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Immune Cell Biology Lab
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The lab observes the movement of immune cells and bone cells in living animals.
AboutAbout the lab
Moving immune cells link organs and tissues.
The Immune Cell Biology Lab studies how cells of the immune and blood systems move within the body and how they link the functions of organs and tissues.
As cells of the immune and blood systems circulate throughout the body, the functional connections among organs and tissues are maintained. When these connections break down, various diseases arise, including lifestyle-related diseases and cancer.
The lab observes the inside of bone in living animals using two-photon excitation microscopy, and examines immune cells and other cells by in vivo imaging.
The lab is a core department of both the Graduate School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, and can accept graduate students from either.
Key terms
- Two-photon excitation microscope
- A special optical microscope. The lab uses it to observe the bone marrow cavity inside bone in living animals
- Osteoclast
- A cell that dissolves bone. It keeps blood calcium levels constant and is responsible for bone remodeling
- Osteoblast
- A cell that builds bone. It regulates bone metabolism while keeping balance with osteoclasts, which dissolve bone
- Macrophage
- A cell responsible for innate immunity that patrols the entire body thoroughly
NewsLab news
A project researcher won an Excellent Presentation Award at the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Assistant Professor Miyamoto won the Young Scientists' Award of the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (FY2026)
ResearchResearch themes
Cells of the immune and blood systems move throughout the body and maintain the connections among the functions of organs and tissues. The lab aims to uncover the basic principles of this dynamic network by observing cells inside the living body.
*Illustrative imageObserving the movement and function of osteoclasts
The lab visualizes osteoclasts and their activity using reporter mice in which osteoclasts fluoresce, and probes that light up bone-resorbing areas. It discovered AtoM, a cell type that turns into the "pathogenic osteoclasts" that destroy bone in inflamed joints, and is researching it with the aim of developing therapeutics.
*Illustrative imageMovement of bone-forming osteoblasts
Through in vivo imaging, the lab found that osteoblasts release and take up vesicles. Osteoblasts form clusters on the bone surface and regulate bone metabolism through these vesicles. The lab is now analyzing their function with a view to applying it to drug discovery.
*Illustrative imageContact between bone-resorbing and bone-forming cells
Osteoclasts and osteoblasts touch each other directly at their boundary, and bone-resorbing activity was reduced in osteoclasts in contact with osteoblasts. This cell-to-cell interaction has also been found to be important for understanding how PTH drugs increase bone mass.
*Illustrative imageObserving the movement and function of immune cells
Using in vivo imaging, the lab analyzes how immune cells move in the lymph nodes, spleen, skin, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and liver. It has also discovered macrophages with novel functions involved in maintaining homeostasis and in disease development.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, collaborating researchers, visiting faculty, project researchers, project technical staff, administrative assistants, doctoral and master's students of the Graduate School of Medicine, trainees, MD Researcher Program students, and doctoral students of the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasaru Ishii
- Project Associate ProfessorTaishi Ichinose
- 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: “2-Photon Excitation” ManuelSchottdorf / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Observing the movement and function of osteoclasts: “Bone degrading cells - Osteoclast precursors 3 -- Smart-Servier” Laboratoires Servier / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Movement of bone-forming osteoblasts: “Bone forming cells - Osteoblasts 1 -- Smart-Servier” Laboratoires Servier / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Contact between bone-resorbing and bone-forming cells: “Bone regeneration-Bone remodeling cycle II-Pre-Osteoblast Osteoblast Bone-lining cell etc --Smart-Servie cropped” Laboratoires Servier / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Observing the movement and function of immune cells: “Confocal microscope and PC monitor used for intravital microsopy” Aleanora / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Reproductive Genetics Lab): “Pig oocyte dapi 3” Jakub Friedl / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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- Related lab (Integrative Physiology Lab): “Two-pore domain potassium channel K2P3 PDB-6rv3” Deposition authors: Rodstrom, K.E.J., Pike, A.C.W., Zhang, W., Quigley, A., Speedman, D., Mukhopadhyay, S.M.M., Shrestha, L., Chalk, R., Venkaya, S., Bushell, S.R., Tessitore, A., Burgess-Brown, N., Arrowsmith, C.H., Edwards, A.M., Bountra, C., Carpenter, E.P., Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC); Visualization author: Synpath / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Cell Biology Lab): “Scientists use a low temperature scanning electron microscope (LT-SEM) to view anatomical structures needed to identify nematodes like the Parasitorhabditis - USDA-ARS” U.S. Department of Agriculture / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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