Osaka University Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), directed by Prof. Shizuo Akira, was selected by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology as one of the nation’s five exclusive World Premier International (WPI) Research Centers. Since the WPI program was established in 2007, IFReC has engaged in high-level research that is expected to make it an internationally renowned research center in the field of immunology.

Immunology explores the mechanisms that protect the body against various pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Because the immune system is essential for eliminating infectious pathogens from the body, its malfunction gives rise to various immune disorders including allergies, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and allograft rejection during transplantation.

The scientific aim of IFReC is to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of the immune system by employing not only traditional immunology experiments, but also a variety of imaging and bioinformatics technologies. In order to accomplish this goal, IFReC has recruited a diverse team of imaging and informatics scientists. These efforts will enable immunologists to directly track the dynamic behavior of immune cells and their cell-to-cell networks in order to clarify how immune cells respond to pathogens and cancers in vivo.