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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!
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
News
Article
Article
Herpes simplex virus-1 evades APOBEC1-mediated immunity via its uracil DNA glycosylase in mice
Herpes simplex virus-1 evades APOBEC1-mediated immunity via its uracil DNA glycosylase in mice
Akihisa Kato, Hayato Harima, Yuji Tsunekawa, Manabu Igarashi, Kouichi Kitamura, Kousho Wakae, Tomoaki Nishiyama, Satoru Morimoto, Toru Suzuki, Hiroko Kozuka-Hata, Masaaki Oyama, Daisuke Motooka, Mizuki Watanabe, Kousuke Takeshima, Yuhei Maruzuru, Naoto Koyanagi, Hideyuki Okano, Toshifumi Inada, Takashi Okada, Masamichi Muramatsu, and Yasushi Kawaguchi
June 2025 Article
Article
Impact of COVID-19 vaccination by implementation timing and coverage rate in relation to misinformation prevalence in Japan
Impact of COVID-19 vaccination by implementation timing and coverage rate in relation to misinformation prevalence in Japan
Yuki Furuse, Takahiro Tabuchi
May 2025 Article
Article
SARS-CoV-2 virus lacking the envelope and membrane open-reading frames as a vaccine platform
SARS-CoV-2 virus lacking the envelope and membrane open-reading frames as a vaccine platform
Makoto Kuroda*, Peter J. Halfmann*, Ryuta Uraki*, Seiya Yamayoshi, Taksoo Kim, Tammy A. Armbrust, Sam Spyra, Randall Dahn, Lavanya Babujee, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka¶
May 2025
Article
Article
A Protein Language Model for Exploring Viral Fitness Landscapes
A Protein Language Model for Exploring Viral Fitness Landscapes
Jumpei Ito, Adam Strange, Wei Liu, Gustav Joas, Spyros Lytras, The Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium, Kei Sato
May 2025 News
News
Mr. Kio Horinaka has been selected for the International Exchange Program for Young Researchers to study at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Mr. Kio Horinaka has been selected for the International Exchange Program for Young Researchers to study at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
As part of the International Exchange Program for Young Researchers, we have decided to send Mr. Kio Horinaka, a master’s student in the Department of Biological Science, to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for one year, from April 2025 to March 2026. During this period, he is to work on “High-throughput screening system of Cas enzymes toward ‘Tailor-made Genome Editing’”.
This program, supported by AMED, aims to nurture globally minded early-career researchers by providing opportunities to conduct research at overseas infectious disease research institutions and to promote international collaboration and development.
April 2025 Event
Event
Visit by the Saint Louis University Delegation and Workshop Held
Top row (from left to right)：Prof. Atsushi Iwama, Prof. Michiko Koga, Prof. Christine Jacobs, Prof. Adriana Montano, Prof. Ken Ishii
Bottom row (from left to right): Prof. Daniel F. Hoft, Prof. Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Prof. Fumitaka Nagamura, Prof. Tokiko Nagamura, Prof. Takashi Okada
March 2025 Article
Article
Regulatory Mimicry of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases by a Conserved Herpesvirus Protein Kinase
Regulatory Mimicry of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases by a Conserved Herpesvirus Protein Kinase
Naoto Koyanagi, Kowit Hengphasatporn, Akihisa Kato, Moeka Nobe, Kosuke Takeshima, Yuhei Maruzuru, Katsumi Maenaka, Yasuteru Shigeta, Yasushi Kawaguchi
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)
April 2025
Article
Article
Immunological analysis of LC16m8 Vaccine: Preclinical and Early Clinical Insights into Mpox
Immunological analysis of LC16m8 Vaccine: Preclinical and Early Clinical Insights into Mpox
Kouji Kobiyama, Daichi Utsumi, Yu Kaku, Eita Sasaki, Fumihiko Yasui, Tomotaka Okamura, Taishi Onodera, Asuka Joy Tobuse, Areej Sakkour, Ahmad Faisal Amiry, Tomoya Hayashi, Burcu Temizoz, Kaiwen Liu, Hideo Negishi, Noriko Toyama-Sorimachi, Michinori Kohara, Tatsuya Sawasaki, Junichi Takagi, Kei Sato, Yoshimasa Takahashi, Yasuhiro Yasutomi, Ken J Ishii
April 2025
Event
Event
The Second Joint Symposium of AMED SCARDA Japan Initiative for World-leading Vaccine Research and Development Centers was held.
