General Description of the Department and the Course
For education, the department provides classes and laboratory training
in pathology for third year medical students and CPC and BSL for
fifth and sixth year students. For diagnosis work, we conduct diagnosis
of surgery materials and pathologic autopsies at the University
Hospital in cooperation with the Second Department of Pathology
and the Hospital staff. For research activities, each member independently
conducts their own research under their unique theme, but they are
also organically linked together to help each other to achieve solid
accomplishments at the same time.
Profile of the Faculty Members
Akishi Ooi (Professor):
Has been on the current position since 1998. His motto for research is "You should find a fact even it is a small one (even better, if it happens to be a big one)". He relishes continuous observation from macro to micro, ultramicro, and molecular. And he dislikes research that leaps from the abnormality of cancer genes to prognosis of patients.
Yoh Dobashi (Associate Professor):
Has been in his current position since 2003. He focuses on the mechanism of cell-cycle regulation in order to analyze the mechanism of the growth of the cancer cells and apoptosis.
Tetsu Yamane (Research Associate):
We have entered the era of an aging society, and the significance of the QOL (quality of life) is emphasized. He conducts research to discover the contributing elements of sclerosis of the arteries and how to reverse already developed atherosclerosis believing it will help to establish a better aging society.
Shioto Suzuki (Research Associate):
Has been in his current position since 2001. He stresses everyday diagnosis work and aims for research that can feedback its results to surgical pathology.
The Research Activities
- I analyze genetic aberrations in various types of solid cancers
using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The analysis
of the amplification of oncogenes, c-erbB-2, c-myc, c-met, K-sam,
EGFR, in cancer of the stomach, lung, breast, colon, billary tract,
and pancreas, is currently in progress. (Ooi)
- I analyze latent function of each gene in cultured cells to
discover the differences of the function in the actual human tumors.
(Dobashi)
- In sclerosis of the arteries, the function of the vascular endothelial
cells becomes abnormal, and that results in the accumulation of
cholesterol on the vascular wall. One of the causes of this dysfunction
of the vascular endothelial cells is shear stress, a physical
action due to blood flow. I analyze functional changes of the
vascular endothelial cells caused by experimentally added shear
stress using genetic engineering methods. (Yamane)
- I conduct research on the elevated expression of EGFR protein
and amplification of genes in the lung cancer. I would like to
examine signal communication in the future. (Suzuki)
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