Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo

The UTOPIA Center

The University of TOkyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center

  

Breaking through the barriers of their respective fields, the world's top researchers have united to fight infectious diseases and develop life-saving vaccines. 

Save the World!

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus emerged and caused an unprecedented pandemic that brought about immeasurable damage globally. While Western countries swiftly developed and introduced vaccines within the remarkable timeframe of one year from pathogen identification, it took more than three and half years for a Japanese-made vaccine to be authorized for use. 

In response to this situation, the "Japan Initiative for World-leading Vaccine Research and Development Centers" was launched under the guidance of AMED SCARDA*, and at its forefront, the University of TOkyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection, and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA) has been chosen as the flagship institution.

UTOPIA serves as a dynamic hub where top researchers from various fields at the University of Tokyo come together. With a focus on vaccine development, we are committed to conquering infectious diseases through interdisciplinary research. While UTOPIA is rooted in the University of Tokyo, our collaborations extend beyond national borders, actively engaging international partners.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that Japan has fallen behind in both vaccine development and infectious disease research, with a major contributing factor being a shortage of talent. By nurturing young researchers at the University of Tokyo, UTOPIA aims to become a world-class research organization that leads cutting-edge research on infectious diseases and vaccines. Our shared mission is to save the world from infectious diseases!

Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Director
The University of TOkyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection, and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA)


*AMED: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development 

SCARDA: Strategic Center of Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research and Development for Preparedness    and Response 

News

 Event 


UTOPIA welcomed researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)  

29 November 2024

 News 

Three members from UTOPIA have been selected for a research grant from the Takeda Science Foundation. Congratulations! 

High-Risk Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Grant

Ryuta Uraki (UTOPIA)

Medical Research Grant

Shiro Chiba (UTOPIA) 

Visionary Research Grant (Start)

Naoki Morita (Institute for Quantitative Bioscience)

 Article 


Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 XEC variant 

Kaku Y, Okumura K, Kawakubo S, Uriu K, Chen L, Kosugi Y, Uwamino Y, Begum MM, Leong S, Ikeda Sadamasu K, Asakura H, Nagashima M, Yoshimura K, Ito J, Sato K,

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

November 2024

 Article 


Structural basis for receptor-binding domain mobility of the spike in SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1.

Yajima H, Anraku Y, Kaku Y, Kimura KT, Plianchaisuk A, Okumura K, Nakada-Nakura Y, Atarashi Y, Hemmi T, Kuroda D, Takahashi Y, Kita S, Sasaki J, Sumita H; Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium; Ito J, Maenaka K, Sato K, Hashiguchi T. 

Nature Communications

October 2024

 Article 


Shiho Chiba*, Maki Kiso, Shinya Yamada, Kazuhiko Someya, Yoshikuni Onodera, Aya Yamaguchi, Satoko Matsunaga, Nao Jounai, Seiya Yamayoshi, Fumihiko Takeshita, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka¶

eBioMedicine

October 2024

 Video 


Professor Yasuhiro Yamada
Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

 October 2024

 Event 


UTOPIA welcomed a delegation from the University of New South Wales. 

From left: Professor Colin Grant, Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Professor Dane McCamey and Dr Ian Langford  

30 October 2024

 Article 


A human isolate of bovine H5N1 is transmissible and lethal in animal models 

Chunyang Gu*, Tadashi Maemura*, Lizheng Guan*, Amie J. Eisfeld*, Asim Biswas*, Maki Kiso*, Ryuta Uraki, Mutsumi Ito, Sanja Trifkovic, Tong Wang, Lavanya Babujee, Robert Presler Jr., Randall Dahn, Yasuo Suzuki, Peter J. Halfmann, Seiya Yamayoshi, Gabriele Neumann, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka

Nature

News Release
H5N1 virus isolated from infected dairy worker is 100% lethal in ferrets, but does not appear to be circulating in nature anymore

October 2024

 Event 

World Flu Day 2024 Symposium /
9th Japan-China Bilateral Symposium on All Influenza Viruses (WFD-JCS 2024)
Supported by The University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA)


1 - 2 November 2024 | Shirokanedai, Tokyo

 Video 


Professor Taisuke Horimoto
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, the University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

 October 2024

 Article 


Low-frequency CD8+ T cells induced by SIGN-R1+ macrophage-targeted vaccine confer SARS-CoV-2 clearance in mice

Muraoka D, Moi ML, Muto O, Nakatsukasa T, Deng S, Takashima C, Yamaguchi R, Sawada SI, Hayakawa H, Nguyen TTN, Haseda Y, Soga T, Matsushita H, Ikeda H, Akiyoshi K, Harada N.  

