Juntendo University, Tokyo, established in 1838.

Director:
Kenji Takamori MD, PhD. (Dept. of Dermatol. Director of Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital)

Associate Professors:
Kazuhisa Iwabuchi PhD. (Professor, Sch. of Health Care and Nursing)
Iwao Sekigawa MD, PhD. (Dept. of Med.)
Yoshihiko Araki MD, PhD.
Mitsuaki Yanagida PhD.

Assistant Professor:
Hiroshi Yoshitake MD, PhD.

Technical Staff:
Shozo Ichinose
Mutsuko Yoshikawa

Postdoctoral fellows:
Mitsutoshi Tominaga PhD.
Mikiko Kawasaki PhD.
Kentaro Misaki PhD.
Ayumi Taniguchi PhD.

Research Assistants:
Chihiro Iwahara
Yukiko Iida
Maki Fujishiro

Graduate students:
Hitoshi Nakayama
Katsunari Kina
Junko Tomiyama
Yohei Shirai (Dept. of OB/GYN)
Kenichi Taneda (Dept.of Dermatol.)
Atsuko Kamo
Suhandy Tengara
Mayuko Maruyama

Visiting Professors:
Yasuyuki Igarashi PhD (Hokkaido Univ.)
Kenji Izuhara MD, PhD (Saga Univ.)
Takashi Kadowaki MD, PhD (Univ. of Tokyo)
Kiyoshi Kita PhD (Univ. of Tokyo)
Chisato Mori MD, PhD (Chiba Univ.)
Kunio Shiota PhD (Univ. of Tokyo)
Ichiro Yamato PhD. (Tokyo Univ. of Sci.)
Naoki Yamamoto MD, PhD (NIID)
Ichiro Wakabayashi MD, PhD (Hyogo College of Med.)
Yoichi Shinkai PhD (Kyoto Univ.)
Yoshio Hirabayashi PhD (RIKEN)

Preface

   The Institute for Environmental & Gender-Specific Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine (Director: Hideoki Ogawa M.D., Ph.D.), was founded in April 2002, supported in part by the "High-Tech Research Center" Project for Private Universities: matching fund subsidy from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
   At the present, four research groups are working on the field of environmental/gender-specific medicine or related fields. In addition, several researchers in Juntendo or other Universities have been appointed as visiting faculty members, and they are pursuing several collaborative studies. The main research fields focused on in our institute are the following:

1. Biological effects of environmental factors (environmental pollutants)
2. The relationship between environmental factors and their effects on disease-related genes
3. Gender specific medicine
   　For graduate students, we have a course concerning “Environmental and Gender-Specific Medicine,” organized by faculty members. Here are the topics of our research including collaborators.
   ① Biological effects of metals during environmental changes
   ② Pathogenetical mechanisms of systemic lupus erythematodes (SLE)
   ③ Disorder of gene transcription and autoimmunity: epigenetic analysis
   ④ Effects of the sex hormones on DNA transcription
   ⑤ Mechanisms of autoimmunity induced by drug administration
   ⑥ Development of new strategies for autoimmune disease therapy
   ⑦ Molecular mechanisms of epidermal innervation
   ⑧ The effect of environmental factors on atopic dermatitis
   ⑨ Proteomics analysis of allergic disease and SLE
   ⑩ Evaluation of the effect of exogenous endocrine disrupting chemicals on the innate immune system
   ⑪ Molecular dynamics of escape mechanisms of mycobacterium from neutrophil killing.
   ⑫ Study of structure and signal transduction mechanisms of glycosphingolipid-supramolecular
   　　domains involved in adhesion, migration and phagocytosis of leukocytes
   ⑬ Development and applications of immunoassay for the quantification of oxidative stress marker,
   　　6-nitrotryptophan.
   ⑭ Pathological effect of cigarette smoke chronic exposure on the progression of pulmonary
   　　emphysema and regenerative effect of retinoid on the pulmonary alveolus.
   ⑮ Pathogenesis of lymphangioleiomyomatosis
   ⑯ Epigenetic effect of environmental factors on the process of fertilization and early development.
   ⑰ Biological significance of sexual dimorphism on the gametogenesis.
   ⑱ Biological function(s) of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein in mammals.