Tadamitsu Kishimoto

I am an immunologist and my research interest is in molecules called cytokines. Cytokines are originally identified as molecules regulating the immune system and hempoiesis. Most cytokines and their receptors have been molecularly identified and studies with recombinant molecules have revealed their functional pleiotropy and redundancy; cytokines act almost on every organ and tissue in the body and exert wide variety of biological functions. Although cytokines are essential for life, their overproductions often cause various disease conditions including inflammation, autoimmune diseases and malignancies. My studies are focused on the regulation of cytokine signal transduction and manipulation of several diseases caused by overproduction of Interleukin 6, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Castleman's disease and multiple myeloma.