ABOUT

Our bodies can be seen as a harmonious society composed of diverse populations of cells. These cells, the constituents of this society, are constantly exposed to various internal and external stresses. When such stresses become severe, cells may suffer damage and, in some cases, die. Our research aims to understand how damaged cells behave, how the fate of a cell—survival or death—is determined, and what happens in the surrounding environment of injured cells. We approach these phenomena from both cellular and organismal perspectives under the field of "cell injury biology," with the goal of deepening our understanding of disease mechanisms and developing novel therapeutic strategies.

Basic research is much like exploring uncharted territory without a clear path. There are many challenges and setbacks along the way. Yet, with passion, integrity, and creativity—and alongside colleagues from diverse backgrounds who share our values—we strive to move forward, one step at a time. What awaits us on the path ahead? Why not join us and experience the true excitement of scientific discovery?

Kenta Moriwaki
Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Department of Medical Chemistry

NEWS

  • 2026.6.1
    We are delighted to announce that our collaborative study with Prof. Hiroyasu Nakano's group at Toho University has been published in Communications Biology.In this study, we showed that the inflammatory cytokine IL-33 is released from dying cells through a NINJ1-dependent plasma membrane rupture mechanism. Using real-time single-cell imaging, we further revealed that the timing of IL-33 release varies substantially among individual cells and cell death pathways.These findings provide new insights into how dying cells regulate inflammatory signaling and may help advance our understanding of inflammation-related diseases. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-10300-1[Press release] https://www.toho-u.ac.jp/press/2026_index/20260601-1612.html[EurekAlert!] https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129457
  • 2026.5.12-14
    Kenta joined the meeting of Dr. Arita’s group in the JST FOREST program, held in Nara. He had an exciting and enjoyable time, listening to a variety of cutting-edge and fascinating research talks, and engaging in many inspiring discussions.
  • 2026.4.1
    Kotaro Ogami, Naoto Nitta, and Nozomi Yamawaki have joined our lab today as part of their medical research training. We hope the next four months will be a fun and inspiring experience in basic research for them. Welcome aboard!
  • 2026.4.1
    We are also delighted to welcome new graduate students to the lab: Taisuke Ono, Hideki Sakiyama, Riko Suzuka, and Emika Yoshioka have joined the doctoral program, and Zhang Chenyang has joined the master’s program.As graduate students, they are now embarking on their journey as researchers. Together, we will explore the unknown and uncover new knowledge that no one has seen before. Your discoveries have the potential to contribute to the advancement of science and deepen our understanding of life.Let’s move forward together and make great science!
  • 2026.2.19-20
    Kenta attended the final meeting of the Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Area (A), “Cross Biology,” and presented a summary of the research achievements from the past two years. Being part of this research group allowed him to collaborate with researchers equipped with cutting-edge technologies, which greatly advanced the project. It was a valuable and inspiring experience for our lab.