We are mainly researching on allergic airway disease, lung cancer and inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, our research is also underway in the areas of sleep apnea syndrome and psychosomatic medicine. Since resolving fundamental issues has significant potential for aiding development of future therapies, we ensure that each member should work on both the basic and clinical research. Learning fundamental knowledge and concepts is essential for doctors at a university hospital who pursue a specialty. We also believe that collating research questions that arise in daily medical practice and tackling these questions using appropriate clinical research is a requirement for doctors.
Our research covers a diverse range of areas, including genes, cells, and animal testing using various laboratory instruments. Our research meeting is held every week to actively discuss the progress of experiments, problem areas, and interpretation of various issues.
A mission of the department is to provide suitable treatment for cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, aortic disease, pulmonary vascular disease, and hypertension. The department is composed of research groups specializing in catheter intervention, catheter ablation, device treatment (CRT: cardiac resynchronization therapy, ICD: implantable cardioverter-defibrillator), management of heart failure, and noninvasive imaging to research the wide range of basic studies in animal models with atherosclerosis to clinical studies into the frontiers of catheter or device treatment and imaging evaluation of ischemic heart diseases and arrhythmia.
Main research programs in the department are as follows:
Tumorgenesis, prognostic factors, and establishment of new treatment are focused.
In clinical research, cardiac involvement may have serious consequences and can contribute to worsening of a patient’s morbidity and mortality, in rheumatic disease (RD). Our research revealed subclinical cardiac involvement in RD, using a cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
In basic research , Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the basis of indirect evidence.
Our research revealed development of erosive arthritis closely resembling RA in humanized mice inoculated with EBV.
We are currently focusing on the following areas.
We have taken care of approximately 4,000 patients with diabetes and related metabolic disorders. Based on the clinical experience, we are seeking ultimate cure of patients with metabolic disorders and conducting research projects focused on the following topics:
Research focuses of the Division of General Medicine are genetic epidemiology, infectious disease control, basic research for oncology, and the development of cancer therapeutics using Pyrrol Imidazole (PI) Polyamides. Topics are as follows；
We provide the highest standard of psychiatric practice available now to those who suffer from psychiatric disorders, and conduct research activities for further development in psychiatry, which gives medical students and residents an opportunity to learn clinical practice and behavioral science in the field. Our research activity aims to clarify geneses of and to develop novel treatments for psychiatric disorders, by focusing on their psychopathology, cognitive state, sleep problems, biological rhythms and genetics basis. The following research projects are under way.
Our department have 12 sub-specialties as follows, Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Disorder, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Intensive Care (PICU), General Pediatrics, Neonatology, Pediatric Infectious Disease, Pediatric Allergy, Pediatric Lipid Metabolism and Obesity, Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes and Inherited Metabolic Disease. In cases of very sick children, we organize trans-disciplinary team with the above specialties to treat children. We also have eleven satellite hospitals where young doctors can experience all the diseases required for the examination of pediatric specialist. We also promote and empower clinical research as well as basic research for all the members of pediatrics. We have fourteen postgraduate students who are studying within our department or collaborating with Division of Microbiology and Division of Cell Regeneration and Transplantation. Our department choose and promote excellent young doctors to go abroad to study basic research. Actually, we have relationships with Department of Pediatrics and Department of Hematology & Oncology, Harvard medical school. With this relation, one of our member is now working at MGH and the other is supposed to work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in this fall.
Our research mainly focuses on psoriasis and urticaria.
Psoriasis is an intractable inflammatory skin disease. Recently, the role of intestinal flora in the pathophysiology of various diseases has gained much attention, and the aim of our study is to characterize intestinal flora of patients with psoriasis and investigate how their intestinal flora affect the immunological status of the psoriasis patients.
Mast cells play a critical role in urticaria. We are currently analyzing its pathogenesis focusing on a relationship between mast cells and autoantibodies or neuropeptides for the development of novel therapeutic strategy.
