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One
hundred years ago, microbiology and immunology were two aspects of
one research discipline which endeavored to study infectious diseases.
As science has advanced, each discipline has become an independent
research field with unique areas of inquiry. For example, based upon
the origin of pathogens, microbiology has specialized into bacteriology,
virology, and parasitology. As each specific field has become further
specialized and complexity has increased, the association among respective
fields has tended to be lost. Until recently, immunologists have
mainly focused on elucidating the mechanisms of the immune system
itself. For that reason, the most original and basic duty of this
field, the study of the host response against pathogens, had been
set aside. However, infectious disease remains the world’s
leading cause of death despite the achievements and advancements
of modern medicine in each field. Furthermore, humanity is now facing
new challenges including the emergence of drug tolerant bacillus,
such as tubercule bacillus, the threats of emerging/reemerging infectious
diseases (AIDS, Ebola virus, SARS, etc.), the globalization of infectious
diseases, and political threats such as bio-terrorism. Although much
progress has been made toward understanding the complex mechanisms
of the immune system, the rapid advance of medicine has led to an
increase in immunocompromised hosts. In addition, there has been
a sudden increase in the number of patients suffering from various
allergies, and definitive treatments for autoimmune disease and immunotherapy
for cancers have not yet been established. Because of these serious
issues, the medical community has begun to reconsider the importance
of combining microbiology and immunology as an integrated research
field to overcome the aforementioned problems. This new point of
view reflects an evaluation of the fact that for decades, the medical
community has emphasized microscopic analyses in each specific field
without integrating the enormous body of accumulated information
to create macroscopic assessments. That is, microbiologists had studied
only pathogens while immunologists had studied only hosts. Now we
realize that, to elucidate the etiology and to establish treatments
for infectious diseases, extensive studies on both pathogens and
host responses must be carried out. On the other hand, to understand
pathogenesis and to discover treatments for immune diseases, host
responses and the characteristics of each pathogen need to be taken
into account through studying innate immunity.
The Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, at Osaka University,
the head organization of this program, has won worldwide acclaim
for its outstanding achievements in the field of immunology and microbiology.
In the field of microbiology, examples of the institute’s accomplishments
include: the discovery of vibrio parahaemolyticus by Tsunesaburo
Fujino, the discovery of cell fusion by Yoshio Okada, the identification
of viral oncogenes by Kumao Toyoshima, and the development of various
vaccines by Yoshitomi Okuno, Tsunehisa Amano, and Noriaki Takahashi.
Of great significance in immunology, Yuichi Yamamura initiated clinical
trials using GCG-CWS, became a founder of the Japanese society of
Immunology, and made a significant contribution to the development
of immunology in Japan. Among the outstanding immunologists who have
studied under the tutelage of Dr. Yamamura, Chuzo Kishimoto has become
an internationally acclaimed specialist in cytokine research through
his discovery of IL-6. On the other hand, the Research Institute
for Microbial Diseases has always sought to connect excellence in
basic medicine with clinical medicine for practical application.
Under this vision, the Research Foundation of Microbial Diseases
of Osaka University was founded 70 years ago. In this foundation,
various vaccines have been manufactured and supplied both to Japan
and many foreign countries, and have contributed to the prevention
of infectious diseases.
Following in this tradition, the research groups in microbiology
and immunology from 13 laboratories in the Graduate School of Medicine,
at Osaka University, are currently participating in a special program
with the vision of investigating the interactions between pathogens
and hosts. The main themes in immunology include mechanisms involved
in pathogen recognition especially due to innate immunity, and the
molecular mechanisms involved in the processes of activation of innate
immunity to the induction of acquired immunity. The main themes in
microbiology include the molecular mechanisms of infecting hosts
as well as the schemes that pathogens utilize to avoid the host immune
response and remain in the host. Based on the results obtained from
these research programs, we aim to develop a novel strategy to conquer
infectious diseases/immune diseases. In addition, we commit to promote
this program not only in Japan but also among the international community,
to actively enhance scientific and technological information exchange
with foreign research groups, and to provide opportunities for researchers
from developing countries to learn a most advanced knowledge in these
fields.
To establish such a program, we plan to recruit professors by special
appointment and recruit postdoctoral researchers who will participate
in a combined program in microbiology and immunology. These researchers
are expected to work in research projects that transcend the boundaries
of microbiology and immunology. As for postdoctoral researchers,
we give higher priority to place microbiologists to immunology laboratories,
and immunologists to microbiology laboratories. In this way, these
scientists will be provided with the opportunity to learn knowledge
and technology from both fields
We plan to provide three special programs for educational purposes:
a combined program in microbiology and immunology, a research program
in microbiology and immunology, and an international cooperative
research/education program. Particularly as a part of the microbiology
and immunology educational program, we will set up a new graduate
school lecture/seminar series targeted towards graduate students/young
researchers and invite world-renowned researchers both from Japanese
research institutions and from abroad. The invitational lectures
given by such specialists will provide unparalleled opportunities
for graduate students/young researchers to learn the latest information
and cutting-edge technologies in both fields. As part of the research/education
program in microbiology and immunology, we plan to start an exchange
program with foreign institutions of excellent reputations, which
will increase the opportunities for our young researchers/graduate
students to study abroad on a short-term basis, while in turn, we
will open the door for young researchers/graduate students from those
institutions. We believe this exchange program will stimulate and
encourage young researchers to become active facilitators in the
combined research field, and at the same time, will expose them to
different cultures and allow them to grow as true members of the
international community in an age of globalization. To promote the
international cooperative research/education program, we plan to
recruit the most promising researchers from developing countries
where infectious diseases are still a daily concern and serious social
issue. We will provide valuable guidance to these researchers, work
together to create an advanced research program on infectious diseases,
and contribute our excellence to the international community. Finally,
our focus is to develop young researchers armed with combined knowledge
in microbiology and immunology and with the capability to utilize
both technologies, so that they can be excellent contributors to
future research against infectious diseases. Through the 21st century
COE program, we are confident that Osaka University provides the
most advanced program and will remain a nucleus of research in microbiology
and immunology in Japan.
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