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Applied Immunology Lab
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A lab that starts from how antibodies are produced and aims to develop new antibody drugs that regulate the gut bacteria.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating new drugs from how antibodies work.
The Applied Immunology Lab (Shinkura Lab) studies antibodies produced by B lymphocytes, a key component of the immune system.
B lymphocytes produce strong antibodies through somatic hypermutation, which introduces mutations into antibody genes, and class switch recombination, which changes the type of antibody.
The lab investigates how AID, the enzyme that triggers these processes, is able to introduce mutations into antibody genes.
While exploring how new antibodies are generated, the lab aims to apply the results of its basic research to the treatment of disease.
Key terms
- Somatic hypermutation
- A mechanism by which B lymphocytes deliberately introduce mutations into antibody genes to produce antibodies that bind more strongly to an antigen
- Class switch recombination
- Switching the type of an antibody (and thus how it acts), such as to IgE or IgA, without changing what it binds to
- IgA antibody
- The main antibody secreted onto mucosal surfaces such as the intestine, where it plays the leading role in protecting the mucosa from pathogens
NewsLab news
Assistant Professor Furuya received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the AMED SCARDA Joint Symposium
A student received an Encouragement Award from the Society for Gastrointestinal Immunology
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts basic research on how antibody genes are edited, with the aim of controlling disease using antibodies. In particular, it wants to clarify what intestinal IgA antibodies recognize among the diverse gut bacteria in order to regulate them.
*Illustrative imageRegulating gut bacteria with IgA antibodies
The lab has isolated from the mouse intestine IgA antibodies that may suppress only the bacteria that cause intestinal inflammation. It aims to clarify what these antibodies recognize to improve the gut microbiota, and to develop them into oral antibody drugs.
*Illustrative imageThe mechanism of somatic hypermutation
Using AID mutants that can still perform class switch recombination but are severely impaired in somatic hypermutation alone as a clue, the lab is searching for the partner molecules (cofactors) required to cause somatic hypermutation.
*Illustrative imageSearching for substances that switch B cells to IgA
If B cells in the mucosa can be made to class switch to IgA rather than IgE when exposed to stimuli such as pollen, allergies can be suppressed. The lab is searching for such substances, with the aim of making them candidates for allergy treatments.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Shinkura Lab consist of faculty, technical assistants, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- ProfessorReiko ShinkuraPublications ↗
- Project Associate ProfessorKengo Sasaki
- Assistant ProfessorNaoki Morita
- Assistant ProfessorPeng Gao
- Assistant ProfessorGenta Furuya
- Project Assistant ProfessorSatotaka Takahashi
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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: “Human B Lymphocyte - NIAID” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Regulating gut bacteria with IgA antibodies: “E. coli Bacteria ( )” NIAID / Public domain (cropped)
- The mechanism of somatic hypermutation: “Antibody IgG1 surface” Tokenzero / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Searching for substances that switch B cells to IgA: “Misc pollen colorized” Dartmouth Electron Microscope Facility, Dartmouth College / Public domain (cropped)
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