In our department, digestive surgery field, especially surgical treatment of liver cancer is the most in Japan and is one of the world leading facilities. Surgical treatment and anticancer drugs treatment for gastrointestinal cancers are also active. We are conducting basic research including genetic search as well as clinical research using randomized controlled trials.
A year has passed since Dr. Masashi Tanaka was appointed as a chief professor and started his new clinical works and researches. More than 600 cardiovascular surgery operations are performed per year with favorable outcome, and also our department, as a university, has several researches ongoing to improve surgical outcomes.
The Division of Respiratory Surgery deals with various kinds of neoplasms and associated diseases in the thorax, with the exception of the esophagus. These include both primary and metastatic lung tumors, mediastinal tumors, pleural tumors (mesotheliomas), chest wall tumors, pneumothorax, and inflammatory disease. The main clinical activity of the division, as well as the subject of most of its research activities, has been the surgical management of lung cancer patients. In addition to efforts to further improve procedures, such as the combined resection of neighboring vital structures and minimally invasive techniques (video-assisted thoracic surgery, VATS), it has become increasingly important to define the role of surgery in multimodality treatment for patients with a poor prognosis.
The Department of Pediatric Surgery at Nihon University provides general surgical cares and pursues researches in the field of infants and children. Our priority is to provide safe health care without anxiety. Our team is specialized exclusively in newborn and oncologic surgery with professional expertise of other allied specialties. We have recently started to cover pediatric urologic surgery again for pediatric surgical babies. Our focus has been minimally invasive surgery for more than twenty years. We have performed more than 400 surgical operations in a year, achieving good results as well as in premature babies and the children with underlying disorders. As medical researches, our interest and publications are the following areas:
Our division specializes in surgical treatment and oncology for mammary and endocrine diseases such as breast cancer, benign breast disease, thyroid cancer, benign thyroid disease, and parathyroid disease. Especially breast cancer has increased in recent years. We perform clinical studies on surgical therapy, endocrine therapy, and chemotherapy for breast and thyroid cancer, and basic research on the immunological escape mechanism of cancer..
The Division of General Surgery provides the education and training that is required for general surgeons to obtain the necessary basic clinical skills. The Division of General Surgery aims to comprehensively develop clinical, research, and educational skills. We also conduct studies, ranging from fundamental investigations to clinical trials, primarily on the cardiovascular system, artificial organs, and the digestive system.
In our department, we are engaged in divergent treatments and clinical studies including traumas of face/limbs and reconstruction after tumor resection by cooperating with various related departments. We conduct clinical studies aiming at the innovation of the conventional therapy and the development of the new trauma therapy. (1) early burn wound excision for severe burn, (2) development of the new adjuvant therapy of the cultured epidermal autograft by micro skin graft, (3) development of the semi closed reduction method which minimized invasion for the zygoma fracture, (4) development of the therapy using the balloon for the orbital bone fracture. In Nihon University, we established methods of isolation and culture of dedifferentiated fat cells (DFAT) that have characteristics similar to those of mesenchymal stem cells. Currently, we are collaborating with Division of Cell Regeneration in multiple fields. We are engaged in basic research aiming at clinical application of DFAT, including (5) development of a new artificial skin combining the artificial dermis and DFAT, (6) examination of skin engraftment promoting action of DFAT in skin graft, (7) examination of action of DFAT to promote engraftment of the cultured autologous epidermis, (8) examination of the effect of DFAT to prolong duration of engraftment in skin allograft, and (9) examination of the effect of DFAT to enlarge the flap engraftment area.
Since the establishment of our department, we have been working in three main fields: education, research, and clinical practice. In addition, we are proud that our staff are world class professionals in their fields. Neurosurgery is further divided into three major areas: tumor, vascular disease, and others. Others include functional surgery, spinal surgery, children, and trauma. With the idea that a neurosurgeon should also be a scientist, we are focusing not only on clinical research but also on basic research. Our research areas include tumors, trauma, vascular diseases, and functional diseases. All staff members are dedicated to their fields.
