Utilization of parasites for medical applications

Parasitomimetics

While the number of parasitic disease cases has been decreasing due to the improvement of the sanitary environment as society has matured, the number of chronic diseases such as cancer, allergy, and autoimmune diseases has been increasing. Cancer immunotherapy, which reactivates immune cells that have become unresponsive to cancer, is attracting a great deal of attention, while the function of regulatory T cells, which suppressively control excessive immune responses, is attracting attention in autoimmune diseases. In other words, controlling the balance of immune functions is an important therapeutic target in many modern diseases.

Compared to acute infections caused by viruses and bacteria, adaptation to the host is a prerequisite for survival for many parasites that are characterized by chronic infections. On the other hand, the biological defense mechanisms of mammalian hosts have also been shaped by the selective pressure of parasite infections. This suggests that mammals, including humans, and parasites are co-evolved partners, and that parasites no longer benefit unilaterally from their hosts, but that their hosts also benefit in some way from parasites. In fact, the "hygiene hypothesis" that a decrease in parasite infections has led to an increase in allergies and autoimmune diseases has been supported by many scientific papers. Clarifying the molecular mechanisms by which parasites regulate immunity will contribute greatly to the development of drugs that can control immune-related diseases such as cancer and allergies.

We believe that parasites, which live together with us and have high host adaptability, are a valuable source of substances that can regulate our biological functions, and we aim to pioneer the research field of "parasitomimetics" to develop products that take advantage of their characteristics. We regard parasites, which are often regarded as our "enemies," as a new source of natural materials for drug discovery, and aim to identify useful substances that will contribute to overcoming modern diseases.

Please visit the website for KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (B)‘Parasitomimetics: Identification and application of highly functional factors of parasites’ for more information.