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Infection and Host Defense Lab
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The lab studies parasites such as malaria parasites and Toxoplasma.
AboutAbout the lab
Research centered on parasitology
The Infection and Host Defense Lab conducts research centered on parasitology.
Its research targets malaria parasites, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, Trichomonas vaginalis, and the liver fluke Fasciola.
In addition to basic research, the lab performs parasite diagnostic work, valuing the interest and questions that arise from each individual case.
The lab strives to give medical students and graduate students lectures that spark an interest in parasitology, and frequently coaches student presentations at the Japanese Society for Parasitology.
Key terms
- Parasite
- An organism that lives inside or on the surface of another organism (the host) and takes nutrients from it.
- Mitochondria
- Organelles that produce energy within the cell. They are thought to have originated from endosymbiosis of bacteria.
- Vascular endothelial cells
- Cells that line the inside of blood vessels. They regulate the passage of substances between the blood and tissues.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify, at the molecular level, how parasitic eukaryotes live and spread inside the host's body. Its work ranges widely from field surveys of wild animals to clinical applications.
*Illustrative imageParasite mitochondria
The mitochondria of malaria parasites, Cryptosporidium, and other parasites differ in character from those of the animal cells they infect. The lab aims to uncover the full picture of their functions, which diversified as the parasites adapted to a parasitic lifestyle.
*Illustrative imageRoutes parasites take through the body
How parasites spread to various organs in the body is not yet understood. The lab investigates, at the molecular level, their relationship with vascular endothelial cells, the primary route of entry, and also performs analyses using tissue clearing and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy.
*Illustrative imageSurveys of parasites in wild animals
Many parasites infect not only humans but also wild animals. Because this is an important issue for hygiene management, the lab conducts field surveys to understand the actual state of parasites infecting wild animals.
*Illustrative imageClinical applications
Building on its basic research, the lab also works on the diagnosis and molecular epidemiology of parasitic infections, targeting congenital and acquired toxoplasmosis and infectious uveitis.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members are faculty, technical assistants, graduate students, undergraduate students, and scholarship students.
- Project ProfessorAkihiro Sekine
- Associate ProfessorKenji Hikosaka
- Project Assistant ProfessorXue F. Chen
- Project Assistant ProfessorYukari Koyama
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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: “Plasmodium falciparum 01” Photo Credit: Content Providers(s): CDC/Dr. Mae Melvin Transwiki approved by: w:en:User:Dmcdevit / Public domain (cropped)
- Parasite mitochondria: “Kentomonas sorsogonicus cell image DOTkamina” Dotkamina / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Routes parasites take through the body: “Bovine Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells Fluorescent Image” Erin Rod / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Surveys of parasites in wild animals: “014 Wild Red Deer Switzerland Photo by Giles Laurent” Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Clinical applications: “T. gondii tachyzoites” Persian Microbiologist / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Diagnostic Pathology Lab): “Pathology department at the central cancer research laboratories” Unknown photographer / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Next-Generation Disaster Therapeutics Lab): “Cryo-EM structure of the human nucleosome Histone H3.3 8KB5” Hirai S, Kujirai T, Akatsu M, Ogasawara M, Ehara H, Sekine SI, Ohkawa Y, Takizawa Y, Kurumizaka H / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Pathophysiology and Pathology Lab): “Charity Hospital Pathology Dept 1889 NOLA” Photographer not credited / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Tumor Pathology Lab): “Scanning electron microscope - UFCH JH (2020) 01” Tadeáš Bednarz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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