基調講演者と主要テーマ

Anjana Rao教授（La Jolla Institute）は、T細胞活性化における細胞内カルシウム流入からNFAT核移行に至る信号伝達系の解明により免疫応答の分子基盤を確立しました。さらに、T細胞活性化から疲弊に至る代謝リプログラミングとエピジェネティック研究は、癌免疫療法や自己免疫疾患治療に革新をもたらしています。免疫細胞の代謝可塑性と疾患特異的代謝シグネチャーを標的とした治療戦略を提示します。

坂口志文教授（大阪大学）は、制御性T細胞（Treg）の発見により「免疫寛容」の分子機構を解明し、当該分野を確立し、2025年ノーベル賞を受賞されました。Treg細胞による免疫制御機構は、免疫チェックポイント阻害薬をはじめ創薬開発の基盤となっています。Treg細胞の組織特異的機能と代謝制御、免疫老化と疾患感受性について臨床応用の可能性を含めて最新知見を提供します。

組織委員会によるセッション構成

組織委員会メンバーは、それぞれの専門的視点から免疫・代謝制御を統合する革新的セッションを主導します：

村上正晃（北海道大学、QST、生理学研究所）は、炎症の基盤「IL-6アンプ」と神経-免疫相互作用「ゲートウェイ反射」を含むセッションを主催し、特にT細胞依存性の炎症病態の制御における免疫細胞の組織浸潤制御と炎症慢性化の分子機構の観点から関連細胞、因子の難治性炎症病態への診断、治療への応用を議論します。

金井隆典教授（慶應義塾大学）は、腸管免疫と炎症性疾患のセッションを担当し、腸内細菌叢-免疫系-代謝の三者間相互作用を検討します。粘膜バリア機能障害、腸管免疫代謝クロストーク、炎症性腸疾患、さらに神経系との関わりから全身性自己免疫疾患における腸-肝臓-脳軸の役割を議論します。

片桐秀樹教授（東北大学）は、臓器間代謝ネットワークのセッションを主導し、脳と膵β細胞・肝臓・脂肪組織・腸を結ぶ連関経路による代謝制御に焦点を当てます。糖尿病・メタボリックシンドロームの治療標的を代謝情報処理機構、自律神経から探究します。

西川博嘉教授（京都大学、国立がん研究センター研究所）は、腫瘍免疫と代謝リプログラミングのセッションを企画し、腫瘍微小環境における免疫抑制機構とそれに伴うT細胞疲弊を扱います。空間的単一細胞解析アプローチと代謝シグネチャーに基づく腫瘍病変の詳細解析にて免疫系、代謝系との関わりの詳細を解明し、それをもとにした治療戦略を議論します。

高柳広教授（東京大学）は、神経骨免疫学セッションを主導し、骨-免疫-神経系ネットワークをさまざまな視点から探究します。慢性炎症、老化、感染、がん、変性疾患など多様な生理・病態過程における骨―免疫―神経連関を基盤に、代謝、内分泌系、組織微小環境の役割を俯瞰し、治療応用への展望を議論するセッションとなります。

期待される成果と展望

本コンファレンスでは、単一細胞解析、空間的オミクス解析、AI駆動型データ統合などの最新技術を活用し、免疫-代謝-神経系の時空間的相互作用を解明します。これにより、炎症性疾患、癌、代謝疾患、さらに神経変性疾患など多くの炎症性疾患に共通する病態基盤を明らかにし、疾患の発症前診断バイオマーカーの同定と、個別化医療実現のための治療標的を提示します。免疫代謝神経チェックポイントという新概念の確立により、次世代の疾患制御戦略創出が期待されます。

両基調講演者の先駆的研究と、国内外の免疫・代謝研究の最前線が交差する本会議は、基礎研究から臨床応用への橋渡しを加速し、疾患の超早期診断・治療という新たな医療パラダイムの確立に貢献します。

The 56th Naito Conference — “Immune and Metabolic Regulation: From Basic Research to Early Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies”

This international conference aims to advance ultra-early disease diagnosis and the development of innovative therapies through an integrated understanding of the immune and metabolic systems. From the emerging paradigm of interactions among the immune, metabolic, and nervous systems, we will explore subtle pre-onset changes critical to disease development and discuss cutting-edge research paving the way for preemptive medicine. By sharing the latest achievements in each field, the conference will foster active exchange and interdisciplinary integration, and will also feature poster presentations by early-career researchers selected through an open call. Through these efforts, we seek to nurture the next generation of scientists in the interconnected domains of immunity, metabolism, and neuroscience.