Clinic and research about the locomotory disease of spine and extremities' bones and joints were performed. We performed more than 1,200 patients with the locomotory disease of spine and extremities' bones and joints per year. And we accomplish it from fundamental researches to clinical studies widely at the same time.
Invasive cervical cancer occurs sometimes on reproductive young women and fertility is abrogated by the treatment (radiotherapy or surgery). However, we can preserve their fertility by special surgical treatment, named “trachelectomy”, which can preserve uterine body and ovaries removing cervical cancer lesions and surrounding tissues.
We have developed a novel therapeutic immunotherapy targeting HPV molecule for treatment of cervical cancer and its pre-cancer lesion and will conduct a Phase I/II clinical trial of Lactobacillus-based HPV E7 molecule-targeting immunotherapy.
Placenta growth factor (PlGF) is one of angiogenic factor and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (sVEGFR1) is one of antiangiogenic factor which regulates PlGF function. To elucidate the effects of cytokines and TLR ligands on the production of angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors in trophoblasts, we examined the production of PlGF and sVEGFR1 from trophoblasts following stimulation with cytokines and TLR ligands.
The research fields of Department of Urology include oncology, voiding dysfunction and female urology. The main research focus in urologic oncology is androgen receptors (AR) concerning the development and progression of prostate cancer which include establishment of a new therapeutic agent using PI polyamide. For the field of voiding dysfunction, on-going projects include fundamental experiments in neurogenic bladder and clinical investigation of male LUTS patients with α1 blockers, 5α-reductase inhibitor, PDE5 inhibitor and pollen lump extract and saw palmetto oil. With a high volume of surgical experience in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), we apply core lower urinary tract symptom score (CLSS) for the evaluation of POP. Also, we started to apply robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) for patients with localized prostate cancer and accumulating experience for clinical study.
Our research units aim for; 1) Refractory corneal diseases such as limbal stem cell deficiency and corneal ulcers, 2) retinal circulation disorders such as diabetic retinopathy, and 3) surgical and medical approaches for macular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinal vascular occlusive diseases. We have organized the integration of basic researches such as molecular biological approach and genome analysis, educational research such as formulation of wet lab educational systems, and clinical research. Our final aims are to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of disease onsets and to provide the novel therapeutic methods of ophthalmic diseases.
Our research foci are widely ranged, which include sensory organ research, research for voice and communication disorders, and basic and clinical cancer research. For instance, in the otologic area, wide variety can be seen. Acute otitis media is commonly seen on daily clinical practice. Eosinophilic otitis media is a refractory disease, the treatment of which has not yet been established. Moreover, temporal bone malignancy is rare with poor prognosis. We are always pursuing precise diagnosis and most appropriate treatment for such many kinds of diseases, and then are performing clinical researches, moreover, a variety of basic researches with collaboration.
In the presence, the elderly person has many teeth.
It is projected that elderly people increase drastically, in future years.
Therefore, the treatment and results of research of the oral disease are expected. We perform treatment and clinical examination for a various oral disease. Additionally, the fundamental researches of the gene therapy for the malignant tumor induced oral squamous cell carcinoma are developed.
On the division of diagnostic radiology, morphological and functional studies for several kinds of disorders and optimal acquisition methods are advanced in particular MRI. In addition, several quantitative researches with newly ongoing MR imaging biomarkers are conducted to add more clinical benefits. On the division of therapeutic radiology, optimal methods using radiation and anti-cancer agents for a variety of cancer diseases are developed. We also advance leading development of molecular-based anti-cancer radiation therapy combined with chemotherapeutic drug.
We anesthesiologists have investigated actions of the anesthetic drugs, physiological change in the organs during anesthesia, improvement of anesthetic techniques and monitoring methods to contribute to perioperative patient’s safety. In addition, we have engaged actively in study for release from various pain states.
Currently we focus on research, clinical practice, teaching, and training less experienced medical practitioners in general acute and intensive care medicine, covering a broad array of disciplines including pre-hospital emergency care and emergency care systems, disaster medicine, traumatology, sepsis, and toxicology.
