TOKAI UNIVERSITY Researchers Guide 2020

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Cancer stem cells that possess characteristics associated with normal stem cells, are responsible for the sustained and uncontrolled growth of malignant tumors and are proposed to play signicant roles in metastasis and recurrence, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies that specically target this population of cells. We are working on developing a treatment targeting cancer stem cells. While considering fundamental questions such as what is a stem cell, what system controls them, and so on, we aim to establish a treatment as soon as possible that can attack cancer stem cells eectively and safely.ResearchAreasMedicine, dentistry, and pharmacyKeyword■Hematopoietic stem cell■Leukemia stem cell■Cancer■Regenerative medicine■Molecular target drugRelatedresearchSDGExploring the Basis of Life to Cure Intractable DiseasesAssociate ProfessorTakashi YahataUndergraduate School of MedicineFaculty of Medicine Basic Clinical Science and Public Health CourseTo date, direct monitoring of the neural activity of the salivary glands has been dicult, and no group other than the applicant (who applied the in vivo microdialysis method to the salivary glands) has analyzed the relationship between the nervous system activity in the salivary glands and the salivary secretion mechanism. I am currently promoting a new phase of salivary gland research that integrates neuropharmacology (intracerebral administration and drug receptor binding experiments), neurochemistry (microdialysis and HPLC quantitative analysis), oral physiology (salivary gland perfusion), and biochemistry (intracellular Ca concentration measurement).ResearchAreasMedicine, dentistry, and pharmacyKeyword□Salivary glands□Zerostomia□microdialysis□D-amino acids■Saliva secretion promotionRelatedresearchSDGThe relationship between the nervous system activity in the salivary glands and the salivary secretion mechanismAssociate ProfessorMasanobu YoshikawaUndergraduate School of MedicineFaculty of Medicine Basic Clinical Science and Public Health CourseCardiac disease is the major cause of sudden natural death in the advanced countries, which often occurs in middle age and makes a huge impact on the family and society. Postmortem diagnosis of sudden cardiac death is difficult because not a few cases present only mild levels of coronary atherosclerosis or cardiac hypertrophy, and lethal arrhythmia is usually diagnosis exclusively. I aim to reveal the arrhythmogenic molecular changes in autoptic cases, using histopathology, miRNA sequencing and proteomics. If such arrhythmogenic changes are detected at regular health check, we can prevent sudden cardiac death in the future.ResearchAreasMedicine, dentistry, and pharmacyKeyword■Sudden cardiac death■Postmortem diagnosis■Lethal arrhythmia■Cardiac hypertrophy■HeartRelatedresearchSDGPostmortem diagnosis of sudden cardiac deathAssociate ProfessorYu KakimotoUndergraduate School of MedicineFaculty of Medicine Basic Clinical Science and Public Health Course112