Keynote Speakers and Major Themes

• Professor Anjana Rao (La Jolla Institute) established the molecular basis of immune responses by elucidating the signaling pathway from intracellular calcium influx during T-cell activation to nuclear translocation of NFAT. Her pioneering work on metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic regulation from T-cell activation to exhaustion has driven innovation in cancer immunotherapy and autoimmune disease treatment. She will present therapeutic strategies targeting the metabolic plasticity of immune cells and disease-specific metabolic signatures.
• Professor Shimon Sakaguchi (Osaka University) elucidated the molecular mechanisms of “immune tolerance” through the discovery of regulatory T cells (Treg), establishing a new field and earning the 2025 Nobel Prize. The immune-regulatory mechanisms mediated by Treg cells have become foundational to drug discovery, including immune checkpoint inhibitors. He will present the latest findings on tissue-specific functions and metabolic regulation of Treg cells, immunosenescence, and disease susceptibility, with perspectives for clinical application.

Sessions Organized by the Organizing Committee

Members of the Organizing Committee will each lead innovative sessions integrating immune and metabolic regulation from their specialized perspectives:

• Masaaki Murakami (Hokkaido University; National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology [QST]; National Institute for Physiological Sciences) will host a session encompassing the inflammatory basis known as the IL-6 amplifier and the neuro-immune interaction termed the gateway reflex. Discussions will focus on immune-cell tissue infiltration and molecular mechanisms underlying chronic inflammation, particularly in T-cell–mediated pathology, and on applying these insights to the diagnosis and treatment of intractable inflammatory diseases.
• Professor Takanori Kanai (Keio University) will lead a session on intestinal immunity and inflammatory diseases, examining the tripartite interaction among the gut microbiota, immune system, and metabolism. Topics include mucosal barrier dysfunction, gut immune-metabolic crosstalk, inflammatory bowel disease, and—via the nervous system—the role of the gut–liver–brain axis in systemic autoimmune disorders.
• Professor Hideki Katagiri (Tohoku University) will lead a session on inter-organ metabolic networks, focusing on metabolic regulation via communication pathways connecting the brain with pancreatic β cells, the liver, adipose tissue, and the intestine. Therapeutic targets for diabetes and metabolic syndrome will be explored from the perspectives of metabolic information-processing mechanisms and the autonomic nervous system.
• Professor Hiroyoshi Nishikawa (Kyoto University、National Cancer Center Research Institute, Japan) will organize a session on tumor immunity and metabolic reprogramming, addressing immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment and associated T-cell exhaustion. Employing spatial single-cell analytical approaches and metabolic signatures, the session will dissect tumor lesions to elucidate immune-metabolic crosstalk and propose novel therapeutic strategies.
• Professor Hiroshi Takayanagi (The University of Tokyo) will lead a neuro-osteoimmunology session, exploring bone–immune–nervous system networks from multiple viewpoints. Grounded in bone–immune–neural connections across physiological and pathological contexts—such as chronic inflammation, aging, infection, cancer, and neurodegeneration—the session will overview the roles of metabolism, the endocrine system, and the tissue microenvironment, and discuss translational prospects for therapeutic application.

Expected Outcomes and Outlook

Harnessing advanced technologies—including single-cell analyses, spatial omics, and AI-driven data integration—the conference will elucidate the spatiotemporal interactions among the immune, metabolic, and nervous systems. These efforts aim to clarify the shared pathophysiological foundations of diverse inflammatory conditions—including cancer, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases—identify pre-onset diagnostic biomarkers, and propose therapeutic targets for precision medicine. By establishing the new concept of immune–metabolic–neural checkpoints, the conference seeks to generate next-generation strategies for disease control.

By uniting the pioneering research of the keynote speakers with the forefront of immunology and metabolism research in Japan and around the world, this meeting will accelerate the translation of basic discoveries into clinical applications and contribute to establishing a new medical paradigm centered on ultra-early diagnosis and therapy.