We conduct research on emergency and critical care for pre-hospital and initial therapy and in the field of intensive care medicine. For the latter field, our research even covers: pathophysiological analysis and control of severe stress that occurs in severely traumatized or septic patients; comprehensive search for biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes of sepsis, cerebral infarction, and post cardiac arrest syndrome; establishing a nutrition therapy for critically ill patients; early brain function assessment method for post cardiac arrest syndrome patients; development of non-invasive cerebral protection devices (pulmonary cooling devices); and neurological intensive care, neurological monitoring and target temperature management.
Based on the macroanatomy, neuroanatomy, and microanatomy, we are studying the following research subjects. The hematopoietic microenvironment, which regulates hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation, image analysis of melanoma cells, the subependymal zone and the limbic system in the brain and the neural network formation, and clinical anatomy of the knee joint.
The mission of Department of Functional Morphology, Division of Cell Regeneration and Transplantation is to study stem cell-based regenerative medicine and molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases based on stem cell biology and vascular biology. Currently, our research group focuses on developing practical cell-based therapies for various intractable disorders by collaborating with clinical colleagues of varying specialities. The themes we address include:
OOur research aim is to elucidate biological phenomena using cell biological methods and to apply the research results to clinical medicine.
We have proposed a novel subfamily of EGF motif. Recombinant proteins with this EGF motif induce apoptosis. Apoptosis induced by efficient gene therapy with the EGF motif improves prognosis in an explanted tumor mouse model.
We are investigating mechanisms of regulation of metabolism and immunity and pathogenesis of metabolic disease, immune and inflammatory disease and malignancy at molecular, cellular and animal levels. Specifically, we focus on molecular biology of nuclear receptors that regulate metabolism and immunity, such as vitamin D receptor （VDR） and liver X receptor （LXR）, and molecular pathogenesis of hepatic cancer. We will develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods for related diseases.
We obtained the study data from electronic medical records stored in Nihon University School of Medicine (NUSM) Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW), which is a centralized data. Repository that integrates separate data bases, from the hospital information systems at three hospitals affiliated NUSM. The prescription database in CDW contains information from approximately 3 million patients, and prescribing data, which have been collected continuously since September 2004, are linked longitudinally to detailed clinical information such as patient demographics, diagnosis, and laboratory data.
Cardiovascular and Neurological Pathology, From Bench to Patients
Studies focusing on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, particularly on the modulation of vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype in the vessel wall were carried out. We have discovered several key factors, which control the smooth muscle cells biology. These factors might be one of the therapuitic targets for atherosclerosis, the root cause of cerebral and cardiovascular diseases.
We discovered several factors related to cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction. Furthermore, regenerative medicine for cardiac failure after myocardial infarction using mesenchymal stem cell was examined.
We are also interested in neurodegenerative disease and brain tumors. To date, we reported the correlation between dementia and the medial temporal neuropathological features among the patients with Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore, we reported cases of various primary brain tumors.
We have been conducting research on liver diseases, especially viral hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）, carrying forward the work of emeritus professor Toshio Shikata. Our recent research has focused mainly on molecular analysis of the hepatitis C virus （HCV） in chimpanzee experiments and human samples, epidemiological survey and immuno-molecular analysis of hepatocellular adenoma （HCA）, molecular research in HCC, immuno-pathological studies of acute rejection in liver transplantation, investigating Bangladesh hepatitis, and clinic-pathological research in malignant lymphoma, bone and soft tissue neoplasms, and inflammatory bowel diseases.
To serve functional roles between clinical and basic research will stimulate the development of pathology. Observation of pathological findings means to investigate molecular events actually occurring in the patient body that enable us to understand the disease comprehensively. The aim of our department is to resolve research questions raised in the clinicopathological activities.
