Elucidation of the new pathogenic mechanism of heart diseases due to dysfunction of tissue immune cells and development of therapeutic methods

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K22615
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 53:Organ-based internal medicine and related fields
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Fujiu Katsuhito 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 特任准教授 (30422306)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小島 敏弥 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (30625588) ; 荷見 映理子 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 特任助教 (70599547) ; 中山 幸輝 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (70721885)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 心不全 / 心臓突然死 / 不整脈 / 免疫細胞 / マクロファージ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

So far, we have found that the immune cells of the heart have the effect of helping the cardiac contraction. However, the heart has multiple functions, and the function of immune cells in the heart for these functions is not well understood. This study identified new protective effects of immune cells in the heart. In addition, we investigated how its protective role could become dysfunctional and develop heart diseases.
Here we find that the immune cells of the heart are essential for forming the normal rhythm of the heart, in addition to its protective effect on the contraction of the heart. Furthermore, although cardiac macrophages cannot exert a protective influence when they become inflammatory macrophages, we have discovered a new mechanism for converging the inflammation of cardiac macrophages.

Free Research Field

循環器病学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

心不全・心臓突然死といった心疾患は、高齢者に多く、高齢化社会の進む本邦において、増加傾向となっており、医療費の増大を生じ社会的な問題にもなっている。そのため、心不全や心臓突然死に対する解決策を開発することは喫緊の課題である。本研究では心臓内の免疫細胞に着目して、心疾患の新しい機序を解明し、新規治療法の基盤を構築する。このような研究は、健康寿命の延伸や医療費の削減に資する