Kawaoka Yoshihiro
Director, Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute Project Professor, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo.
Keio J Med. 2023;72(1):27. doi: 10.2302/kjm.ABSTRACT_72_1-2.
Emerging infections are caused when microorganisms that are maintained in a reservoir where they cause no harm, transmit from the reservoir to a new host. I have been studying the replication, molecular basis for pathogenesis, and host responses to emerging viruses, including influenza virus, Ebola virus, and SARS-CoV-2, and using the knowledge gained from these studies to develop antivirals and vaccines.Influenza viruses cause epidemics every winter, but occasionally new influenza viruses emerge and spread worldwide (pandemic). We established a technique that allows us to make influenza viruses artificially. This technique is now widely used for basic research and for the development of vaccines against highly pathogenic avian influenza virus for pandemic preparedness and live attenuated influenza vaccines. Using this technique, we elucidated the mechanisms of emergence of pandemic viruses, viral replication, and the molecular mechanism of pathogenesis.Ebola virus causes severe disease with a mortality rate of up to 90%. In 2013, a major outbreak of Ebola virus began in West Africa that led to nearly 30,000 people being infected and a death toll of over 10,000 people. During the outbreak, we established a laboratory in Sierra Leone and used samples from Ebola patients to study host responses and identify biomarkers for severe infection. We also established a technology to artificially make Ebola virus and used this technology to make an Ebola virus that grows only in a particular cell line. Using this virus, we produced an inactivated Ebola vaccine, which was shown to be safe and effective in a Phase I clinical trial.Late in 2019, SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, China and has since caused unprecedented damage globally. In our laboratory, we established an animal model for this infection and have used it to evaluate pathogenicity, efficacy of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and antivirals, and to develop vaccines.In my presentation, I will discuss our findings regarding these emerging viral infections.
当存在于储存宿主中且不造成危害的微生物传播到新宿主时，就会引发新出现的感染。我一直在研究包括流感病毒、埃博拉病毒和严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）在内的新出现病毒的复制、发病机制的分子基础以及宿主反应，并利用这些研究中获得的知识来开发抗病毒药物和疫苗。流感病毒每年冬天都会引发疫情，但偶尔会出现新的流感病毒并在全球范围内传播（大流行）。我们建立了一种能够人工制造流感病毒的技术。该技术目前广泛应用于基础研究以及针对高致病性禽流感病毒开发大流行防范疫苗和减毒活流感疫苗。利用这项技术，我们阐明了大流行病毒出现的机制、病毒复制以及发病机制的分子机制。埃博拉病毒会引发严重疾病，死亡率高达90%。2013年，西非爆发了一场重大埃博拉病毒疫情，导致近3万人感染，死亡人数超过1万人。在疫情期间，我们在塞拉利昂建立了一个实验室，并使用埃博拉患者的样本研究宿主反应并确定严重感染的生物标志物。我们还建立了人工制造埃博拉病毒的技术，并利用这项技术制造了一种仅在特定细胞系中生长的埃博拉病毒。利用这种病毒，我们生产了一种灭活埃博拉疫苗，该疫苗在I期临床试验中被证明是安全有效的。2019年末，SARS-CoV-2在中国武汉出现，此后在全球造成了前所未有的破坏。在我们实验室，我们建立了这种感染的动物模型，并利用它来评估致病性、治疗性单克隆抗体和抗病毒药物的疗效以及开发疫苗。在我的报告中，我将讨论我们关于这些新出现的病毒感染的研究结果。