The mission of our division is to provide comprehensive scientific instruction of medical microbiology, clinical immunology and infectious disease control to both undergraduate and postgraduate medical students through rigorous coursework and advanced research opportunities. We provide an exceptional research environment including biosafety level （BSL）3 rooms and training courses for postgraduate students want to obtain Ph.D. degree. Researches underway in our department involve the maternal-fetal relationships and vertical infection control including HIV, influenza, rubella and other viral diseases, molecular epidemiology of pediatric viral infections including rotavirus, norovirus RS virus etc, in South East Asian countries. We also investigate diverse immunological topics such as molecular design of novel anti tuberculosis vaccines, local immune responses in reproductive organs and digestive tract from oral cavity to rectum in relationships with medical/dental/gynecological disorders.
In the past 10 years, we have accepted young scientists from many departments of clinical medicine as well as other schools of Nihon University, University of Tokyo, Saitama Medical University as post graduate students or post-doctoral fellows including JSPS fellowship. We also practice international collaboration between foreign scientists in USA, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Lao PDR, Bangradesh under official grants including JICA and NIH grants and published at least 12 refereed articles every year in English.
We can utilize a wide field of the clinical laboratory such as big data every clinical inspection including a laboratory determination, examinations of physiology. We have constructed to perform the research system to be able to keep the expertise of each member of the division. Our division is the environment that is easy to act for women person with the child care. We are collaborating the study with the many other medical divisions.
The main research interest of our division is Space Medicine. We are currently conducting several projects that investigate astronauts who stay on the International Space Station before, during and after spaceflight at the NASA space center. Also, effects of various gravity on circulatory system are investigated in our laboratory at Itabashi by using a human centrifuge. A major focus is on the ability of the circulatory system to regulate brain blood flow, intracranial pressure, and arterial blood pressure. In these projects, we have been using measurements of cerebral blood flow in the middle cerebral artery by transcranial Doppler sonography, continuous arterial blood pressure, and ECG in order to non-invasively estimate cerebral autoregulation, intracranial pressure, and arterial cardiac baroreflex. In addition to space medicine research, by using these experimental techniques, our research team investigate effects of hypoxic hypoxia, high altitude training and perioperative environment.
Division of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Nihon University is one of the first five research laboratories established under the guidance of GHQ in Japan in 1948. It was the first laboratory at a private university to carry out epidemiological research on tuberculosis, the leading cause of death at that time. Our laboratory provided results as basic data for tuberculosis prevention measures for the Japanese government.
Currently, we are providing basic data on health problems in Japanese minors in order to establish the “Health Japan 21” by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The following are the main areas of study.
The aim of legal （forensic） medicine is solve various legal problems using the medical knowledge and technology. That representative is investigating the cause of death. Forensic autopsy against suspicious death of a person and trying to identify the cause of death by doing diagnostic imaging, alcohol and various drug toxic analysis etc. in parallel. We are also focusing on the diagnosis and prevention of child abuse that is a social problem. It also supports DNA identification from all forensic scientific samples such as blood, saliva, semen, bloodstains, hair, nails, bones, etc., and also carries out individual identification and paternity test.
We conduct theoretical, empirical and heuristic research on ethics, social system, social environment, and information issues surrounding health and medical welfare. In the field of medical informatics, we are promoting research on medical records and clinic record issues. In the field of medical safety, we conduct various theoretical studies on causal classification of various errors occurring in the thought process by medical staff through actual case analysis of doctor's decision making process. In the field of medical sociology, we conduct empirical study on social determinants of health.
Psychology is scientific research of the mind and learns how it affects people's behavior.
We are responsible for a course on bioethics focusing on medical ethics for first year undergraduates, and are studying research ethics. Additionally, our biological research involves the comparative immunology of ascidians.
Focused on our academic core area of Materials Science, we study about physical properties of functional materials such as superconductors, photo-induced molecular magnets and ferroelectric oxides. We have also started collaboration with other divisions in School of Medicine, where we focus on the development of cutting-edge sensing techniques of neoantigens that have attracted considerable research interests as targets of cancer immunotherapy.