October 2024  

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  27
Toll-like Receptors: Host Defense, Inflammation, and Autoimmune Diseases

Professor Kensuke Miyake

Division of Infectious Genetics, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

 September 2024

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  26
From Treating Patients to Discovering Cures: A Path into Stem Cell Research

Professor Atsushi Iwama

Division of Stem Cell and Molecular Medicine, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

 September 2024

 Event 

13 September 2024 | Auditorium, IMSUT

14:00 - 15:00
Dr. Masaru Kanekiyo
Vaccine and antibody discovery targeting influenza virus neuraminidase 

Organizers: Koji Kobiyama, Cevayir Coban

 Article 


Review Article

BCR signaling in germinal center B cell selection

Takeshi Inoue, Yoshihiro Baba, Tomohiro Kurosaki 

Trends in Immunology 

Share Link  (Free Access until 9 Oct 2024)

August 2024  

 Article 


Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 KP.3.1.1 variant

Kaku Y, Uriu K, Okumura K; Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium; Ito J, Sato K. 

The Lancet Infectious Diseases           Relevant posts on X


August 2024

 News 

For UTokyo Members Only (Science and Humanities)

The 2024 UTOPIA
AI Research Discovery Program      

<Deadline: 15:00, Thursday, 22 August 2024>

More information

 August 2024

 Event 

20 August 2024 | Auditorium, IMSUT

16:30 - 17:15
Dr. Sebastian Hofer
EIF5A and Polyamines are required for fasting-mediated autophagy and longevity

17:15 - 18:00
Dr. Ghada Alsaleh
Autophagy as a pathway to rejuvenate immune responses

Organizer Professor Cevayir Coban

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  25
Making a Difference: Fighting Infections from Molecular to Global Level  

Professor Yuki Furuse
Department of Microbiology and Infection; The University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA) 

 Available on YouTube

 July 2024

 News 

For UTokyo Members Only (Science and Humanities)
The 2024 UTOPIA Young Researcher Development Program     <Deadline: 15:00, Thursday, 8 August 2024>

More information

 July 2024

 Event 

World Flu Day 2024 Symposium /
9th Japan-China Bilateral Symposium on All Influenza Viruses (WFD-JCS 2024)
Supported by The University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center


1 - 2 November 2024 | Shirokanedai, Tokyo

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  24
Immune Memory: Tackling Infections through B Cell Research

Professor Takeshi Inoue
Department of Molecular Systems Immunology; The University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA) 

 Available on YouTube

July 2024

 Article 


Pathogenicity and transmissibility of bovine H5N1 influenza virus

Eisfeld AJ, Biswas A, Guan L,  Gu C, Maemura T, Trifkovic S, Wang T, Babujee L, Dahn R, Halfmann PJ, Barnhardt T, Neumann G, Suzuki Y, Thompson A, Swinford AK, Dimitrov KM, Poulsen K, Kawaoka Y. 

Nature


News Release
Raw milk is risky, but airborne transmission of H5N1 from cow's milk is inefficient in mammals

Jully 2024

 Related Conference 



The ISV Annual Congress will be held in Seoul, for which Prof. Ken Ishii will serve as one of the Congress Chairs. 

International Society for Vaccines (ISV) Annual Congress
21-23 October 2024 | Seoul, South Korea

 Related Conference 


Computational Vaccinology Symposium
18 October 2024 | Meguro, Tokyo

 Related Conference 



18th Vaccine Congress
8-11 September 2024 | Lisbon, Portugal

 Event 

The Second UTOPIA Symposium was held from June 19 to 20 in Fuchu.

Click here for photos and details about Flash Talk Awards and Poster Awards.

 Event 


UTOPIA Seminar

Topic: Combatting tuberculosis and publishing in medical journals 

Speaker: ERIC J. RUBIN, MD, PHD
Editor-in-Chief, The New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Group

Date/Time:  Friday, 12 July 2024, 16:00 – 17:00 (JST)

Place: Auditorium, 1st building, The Institute of Medical Science,  The University of Tokyo

Link to Event page

June 2024 

 Event 


Innate lymphoid cells: development, differentiation, dynamics

Professor James Di Santo, MD, PhD
Institut Pasteur 

AM 10:00 - 11:30, Friday, 21 June 2024

Auditorium, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

More information

 Article 


Cow’s Milk Containing Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus — Heat Inactivation and Infectivity in Mice

Guan L, Eisfeld AJ, Pattinson D, Gu C, Biswas A, Maemura T, Trifkovic S, Babujee L, Presler R Jr, Dahn R, Halfmann PJ, Barnhardt T, Neumann G, Thompson A, Swinford AK, Dimitrov KM, Poulsen K, Kawaoka Y. 

