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Niki Toshiro

  • Faculty of Medicine
  • School of Medicine
  • Assistant Professor
Last Updated :2026/08/26

Researcher Information

Degree

  • PhD (Science)（Hiroshima University）

J-Global ID

Research Interests

  • 免疫制御   レクチン   ガレクチン   

Research Areas

  • Life sciences / Immunology

Academic & Professional Experience

  • 2010  - 香川大学医学部, 助教
  • 1994 - 2004  バイエル薬品研究所, プロジェクトマネージャー
  • 2004  - 株式会社ガルファーマ, 部長 ― 社長

Education

  •        - 1994  Hiroshima University  生物科学研究科
  •        - 1989  Hiroshima University

Association Memberships

  • 日本免疫学会   

Published Papers

Books etc

  • Efficient Production of Osteopontin-Encapsulating Exosome by LPS Stimulated THP-1 Macrophages
    Gaowa Bai; Takashi Matsuba; Toshiro Niki; Toshio Hattori (Joint work)2021/07 9789391473457

MISC

  • Galectin-9の十二指腸癌に対する増殖抑制効果;in Vitroの検討
    河野寿明; 藤田直樹; 琢磨慧; 波間大輔; 山名浩喜; 小林聖幸; 加藤清人; 鎌田英紀; 仁木敏朗; 平島光臣; 岩間久和; 正木勉  日本消化器病学会雑誌(Web)  116-  2019
  • Serum galectin-9 levels are correlated to liver fibrosis regardless of chronic inflammation or hepatocellular carcinoma complications.
    Koji Fujita; Toshiro Niki; Takashi Himoto; Tsutomu Masaki  HEPATOLOGY  66-  241A  -241A  2017/10
  • Galectin-9 Controls the Activity of DR3 (TNFRSF25) in Suppressing Immunity
    Shravan Madireddi; So-Young Eun; Amit K. Mehta; Aruna Birta; Dirk M. Zajonc; Nozomu Nishi; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Taylor H. Schreiber; Eckhard R. Podack; Michael Croft  JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY  196-  2016/05
  • Claire Lhuillier; Clement Barjon; Toshiro Niki; Aurore Gelin; Nadira Delhem; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Ming Wei; Olivier Dellis; Pierre Busson  CANCER IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH  4-  (1)  2016/01
  • Galectin‐9は重症敗血症の免疫・炎症反応に関連する可能性がある
    浩日勒; 浩日勒; 山内聡; 山内聡; 工藤大介; 工藤大介; 仁木敏朗; 芦野有悟; 芦野有悟; 服部俊夫; 服部俊夫; 久志本成樹; 久志本成樹  エンドトキシン血症救命治療研究会誌  19-  (1)  121  2015/10
  • High levels of OPN, IP-10 and neutrophilia in LAMP confirmed TB patients in Manila
    SHIRATORI BEATA; SHIRATORI BEATA; LEANO SUSAN; NAKAJIMA CHIE; CHAGAN-YASUTAN HAORILE; NIKI TOSHIRO; SUZUKI YASUHIKO; TELAN ELISABETH; HATTORI TOSHIO  日本細菌学雑誌  69-  (1)  140  2014/02
  • Galectin-9 induces apoptosis of HCC in vitro and in vivo through up-regulation of miR-1246
    Koji Fujita; Teppei Sakamoto; Asahiro Morishita; Toshiro Niki; Hisakazu Iwama; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Tsutomu Masaki  INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE  34-  S21  -S21  2014
  • Increased frequency of Tim-3+T cells is associated with symptomatic WNV disease clinical outcome
    Marion Lanteri; Michael Diamond; Jennifer Govero; Amelia Pinto; Jacqueline Law; Glen Chew; Shiquan Wu; Toshiro Niki; Heather Inglis; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Michael Busch; Philip Norris; Lishomwa Ndhlovu  JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY  190-  2013/05
  • Rapid Galectin-9 release occurs following HIV-1 acquisition in acute HIV-1 infection
    Ravi Tandon; Tsuyoshi Fujita; Glen Chew; Mary Margaret Byron; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Jason Barbour; Mario Ostrowski; Kiera Clayton; Marion Lanteri; Naoto Ishii; Persephone Borrow; Philip Norris; Frederick Hecht; Lishomwa Ndhlovu  JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY  190-  2013/05
  • Galectin-9 controls the activity of 4-1BB (CD137)
    Shravan Madireddi; So-Young Eun; Amit Mehta; Ivana Nemcovicova; Seung-Woo Lee; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Dirk Zajonc; Michael Croft  JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY  190-  2013/05
  • ガレクチン-9誘導形質細胞アポトーシスによるループス腎炎モデルの症状改善
    守時 政宏; 門脇 健; 仁木 敏朗; 中野 大介; 河野 雅和; 平島 光臣  日本腎臓学会誌  55-  (3)  341  -341  2013/04
  • Serum Galectin-9 Associated with Mortality from Drug-Induced Acute Liver Failure
    Hugo R. Rosen; Toshiro Niki; Jane Gralla; Mitsuomi Hirashima; William M. Lee  HEPATOLOGY  56-  958A  -958A  2012/10
  • 加藤 茂樹; 大水 総一; 仁木 敏朗; 清水 大樹; 尾長谷 靖; 是永 正敬; 平島 光臣; 岡 三喜男  アレルギー  61-  (9-10)  1457  -1457  2012/10
  • Elevated levels of circulating galectin-9, a novel immune-modulator, in acute dengue virus Infection reflects disease severity
    Haorile Chagan-Yasutan; Lishomwa C. Ndhlovu; Talitha Lea Lacuesta; Prisca Susan A. Leano; Elizabeth Freda O. Telan; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Efren M. Dimaano; Toshio Hattori  JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY  188-  2012/05
  • A role for Galectin-9 in neutrophil trafficking
    Dianne Cooper; Asif J. Iqbal; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Mauro Perretti  FASEB JOURNAL  26-  2012/04
  • Tim-3, a Novel Immune Receptor, Is Constitutively Expressed on Human Natural Killer Cells and Functions as An Activating Coreceptor
    Michelle Gleason; Todd Lenvik; Valarie McCullar; Sarah Cooley; Michael Verneris; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Bruce R. Blazar; Jeffrey S. Miller  BLOOD  116-  (21)  52  -53  2010/11
  • GALECTIN-9 CONTRIBUTES TO THE POLARIZATION OF NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL FUNCTION TOWARDS A CYTOTOXIC PHENOTYPE IN CHRONIC HCV INFECTION
    Lucy Golden-Mason; Jessica Randall; Linling Cheng; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Hugo R. Rosen  HEPATOLOGY  52-  (4)  391A  -392A  2010/10
  • ガレクチン9はLPS刺激によるマスト細胞からのサイトカイン産生を増強する
    小島 令嗣; 大野 建州; 飯倉 元保; 仁木 敏朗; 平島 光臣; 松原 修; 野々山 恵章; 松本 健治; 斎藤 博久; 中江 進  アレルギー  59-  (9-10)  1428  -1428  2010/10
  • TIM3-TIM3 LIGAND INTERACTION AMELIORATE HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS-INDUCED BEHCET'S DISEASE-LIKE SYMPTOMS
    Ju A. Shim; Sun Park; Eun-so Lee; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Seonghyang Sohn  CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY  28-  (4)  S121  -S121  2010/07
  • マクロファージのシグナル伝達 ガレクチン9によるマクロファージのFcgレセプター発現制御とコラーゲン抗体誘導関節炎への効果(Galectin-9 ameliorates immune complex-induced arthritis by regulating FcgR expression on macrophages)
    有川 智博; 渡邊 浩大; 松川 昭博; 大水 総一; 仁木 敏朗; 山内 清明; 平島 光臣  日本免疫学会総会・学術集会記録  39-  105  -105  2009/11
  • Elevated Serum IL-12 Levels Attenuate Tumor Immunity Via the TIM-3/Gal-9 Axis and Worsen Patient Prognosis in Follicular B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL).
    Zhi-Zhang Yang; Steven C. Ziesmer; Anne J. Novak; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Thomas E. Witzig; Stephen M. Ansell  BLOOD  114-  (22)  1045  -1045  2009/11
  • Galectin-9 Promotes the Survival of Fully Allogeneic Heart Grafts in Mice.
    Wentao He; Zemin Fang; Jin Yuan; Toshiro Niki; Mitsuomi Hirashima; Weina Zhang; Hongmin Zhou; Zhonghua Klaus Chen  AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION  9-  480  -480  2009
  • Prevention of metastasis by galectin-9: mechanism analysis of anti-metastatic function
    Atsuya Nobumoto; Keisuke Takeshita; Keiko Nagahara; Toshiro Niki; Nozomu Nishi; Akira Yamauchi; Mitsuorm Hirashima  CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL METASTASIS  24-  (4)  267  -267  2007

