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Immunogenetics Lab
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A lab exploring the immune mechanisms of pregnancy and the fetal period.
AboutAbout the lab
In search of immune phenomena that no one has yet discovered.
The Immunogenetics Lab studies the immune processes that take place between mother and child, focusing on immune cells and the placenta.
Originally, the lab studied DOCK family molecules, which regulate the cytoskeleton of immune cells, using genetically modified mice.
Recently, it has focused on the unique immune environment of the perinatal period and on the placenta, which connects the mother and fetus, to explore how transgenerational disease predisposition arises.
The lab's guiding philosophy is to boldly take on the discovery and redefinition of phenomena specific to the fetal and early childhood periods that have been overlooked until now, approaching them not only from an immunological perspective but also from a cross-organ, interdisciplinary one.
Key terms
- DOCK family molecules
- A group of molecules that regulate the cytoskeleton and are essential for the basic functions of immune cells
- Placenta
- The tissue that forms the interface between mother and fetus (the maternal-fetal interface) during pregnancy
- Immune privilege
- A mechanism thought to prevent the mother's immune cells from mistakenly attacking the fetus in the uterus and placenta
NewsLab news
A Japanese-language review article by a PhD student was published in Rinsho Meneki Arerugi-ka (Clinical Immunology and Allergology)
Associate Professor Kunimura received the 2025 Society Award of the Japanese Society for Reproductive Immunology
A paper by a PhD student was published in Frontiers in Immunology
ResearchResearch themes
The lab has studied DOCK family molecules, which regulate the cytoskeleton of immune cells, in genetically modified mice. It has worked to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in immunodeficiency disorders, inflammatory diseases, and allergy, and to develop new drugs. Recently, it has been working to elucidate how susceptibility to disease is passed down across generations, focusing on the unique immune environment of the perinatal period and on the placenta.
Immune privilege mechanisms in pregnancy
The lab investigates why the mother's immune cells do not attack the fetus, focusing on a bioactive lipid with immunosuppressive activity that the lab discovered itself. By identifying the cells that exchange this molecule and developing ways to control it, the lab aims to lead to treatments for infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss.
*Illustrative imageEffects of the maternal environment on offspring brain development
Using a mouse model of ADHD that the lab discovered, which arises from the mother's immune response, the lab examines the link between the placenta and the brain. It aims to clarify the mechanisms that lead from the maternal-fetal environment to neurodevelopmental disorders after birth, and to create new preemptive medicine strategies.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Immunogenetics Lab consist of faculty, a professor emeritus, PhD students, undergraduate students (graduation research students), and technical staff.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKazufumi Kunimura
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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: “Obstetric ultrasound scan monitor showing 20-week human fetus profile in Navi Mumbai 2015” Goleisureintl / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Effects of the maternal environment on offspring brain development: “Pregnant woman” Ken Hammond (USDA) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (免疫ゲノム生物学): “Normal Lymph Node” Ed Uthman, MD / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (粘膜防御学): “Cell-1” Mk4716 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (分子神経免疫学): “Fluorescently Labeled Microglia in a Mouse Brain Section” Syed07 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (アレルギー防御学): “Central-nervous-system” Another-anon-artist-234 / CC0 (cropped)
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