Outline of research

 Immune mechanisms are deeply involved in allergic diseases, which have become much more prevalent in recent years. This involvement is supported by evidence that microorganisms have a crucial role in immune system development in early childhood, as well as in the chronic inflammation that leads to various cancers and cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases. Molecules produced by microorganisms and parasites, for example, can regulate the immune system. Endogenous glycoconjugates and lipids with structures similar to molecules produced by microorganisms and parasites also play major roles, although the details of their roles have not been clarified.
 Therefore, we aim to establish methods for chemical synthesis of pure structures of the microbial compounds that regulate the immune system as well as the compounds involved in the regulation of immune balance; to analyze the microbial molecules and other substances speculated to be involved in the immune mechanism; and to create novel regulatory molecules that can be used for therapeutic purposes. The analytic methods we employ include structural analysis based on synthetic compound libraries and functional analysis using molecules labeled for visualization.

Uniqueness of our research

 By using organic chemistry procedures to establish methods of producing synthetic active compounds which have immune-regulating functions, we intend to construct groups of active molecules, to design and analyze the molecules that can be utilized for functional analysis, and to precisely synthesize novel immune-regulating substances, thereby opening up a brand new field of therapeutic research.

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