Teaching Staff

Yasuko Orba (Professor)

Currently, we are focusing on arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), which are transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks. Our research covers collecting mosquitoes to identify viruses in mosquitoes. Actually, I like to see a beautiful mosquito. In these fieldwork projects, I mainly conduct epidemiological studies of viruses in African. Together with collaborators, I also investigate various viruses in wild animals such as rodents and bats, and arthropods such as mosquitoes to identify and study unknown viruses in addition to known pathogenic viruses. Our Institute IIZC has an arthropod breeding room. We also conduct laboratory experiments on viral infection of mosquitoes using successively bred mosquitoes and research using infected mosquitoes.
In basic research, we are studying the molecular mechanisms of infection and multiplication of mosquito-borne viruses such as flaviviruses in the host and the mechanisms of pathogenesis. In our current major projects, we are conducting research with researchers from various research fields using mouse models infected with encephalitis-causing flaviviruses such as Japanese encephalitis virus and West Nile virus, with the aim of clarifying the mechanisms of virus entry into the brain and encephalitis pathogenesis and finding ways to prevent the onset of the disease. Our goal is to find ways to prevent the onset of encephalitis.

Michihito Sasaki（Associate Professor）

Our research focuses on the detection, characterization, and pathogenic analysis of viruses, with a particular emphasis on zoonotic pathogens. Through integrated field surveillance across regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia, a wide range of viruses—belonging to families including Herpesviridae, Polyomaviridae, Parvoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Nairoviridae, Picornaviridae, Coronaviridae, Flaviviridae, Retroviridae, and Reoviridae—have been identified in wild animals. These discoveries have contributed to the classification of several novel viral genera and species.
Our investigations into host–virus interactions, as well as the mechanisms underlying viral infection, replication, and pathogenicity, focus on key zoonotic viruses such as rabies virus, SARS-CoV-2, and rotavirus. To deepen our understanding, we employ advanced research techniques including single-cell RNA sequencing and 3D imaging technologies, allowing high-resolution analysis of viral behavior and host responses. Additionally, we actively engage in collaborative research aimed at developing antiviral therapeutics against zoonotic diseases.

PhD Student

• Nijiho Kawaguchi (DC4)
• Chadwick Mears (DC4)
• Naoki Akimoto (DC2)
• Eri Fujii (DC1)
• Haruki Shimazaki (DC1)
• Diana Nurjanah (Research Student)

Staff

• Takuma Ariizumi (Postdoctoral Researcher)
• Passawat Thammahakin (Postdoctoral Researcher)
• Satoko Sasaki (Research fellow)
• Miwako Kurouji (Secretary)

Visiting Fellow

• Akihiko Sato (Visiting professor, SHIONOGI & CO., LTD.)
• Kei Konishi (SHIONOGI & CO., LTD.)
• Misato Shibazaki (SHIONOGI & CO., LTD.)
• Shigeru Miki (IVReD)