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Immunology Lab
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The lab of a pioneer in osteoimmunology, uncovering the connection between bone and the immune system.
AboutAbout the lab
Bone and immunity, understood as one connected system
The lab analyzes, at the molecular level, how immune cells differentiate and how the innate and adaptive immune systems are regulated, with the aim of understanding immune responses in an integrated way.
As a pioneer of osteoimmunology, which studies the interactions and shared regulatory mechanisms between bone and the immune system, the lab has driven the advancement of this field.
The lab focuses on the bone marrow and the thymus, the central organs of the immune system, combining comprehensive and single-cell analyses with in vivo validation using genetically modified mice.
Its goal is to contribute to the development of treatments for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and for bone and joint diseases such as osteoporosis.
Key terms
- Osteoimmunology
- An emerging interdisciplinary field that studies the interactions between the immune system and bone, and the regulatory mechanisms they share
- Osteoclast
- A multinucleated cell that dissolves and resorbs bone. It is formed by differentiation from hematopoietic stem cells
- Th17 cell
- A type of helper T cell that produces a substance called IL-17. It is involved in autoimmune diseases and in defense against infection
NewsLab news
Paper on antigen presentation of mRNA vaccines published in Science Advances
Paper on heterotopic ossification published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation
Prof. Takayanagi receives the Momofuku Ando Award Grand Prize from Shokusokai
Review article on the mechanisms that prevent cancer from invading bone published in Cancer Science
Graduate students receive an Excellent Presentation Award and a Poster Award, respectively, at a research meeting of the Japan College of Rheumatology
ResearchResearch themes
The lab analyzes, at the molecular level, how immune cells differentiate and how the innate and adaptive immune systems are regulated, with the aim of understanding immune responses in an integrated way. As a pioneer of osteoimmunology, which studies the interactions and shared regulatory mechanisms between bone and the immune system, the lab has driven the advancement of this field.
*Illustrative imageRegulation of the Body by the Osteoimmune System
The skeletal and immune systems share many regulatory molecules and influence each other in both physiological and pathological settings, such as the bone marrow microenvironment and the inflamed synovium in rheumatoid arthritis, forming what is called the "osteoimmune system." The lab studies how osteoblasts, which form bone, and osteoclasts, which resorb bone, are regulated.
*Illustrative imageAutoimmune Diseases and T Cells
When immune regulation breaks down and the immune system goes out of control, it attacks the body's own tissues and causes damage. The lab studies how Th17 cells, which are involved in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, differentiate, as well as the factors required to maintain peripheral T cells.
*Illustrative imagePathogenic Mechanisms of Inflammatory Bone Diseases
In rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the synovium destroys bone and joints and limits patients' motor function. The lab studies the interactions between T cells and synovial fibroblasts that induce bone destruction, and the role of the inflammatory response in bone regeneration after fractures.
*Illustrative imageFormation of the T Cell Repertoire in the Thymus
T cell differentiation and the formation of the antigen receptor repertoire take place in an organ called the thymus. The lab aims to elucidate how the unique microenvironment created by thymic epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and other cells shapes the T cell repertoire.
MembersFaculty
Members of the lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, visiting researchers, technical staff, PhD and master's students, research students, medical students, and administrative staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorHiroshi Takayanagi
- LecturerTaku Kureha
- Assistant ProfessorHiroyuki Takaba
- Assistant ProfessorTatsuo Asano
- Project Assistant ProfessorKyoko Hashimoto
- Project Associate ProfessorMichio Miyajima
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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: “Osteoclasts obtained from monocyte” Chitotriosidase / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Regulation of the Body by the Osteoimmune System: “Connective Tissue Compact Bone ( )” Berkshire Community College Bioscience Image Library / CC0 (cropped)
- Autoimmune Diseases and T Cells: “T Lymphocyte ( )” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Pathogenic Mechanisms of Inflammatory Bone Diseases: “Rheumatoide Arthritis der Hand 65W - CR ap - 001” Hellerhoff / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Formation of the T Cell Repertoire in the Thymus: “Thymic corpuscle” Nephron / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Malaria Immunology Lab): “Anopheles stephensi” Jim Gathany / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Neurochemistry Lab (Bito Lab)): “Hippocampal neurons in culture” Guarnieri Fabrizia / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Department of Microbiology (Takeda Lab)): “Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tanaka Lab): “Microtubules in Primary Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts” Howard Vindin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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