Laboratories & Researchers | National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases(CCPID), Nagasaki University

List of published papers from the CCPID

The CCPID is conducting research on infectious diseases in the eight departments to clarify the three tasks and proceed with development in the three areas.

Three tasks to be clarified

How do viruses replicate? How do viruses cause disease? Where do Viruses emerge,and how do they spread?

We will clarify the process and mechanism by which BSL-4 pathogens enter, replicate within, and progress to the release of progeny virions outside the cell through the interaction of viral and cellular factors. We will clarify how BSL-4 pathogens infect humans and cause disease by research using cells and experimental animals. It is crucial to detect and respond to outbreaks quickly to take effective measures against them. We will clarify the outbreak areas, epidemic periods, environmental factors, natural and intermediate hosts, and transmission routes.

Three areas for research and development

Testing and diagnostic strategies Vaccines Therapeutic drugs

Early diagnosis of diseases caused by BSL-4 pathogens is critical for preventing the spread of infection and saving patients' lives. We are developing accurate, highly sensitive, and rapid testing and diagnostic strategies that can be used in endemic areas or at quarantine stations. Since the development of vaccines against BSL-4 pathogens is lagging, we are developing vaccines, including next-generation vaccines, with high effectiveness in preventing infection and/or disease onset and minimal side effects. There is no effective treatment for infectious diseases caused by BSL-4 pathogens. Therefore, we are developing therapeutic drugs that inhibit viral proliferation and alleviate symptoms with minimal side effects.

Dept. Emerging Infectious Diseases	Dept. Viral Ecology	Dept. Virus Infection Dynamics	Dept. Immune Dynamics in Viral Infections
We are conducting basic research on highly pathogenic viruses （e.g., evolaviruses） and emerging viruses (e.g., SFTS virus). Furthermore, we are developing diagnostic systems, therapeutic drugs and vaccines for infectious diseases caused by these viruses. We are also doing research on the surveillance of viral diseases and identification of novel viruses in human and wild life in Africa, Asia, and South America.	Our research aims to elucidate the ecology of highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses in nature and develop strategies for their control. We primarily focus on arthropod-borne viruses, investigating their transmission between host species, uncovering the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, and developing diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies.	By using various imaging techniques, we are conducting research to elucidate the molecular basis of infection and pathogenicity expression mechanisms in filoviruses and Epstein-Barr virus, which cause serious human diseases such as hemorrhagic fever and tumors, focusing on the molecular mechanisms by which various viral proteins regulate host cell membrane dynamics and the cytoskeleton.	Investigating the host immune response elicited by viral infections is crucial for addressing public health challenges associated with infectious diseases. We conducted a study utilizing a murine model system to gain a deeper understanding of this fundamental immunological issue. Furthermore, we have advanced the development of therapeutic strategies based on our immunological insights and have contributed to vaccine development against emerging infectious diseases.

Dept. Medical and Applied Virology	Dept. Molecular Pathogenesis of Viral Infections	Dept. Functional Glycobiology in Infectious Diseases	Dept. Virus-Host Interaction
Our main research target is Arenaviruses which include Lassa virus, a causative agent of Lassa fever, and other viruses responsible for Southern American hemorrhagic fevers. Specifically, we will understand the replication mechanisms of arenaviruses at the molecular level within cells and animals. We strive to develop effective strategies for controlling arenavirus infections by elucidating their pathogenesis and identifying potential drug targets.	Our research focuses on developing countermeasures against viral infections, particularly those caused by bunyaviruses and filoviruses. To understand the pathogenesis of these viral infections, it is essential to clarify both the host response and the dynamics of the virus in infected cells. We investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying viral replication, budding pathways, cell tropism, and the host immune responses.	We are studying about viral infections that cause severe symptoms in humans, focusing on glycans and glycan-binding lectins. We would like to reveal the role of glycans on viral particles especially in zoonotic viral infections. We also try to development new anti-viral drugs targeting on glycans by establishing viruses with artificially modified glycans.	We aim to elucidate the mechanisms of viral infection, proliferation and replication, and to develop new antiviral drugs, by analyzing host factors that control the life cycle of viruses, focusing on “virus-host interaction”. We are also doing research on highly pathogenic viruses such as Ebola virus, as well as on HIV-1, the causative virus of AIDS, and LINE-1, a retrotransposon.

Dept. of Emerging Infectious Diseases

We aim to control viral infectious diseases by analyzing the mechanisms of viral proliferation at the molecular level, analyzing the pathological conditions at the individual level, developing antiviral and therapeutic drugs, and conducting surveys of viruses at the ecosystem level in epidemic areas overseas, focusing on highly pathogenic viruses such as the Ebola virus and Lassa virus.