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Immunology and Cell Biology Lab
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The lab observes how immune cells move inside the living body to understand how they work.
AboutAbout the lab
Watching immune cells move in the living body.
The Immunology and Cell Biology Lab studies how immune and blood cells move and function inside the body by observing them in living mice.
Cells of the immune and blood systems circulate throughout the body and maintain functional links among organs. The lab aims to elucidate the basic principles by which this dynamic network maintains the integrity of organs and tissues.
By visualizing the movements of the cells that break down bone and the cells that build it inside bone, the lab works to elucidate the mechanisms of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis and to develop new drugs.
The lab can accept graduate students from both the Graduate School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences.
Key terms
- Two-photon excitation microscope
- Two-photon excitation microscope: a specialized optical microscope that makes it possible to observe the movements of cells in tissues and organs inside the body of a living animal.
- Osteoclast
- Osteoclast: a cell that breaks down bone, keeping blood calcium levels constant and handling bone remodeling.
- Osteoblast
- Osteoblast: a cell that builds bone. It controls bone metabolism while maintaining a balance with osteoclasts.
NewsLab news
Applications now open for the in vivo two-photon excitation imaging training course (to be held Dec. 16–17)
A project researcher received an Outstanding Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Assistant Professor Yu Miyamoto received the Young Scientists' Prize in the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) Commendation by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
ResearchResearch themes
Building on technology for observing the inside of bone in living animals with a two-photon excitation microscope, the lab studies how cells of the immune and blood systems move and function in the body. It also aims to improve the imaging technology itself and to apply it in human clinical settings.
*Illustrative imageDynamics and function of osteoclasts
Osteoclasts, which break down bone, can destroy bone abnormally in inflammation and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The lab visualizes them using reporter mice whose osteoclasts fluoresce and probes that light up areas of bone resorption, in order to elucidate disease mechanisms and develop new drugs.
*Illustrative imageDynamics of osteoblasts
Using in vivo imaging to observe osteoblasts, which build bone, the lab found that they release and take up vesicles, coordinate as a group, and thereby regulate bone metabolism. It is now analyzing the function of these vesicles, with the aim of applying them to drug development.
*Illustrative imageInteractions between osteoclasts and osteoblasts
Bone marrow imaging showed that the two cell types form small clusters in separate zones and make direct contact at the boundaries. Osteoclasts in contact with osteoblasts have a reduced ability to break down bone, and this interaction is turning out to be important for elucidating how PTH drugs increase bone mass.
*Illustrative imageHow immune cells move through the body
The lab images the lymph nodes and spleen, where macrophages and lymphocytes exchange information; the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and lungs, which are the front line facing the outside world; and the liver, the center of metabolism. It analyzes the dynamics that immune cells show in each of these organs.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, visiting faculty, joint researchers, project researchers, project technical staff, administrative assistants, doctoral and master's students, students in the MD Researcher Course, and trainees.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasaru Ishii
- Project Associate ProfessorHiroshi Ichise
- Project Associate ProfessorDaisuke Ino
- Assistant ProfessorYu Miyamoto
- Assistant ProfessorYutaka Uchida
- Assistant ProfessorYu Kaneko
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Bone marrow embolus ( )” Yale Rosen from USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Dynamics and function of osteoclasts: “Osteoclast” Robert M. Hunt at English Wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Dynamics of osteoblasts: “Microscope stage set up for intravital microscopy” Aleanora / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Interactions between osteoclasts and osteoblasts: “Cèl·lules del teixit ossi” OpenStax College, disponible a Wikimedia Commons. L'adaptació feta per mi (Gala Brown) consisteix en la traducció del nom de les cèl·lules i l'eliminació de l'explicació de cadascuna. / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- How immune cells move through the body: “Schematic-representation-of-an-immune-response-to-a-bacterial-infection” Chris Tsopelas / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Chemical Imaging Techniques Lab): “Fluorescence Imaging Experiment 01” Yurii Kandurov, Ksenia Kandurova, Dmitry Stavtsev / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biophotonics Lab): “AFM-Raman microscope” AAMonitor96 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Immune Response Dynamics Lab): “HIV-1 virus particles colorized scanning electron micrograph - 411” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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