Kagawa Nutrition University
Wakae Fujimaki, M.D., Ph.D.
Human Medical Science
Outline of Research Activities

The goal of research in our laboratory is to clarify the biology of leukocytes of new born, especially fundamental mechanisms involved in infection and allergy of infants, to develop innovative approaches to prevention, diagnosis and therapy of these conditions.
We have examined the process involved in post-thymic maturation of CD4+ T cells by investigating the antigen-reactivity of CD4+ T cells from infantile thymic cells, cord blood and adult peripheral blood. We found that antigen-reactivity of conventional CD4+ T cells from cord blood was immature. On the other hand, polarizing activity to T-helper type 1 or type 2 cells was superior in cord blood CD4+ T cells. The suppressive function of regulatory T cells from cord blood was very weak, but subsequent expansion of the cell population resulted in the restoration of its suppressive activity. These findings partly explain the difference of infantile immune reactivity from that of adults.
We are now investigating how these features of cord blood effect on infectious diseases or food allergy in childhood.

Recent Publications

Publications

Aoki. M., Kasuya. K., Fujimaki,W.: Attempt to Optimize the use of the maternal and child health handbook using a questionnaire survey of guardians of preschool children. The Journal of child health, 68, 575-582 (2009)

Fujimaki,W., Ohnuma,K., Morimoto,C., et al.: Comparative study of regulatory T cell function of human CD25+CD4+ T cells from thymocytes, cord blood and adult peripheral blood. Clinical and Developmental Immunology, 2008:305859. (2008)

Fujimaki,W.: The differences of immunological responses of human T cells among thymocytes, cord blood and adult peripheral blood (Project No. 16590372). Report of research project, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (2007)

Ohnishi,A., Fujimaki,W., et al.: Polarization of human CD4+ T cells to T-helper type 1 and type 2 cells by superantigen stimulation. Journal of Tokyo Women’s Medical University, 74, 147-156 (2004)

Fujimaki,W., Nito,K., et al.: The effects of fluorescent lamp coated with a photocatalyst film on the number of floating microorganisms or small molecules in a room installed with the lamp. Journal of the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, 78, 588-596 (2004)

Copyright 2005-2010 Kagawa Nutrition University. All rights Reserved.
Kagawa Education Institute of Nutrition Close