-self peptides to T cells. it is known that MHC genes encoding MHC molecules are highly polymorphic genes. In human, various report shows these polymorphisms are related with the risk for graft rejection, tumor and development of autoimmune diseases. However, the correlation between MHC polymorphisms and various diseases in small animals such as dog and cat were unclear so far.
I study about the polymorphisms and functions of MHC in animals and relation of MHC with various diseases. Through these studies, I want to incarnate the regenerated medicine with stem cell transplantation in veterinary medicine and the elucidation for mechanisms of development of autoimmune diseases.

I analyze influences of biogeographic phenomena such as evolution and migration of host animals on parasite distribution or population using molecular phylogenetic analyses. I’m also conducting research on the mechanisms of migration and pathology of helminths in their host.

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.

Spinal cord injury is an intractable disease that is often encountered in clinical veterinary medicine. A number of treatments including cytokine administration and cell transplantation have been reported, but thus far, effective treatment has not yet been establishd. I am studing the mechanisms of neural regeneration by cytokine administration and neural conversion using small molecule to develop novel thrapy for canine spinal cord injury.

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.

Hypercoagulability disorders, including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and thrombosis, are common and significantly associated with poor prognosis in dogs with malignant tumors. However, the pathogenesis of DIC is not fully elucidated, as well as available tools for the diagnosis and treatment methods for procoagulant states in the dogs are limited. Currently, I am conducting experiments with the aim of the research to elucidate the pathogenesis of DIC and to develop a novel strategy for diagnosis and treatment of DIC in the dogs.
Also, I am conducting exploration of novel drugs to treat malignancy. Even though a lot of cancer research have been conducted, malignancy is the leading cause of death in humans and dogs. Therefore, malignant tumor is one of the most important desease to be overcomed. Development of the novel strategies for treating malignant tumors is a substantial contribution not only in veterinary medicine but also in human medicine.

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.

Regenerative medicine is attracting as much attention in the veterinary medicine field as in the human medicine field. Research in the veterinary medicine is also expected to be returned to the human medicine. Severe spinal cord injuries in small animal clinical practice often result in animals that cannot walk or stand on their own even after treatment, and there is a need to develop new treatment for spinal cord injuries. In this laboratory, we are conducting research on the development of spinal cord regeneration therapies using stem cells that can be isolated from living tissue and various cytokines. We are also researching the effectiveness and efficacy of rehabilitation as well as the development of new treatment methods by further elucidating the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury and studying gait analysis of spinal cord injured animals.