New England Journal of Medicine

May 2024

 Article 


Memory CD8 T cells are vulnerable to chronic IFN-γ signals but not to CD4 T cell deficiency in MHCII-deficient mice

Setoguchi R, Sengiku T, Kono H, Kawakami E, Kubo M, Yamamoto T, Hori S

Nature Communications

May 2024

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  23
Why a Pediatrician Became a Virus Researcher

Professor Makoto Takeda
Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

May 2024

 Video 


Professor Takao Someya
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

May 2024 

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  21
Viral Therapy for Cancers 

Professor Tomoki Todo
Hospital Director, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

April 2024 

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  20
Ribosomes: The Key to Life 

Professor Toshifumi Inada
Division of RNA and Gene Regulation
The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

April 2024 

 Event 


UTOPIA Welcomes Representatives from HHS/ASPR, CDC, US Embassy, and Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

More info


18 March 2024

 Video 


Takeshi Ichinohe, Associate Professor
Division of Viral Infection, Department of Infectious Disease Control, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

March 2024 

 Video 


Takashi Okada, Professor  
Director, Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

 Available on YouTube

March 2024 

 Article 


TIFAB regulates the TIFA-TRAF6 signaling pathway involved in innate immunity by forming a heterodimer complex with TIFA 

Nakamura T, Ohyama C,  Sakamoto M, Toma T, Tateishi H, Matsuo M, Chirifu M, Ikemizu S, Morioka H, Fujita M, Inoue J, Yamagata Y

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

March 2024  

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  17
Malaria Research Beyond Borders: Protecting People around the Globe 

Cevayir Coban, Professor
Division of Malaria Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo 

 Available on YouTube

February 2024 

 Article 


Age-associated CD4+ T cells with B cell-promoting functions are regulated by ZEB2 in autoimmunity

Goto M, Takahashi H, Yoshida R, Itamiya T, Nakano M, Nagafuchi Y, Harada H, Shimizu T, Maeda M, Kubota A, Toda T, Hatano H, Sugimori Y, Kawahata K, Yamamoto K, Shoda H, Ishigaki K, Ota M, Okamura T, Fujio K. 

Science Immunology

February 2024 

 Video 


Journalist Meets Scientist - Protect People from Infectious Diseases  (UTOPIA Special Interview)

Takako Zenba, the host of TBS's 'Houdou Tokushu' , meets Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist and the Director of The UTOPIA Center

February 2024

 News 



PLATINUM STREET TIMES  Vol. 7 

The dialogue between Takako Zenba and Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Director of UTOPIA,  has been featured in the magazine "PLATINUM STREET TIMES  Vol. 7 (December 2023)," published by the Institute of Medical Science,  the University of Tokyo (in Japanese). Please refer to pages 8-9.  

The dialogue can also be watched on YouTube.

February 2024

 Event 


The First Joint Symposium of AMED SCARDA Japan Initiative for World-leading Vaccine Research and Development Centers was held from January 31st to February 2nd in Kyoto. 

More info

February 2024 

 Video 


UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.  16
Nurturing Research Discoveries into Real-world Applications to Save Lives

Fumitaka Nagamura, Professor  
Center for Translational Research/Division of Advanced Medicine Promotion, The Advanced Clinical Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo 

 Available on YouTube

January 2024 

 Event 


Visit by GLEAP: Students from the Seoul National University's College of Natural Sciences 

Date and Time: 10 January 2024, 9:30 - 11:30

January 2024 

 Event 


UTOPIA Seminar

Topic: Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination

Speaker: Florian Krammer, Department of Microbiology,  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA

Date/Time: Thursday, 18 January 2024   16:00 -   

Place: Auditorium, 1st building, The Institute of Medical Science,  The University of Tokyo

Link to Event page

January 2024

 News 

https://www.nobelprize.org/

© The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institu 

Professors Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their significant contributions to the development of mRNA vaccines. 


 More information  

Professor Kawaoka, director, introduces UTOPIA on YouTube

In Japanese with English subtitle

Subscribe to our channel on YouTube.


May 2023

Journalist Meets Scientist - Protect People from Infectious Diseases  (UTOPIA Special Interview)

Takako Zenba, the host of TBS's 'Houdou Tokushu' , meets Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist and the Director of the UTOPIA Center at the University of Tokyo, 

Ms Zenba is an alumna of the University of Tokyo. This insightful dialogue was recorded at Shirokanedai Campus of the University of Tokyo on 30 October 2023.