Yuki SATO Associate Professor
  • Period
    第15期(Term: from Apr. 2025)
    グローバル型
  • Research Interests
    Immunology, Nephrology, Internal Medicine
  • Research Topic
    Unraveling TCF1hi stem-like T cells development and regulation using humanized model
  • Host Department
    Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology
  • Previous Affiliation
    Department of Medicine/Immunology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

With the global increase in lifespan, the prevalence of age-related diseases is increasing at an unprecedented rate, making their prevention and management an urgent issue. The immune system plays a critical role in the onset and progression of disease. While it is known that aging leads to both qualitative and quantitative changes in the immune system, how these changes contribute to the onset and progression of disease remains largely unexplored. Through my clinical experience, I recognized a lack of therapeutic options for kidney diseases, which has motivated me to elucidate their pathological mechanisms through basic research. My prior investigations have shown that the aged immune system becomes abnormally activated in the specialized microenvironment known as tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), contributing to the pathogenesis of kidney and autoimmune diseases in elderly individuals. Although TLS are also induced in other age-related diseases, including cancer, their regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the Hakubi Project, I aim to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the development and regulation of TLS and stem-like T cells, which are characterized by their long-lived self-renewal and ability to seed the formation of effector T cells within TLS. This work will help develop novel therapies for a variety of age-related diseases.