Two main fields are studied in the Division of Chemistry. One is the design of functional materials, including metallic organic materials, nanoalloys and metal-organic frameworks, all of which have attracted much attention as next-generation materials. First-principles calculations are used to clarify the origin of the functionalities at the molecular levels. The other is an enantioselective isolation of chiral polyoxometalates （POMs）. Chiral POMs are expected to play important roles in fields like catalysis, luminescence, non-linear optics, and inorganic medicine. Weak interactions of amino acid, peptide, and ATP etc. to chiral POMs are effective for the enantioselective isolation and we utilize them as chiral auxiliary.
In our division, there are 2 main areas of research, education and pure mathematics. Our educational research focuses on the development of more effective e-learning activities :
In case of the existence of some surface in space, it is the case of realization of the solution of PDE, which is called “Integrable Systems”. The realization of the surface in space, for example, soap bubble, means the surface is stable among the variations. To search for the stable solution is the main achievement of “Global Analysis”. “Differential Geometry” provides the fundamental tools for analyzing those problems mentioned above. It is commonly known that Albert Einstein used Differential Geometry to elucidate his theory of general relativity.
NUSM medical English instructors are all members of the Center for Institutional Research and Medical Education. As such, our research focuses on English communication for medical purposes, but the underlying ethos is pedagogically motivated. Examples of research topics that will illuminate a path forward for better, more efficient and effective teaching include the following:
The Research Planning and Development Medical Research Support Center was established in 2006 to manage and operate experimental apparatuses and facilities for joint use, which is important to promote basic and clinical studies in the Nihon University School of Medicine, realize basic study achievements in clinical studies, and support basic experiments to solve questions that arise in clinical studies. The objective of our laboratory is to promote and develop basic and clinical studies in the School of Medicine, for which we are required to be well-acquainted with basic and clinical studies.
Currently, our laboratory performs studies centering in translational research aiming at the diagnosis, identification of the pathology, and treatment of digestive diseases. Basic and clinical studies are designed based on the achievements concerning digestive diseases determined by biological and medical statistics, simple test methods are developed, and clinical studies on new treatment methods are performed.
We are currently pursuing research into mathematical statistics, medical statistics and clinical statistics. With respect to mathematical statistics, we are particularly interested in the following:
We are studying the basic principles of calcium signaling, the fundamental signal transduction mechanism of life. Based on such studies, we are searching for new functions of calcium signaling in our body, and are aiming at shedding new light on biological functions using innovative imaging methods.
Intravascular imaging is a technology that uses a very fine catheter with a diameter of approximately 1mm, the tip of which can emit and receive ultrasound or light signals to be able to visualize the condition of atherosclerotic arterial wall in vivo. In this department, the following researches especially in the field of basic or clinical studies on coronary artery disease are being enthusiastically performed.
We are flattering ourselves to contribute to gastrointestinal cancer therapy on the advanced endoscopic diagnoses and treatment, especially endoscopic submucosal dissection. We have conducted with Yurihonjo and Nikaho cities in Akita prefecture, which are area with high incidence of gastrointestinal cancer, to make mutual collaboration for comprehensive medical care in gastroenterological field. The primary aim of our relationship is to bring admirable screening program for gastric cancer and earlier intervention of cancer prevention. Then, results of several ongoing studies are going to carry new administration plans.
The division was formed out of a deep commitment to improving patients’ lives through the synergy of real-world clinical and healthcare data and advanced information technology. We has built a highly secured multinational data network from the rich clinical, operational and financial data of clinical and healthcare field.
Our clinical data warehouse and analytics improves efficiency and effectiveness in operations, treatment, and patient engagement. We provides aggregated and validated big data for upstream and downstream insights into medical and healthcare questions. It accelerates medical research into such areas as treatment outcomes, real-world evidence, and health economics.
The aim of the division is to isolate the novel biomarkers of diseases utilizing as companion diagnosis. The division was established on October 1, 2013 supported by a grant from the Health Sciences Research Institute, Inc., Yokohama, Japan. It continues by donation from Dr. Tetsumasa Miya of the company from October 1, 2016. We will try to construct a companion diagnosis to fuse the clinical laboratory with clinical genetics, and offer these results for the society.