Ph.D. Professor Yoko Hamazaki
The immune system protects our bodies against infectious pathogens. It is also responsible for immune rejection that occurs when organs are transplanted into a human body and is involved in the onset and pathology of various age-related diseases including cancers and lifestyle diseases. We will strive to explore the fundamental principles of immunology and develop strategies for controlling immune reactions in order to advance medicine and medical applications, especially focusing on T cell and thymus biology.
Research and Education
Our research themes:
Development and functions of supporting cells for lymphohematopoietic tissues such as thymic epithelial cells, which play a central role in the differentiation and selection of T cells.
- Induction of thymic epithelial cells from iPS cells and reconstruction of thymic functions.
- Mechanisms of thymic involution and activation of thymic functions.
- Mechanisms of immunosenescence and its association with age-related diseases.
- Regulation of the human immune system.
Ａ）Medullary thymic epithelial cells crucial for central tolerance induction
Ｂ）A Colony derived from thymic epithelial stem cells
Ｃ）Thymic epithelial cells induced from human iPSC (Red: FOXN1-mCherry, Green: maturation marker, MHC classII)
Laboratory members
Recent Publications
- Pretemer Y, Gao Y, Kanai K, Yamamoto T, Kometani K, Ozaki M, Nishigishi K,Ikeda T, Xu H, Hotta A, Hamazaki Y✝.
An iPSC-based in vitro model recapitulates human thymic epithelial development and multi-lineage specification.
Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 25;16(1):7680.✝Correspondence - Kometani K, Yorimitsu T, Jo N, Yamaguchi E, Kikuchi O, Fukahori M, Sawada T,Tsujimoto Y, Sunami A, Li M, Ito T, Pretemer Y, Gao Y, Hidaka Y, Yamamoto M,
Kaku N, Nakagama Y, Kido Y, Grifoni A, Sette A, Nagao M, Morita S, Nakajima TE,Muto M and Hamazaki Y✝.
Booster COVID-19 mRNA vaccination ameliorates impaired B-cell but not T-cell responses in older adults.
Front. Immunol. 2024 15:1455334. ✝Correspondence - Jo N, Hidaka Y, Kikuchi O, Fukahori M, Sawada T, Aoki M, Yamamoto M, Nagao M,Morita S, Nakajima TE, Muto M, Hamazaki Y✝.
Impaired CD4+ T cell response in older adults is associated with reduced immunogenicity and reactogenicity of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.
Nat Aging. 2023 Jan;3(1):82-92.✝Correspondence - Sekai M, Hamazaki Y✝, Minato N.
Medullary thymic epithelial stem cells maintain a functional thymus 4to ensure lifelong central T cell tolerance.
Immunity. 2014 Nov 14: 41(5), 753–761. ✝Correspondence - Hamazaki Y, Fujita H, Kobayashi T, Choi Y, Scott HS, Matsumoto M, Minato N.
Medullary thymic epithelial cells expressing Aire represent a unique lineage derived from cells expressing claudin.
Nat. Immunol. 2007 Mar; 8(3):304-11.
Laboratory
Professor：Yoko Hamazaki