Mucosal Organ Axis Project
② Mucosal Organ Axis Project — Viewing Disease from a Broader Perspective
Keywords: Organ crosstalk, gut microbiota, inflammatory bowel disease
In this project, we focus on organ crosstalk—the coordinated interactions among multiple organs that regulate the intestinal environment—and aim to elucidate the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms.
In particular, our work centers on interactions between the gut microbiota and the nervous system. This research theme, titled "Elucidation of intestinal homeostasis mechanisms mediated by microbiota-neural network interactions", has been selected for the AMED Advanced Research and Development Programs.
Through this research, we demonstrated (2021) that tissue invasion by pathogenic gut bacteria associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and its complications is not merely a consequence of dysfunction within a single organ, but rather a phenomenon regulated by coordinated interactions among multiple organs.
Furthermore, we have uncovered a previously unrecognized pancreas-gut axis, suggesting that pancreatic membrane proteins may play a key role in ameliorating colitis.
Currently, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which inter-organ networks regulate the intestinal environment. Under the framework of the AMED Innovative Research Program, titled "Control of Intestinal Diseases through Novel Gastrointestinal Mucosal Protective Factors", we are working to establish a new conceptual framework of "diseasse regulation by organ networks" and to translate this concept into preventive and therapeutic strategies.
<Disease Regulation by Organ Networks>
<Isolation of Disease-Associated and Beneficial Gut Microbes and Elucidation of Their Roles in Disease Control>
