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Research Unit for Therapeutic Model
Kanako SHIMIZU
Unit Leader
Kanako SHIMIZU (M.D.)
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Research Areas

The goal of our laboratory is to develop a novel therapeutic model for cancer therapy that will lead to clinical application. Our unit has focused on the in vivo adjuvant effects of dendritic cells (DCs), which regulate both innate and adaptive immunity.

Research Subject

  1. Cellular immunotherapy against cancers
  2. Evaluation of roles of dendritic cells (DCs) in induction of adaptive immunity
  3. Analyses of immune responses in leukemia patients and development for immunotherapy

List of Selected Publications

  1. Shimizu K, Asakura M, Fujii S.
    "Prolonged anti-tumor natural killer cell reactivity elicited by CXCL10-expressing dendritic cells licensed by CD40L+CD4+ Memory T cells"
    J. Immunol (in press)
  2. Fujii S, Goto A, Shimizu K
    "Antigen mRNA-transfected allogeneic fibroblasts loaded with NKT cell ligand confer antitumor immunity"
    Blood 2009. 113:4262-72.
  3. Shimizu K and Fujii S
    "DC therapy induces long-term NK reactivity to tumors via host DC."
    Eur. J. Immunol. 2009, 39:457-68.
  4. Shimizu K and Fujii S
    "An adjuvant role of in situ dendritic cells (DCs) in linking innate and adaptive immunity."
    Front. Biosci. 2008, 13:6193-201.
  5. Fujii S, Shimizu K, Hemmi H, Steinman RM.
    "Innate Va14(+) natural killerT cells mature dendritic cells, leading to strong adaptive immunity."
    Immunol. Rev. 2007, 220:183-198
  6. Shimizu K, Kurosawa Y, Taniguchi M, Steinman RM, Fujii S.
    "Cross-presentation of glycolipid from tumor cells loaded with alpha-galactosylceramide leads to potent and long-lived T cell mediated immunity via dendritic cells."
    J Exp Med. 2007, 204:2641-53
  7. Shimizu K, Goto A, Fukui K, Taniguchi M, Fujii S.
    "Tumor Cells Loaded with alpha-Galactosylceramide Induce Innate NKT and NK Cell-Dependent Resistance to Tumor Implantation in Mice."
    J Immunol. 2007, 178: 2853-61.
  8. Shimizu K, Hidaka M, Kadowaki N, Makita N, Konishi N, Fujimoto K, Uchiyama T, Kawano F, Taniguchi M, Fujii S.
    "Evaluation of the function of human invariant NKT cells from cancer patients using -alactosylceramide-loaded murine dendritic cells."
    J Immunol. 2006, 177:3484-92.
  9. Fujii, S., Shimizu K, Smith, C., Bonifaz, L., and Steinman, R.M.:
    "Activation of natural killer T cells by a-galactosylceramide rapidly induces the full maturation of dendritic cells in vivo and thereby acts as an adjuvant for combined CD4 and CD8 T cell immunity to a coadministered protein"
    J. Exp. Med. 2003, 198, 267-279.
  10. Fujii, S., Shimizu, K., Kronenberg, M., and Steinman, R.M.:
    "Prolonged IFN-g-producing NKT response induced with a-galactosylceramide-loaded DCs"
    Nat. Immunol. 2002, 867-874.

Members

Principal Investigator

Kanako SHIMIZU
Unit Leader
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