The Second Joint Symposium of AMED SCARDA Japan Initiative for World-leading Vaccine Research and Development Centers was held.
17 March - 19 March 2025 | Kobe International Conference Center
March 2025 News
News
How is avian influenza impacting chickens, cows, cats, and even humans? Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka joins NEJM Editor-in-Chief Eric Rubin and Deputy Editor Lindsey Baden to discuss the latest updates on this evolving outbreak
How is avian influenza impacting chickens, cows, cats, and even humans? Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka joins NEJM Editor-in-Chief Eric Rubin and Deputy Editor Lindsey Baden to discuss the latest updates on this evolving outbreak
March2025
Article
Article
Wataru Ise, Takuya Koike, Nozomi Shimada, Hiromi Yamamoto, Yuki Tai, Taiichiro Shirai, Ryoji Kawakami, Mana Kuwabara, Chie Kawai, Kyoko Shida, Takeshi Inoue, Nozomi Hojo, Kenji Ichiyama, Shimon Sakaguchi, Katsuyuki Shiroguchi, Kazuhiro Suzuki, Tomohiro Kurosaki
Journal of Experimental Medicine
February 2025
News
News
For UTokyo Members Only (Science and Humanities)
For UTokyo Members Only (Science and Humanities)
The 2025 UTOPIA
AI Research Discovery Program
<Deadline: 15:00, Thursday, 6 March 2025>
The 2025 UTOPIA
AI Research Discovery Program
<Deadline: 15:00, Thursday, 6 March 2025>
February 2025
Video
Video
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.32
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.32
Professor Hiroyuki Noji
Professor Hiroyuki Noji
Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
February 2025
News
News
For UTokyo Members Only (Science and Humanities)
The 2025 UTOPIA Young Researcher Development Program
<Deadline: 15:00, Thursday, 27 August 2024>
For UTokyo Members Only (Science and Humanities)
The 2025 UTOPIA Young Researcher Development Program
<Deadline: 15:00, Thursday, 27 August 2024>
February 2025
Video
Video
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.31
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.31
Dreamed of Being a Witch, Not a Princess!? How Gut IgA Knows Good and Bad Bugs
Dreamed of Being a Witch, Not a Princess!? How Gut IgA Knows Good and Bad Bugs
Professor Reiko Shinkura
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo
Professor Reiko Shinkura
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo
January 2025
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.31
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol.31
Dreamed of Being a Witch, Not a Princess!? How Gut IgA Knows Good and Bad Bugs
Dreamed of Being a Witch, Not a Princess!? How Gut IgA Knows Good and Bad Bugs
Professor Reiko Shinkura
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo
Professor Reiko Shinkura
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo
January 2025
Article
Article
Highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza A virus replication in ex vivo cultures of bovine mammary gland and teat tissues
Highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza A virus replication in ex vivo cultures of bovine mammary gland and teat tissues
Masaki Imai¶, Hiroshi Ueki, Mutsumi Ito, Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto, Maki Kiso, Asim Biswas, Sanja Trifkovic, Nigel Cook, Peter J. Halfmann, Gabriele Neumann, Amie J. Eisfeld, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka¶
Emerging Microbes & Infections
January 2025
Video
Video
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol. 30
UTOPIA 43 Interviews | Vol. 30
RNA Modifications, Spinach, and Curry Udon: Research That Rewrites Textbooks
RNA Modifications, Spinach, and Curry Udon: Research That Rewrites Textbooks
Professor Tsutomu Suzuki
Lab of RNA biochemistry, The University of Tokyo
Professor Tsutomu Suzuki
Lab of RNA biochemistry, The University of Tokyo
January 2025
Article
Article
Neutrophil adhesion to vessel walls impairs pulmonary circulation in COVID-19 pathology
Neutrophil adhesion to vessel walls impairs pulmonary circulation in COVID-19 pathology
Hiroshi Ueki*¶, I-Hsuan Wang*, Maki Kiso, Kenta Horie, Shun Iida, Sohtaro Mine, Michiko Ujie, Hung-Wei Hsu, Chen-Hui Henry Wu, Masaki Imai, Tadaki Suzuki, Wataru Kamitani, Eiryo Kawakami, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka¶
January 2025
News
News
In the south-western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a mysterious flu-like illness has reportedly caused the deaths of over 79 people. More than 300 cases have been reported, with symptoms including fever, headaches, coughing, breathing difficulties, and anemia.
9 December 2024 (updated on 19 December 2024 and 6 January 2025)
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.
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