Industrial Property Rights

Research Grants & Projects

  • Development of small molecule Galectin-9 antagonists as a novel immune checkpoint inhibitor
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
    Date (from‐to) : 2024/04 -2027/03 
    Author : 仁木 敏朗
  • Examination of the effect of combination therapy of galectin-9 and epigallocatechin gallate on hepatocellular carcinoma
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
    Date (from‐to) : 2022/04 -2025/03 
    Author : 正木 勉; 小原 英幹; 岩間 久和; 仁木 敏朗; 田所 智子; 森下 朝洋; 大浦 杏子; 谷 丈二; 中原 麻衣; 藤田 浩二
  • Functional elucidation of two forms of Galectin-9 and their potential application to diagnosis
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
    Date (from‐to) : 2021/04 -2024/03 
    Author : 仁木 敏朗
     
    EV Gal-9測定の診断マーカーとしての有用性について：免疫調節因子であるGal-9にはExtracellular vesiclesに内包されたEV Gal-9と遊離型が存在しており我々の開発したELISAでそれらを定量できる。デング熱患者血漿を用いた予備検討よりEV Gal-9は病状の改善に伴って上昇することが示された。本課題を通してこのELISAを使用できるように十分量の試薬を調製し、これまでと同様のELISAが行えることを品質試験で確認して分注・凍結保存した。このELISAを用いたCOVID19肺炎患者の血漿測定では入院時・トシリズマブ治療前後および退院時での症状に相関したGal-9濃度の変動が見られた。
    Gal-9のEVへのSortingの仕組みについて：EVの中でも研究の進んだエクソソームにフォーカスを当ててそこに内包されるGal-9を調べたところ非還元状態では本来の分子量の倍以上の凝集体を形成していることが判った。これを免疫沈降してGal-9と共存する因子を特定する計画であるが、これまで用いていた抗体は免疫沈降の効率が低いため効率の良い抗体のスクリーニングを行い、目的にかなう特定のポリクロ抗体を見出した。
    遊離Gal-9とEV Gal-9の機能について：機能比較のアッセイのひとつとしてマウスナイーブT細胞のTh17/Treg分化アッセイ系を用いる予定であり、最近の論文では主流となってきているフローサイトを用いたアッセイ方法を採用することとしその確立を急いでいる。
  • Anti-tumor effect of Galectin-9 on metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma and its microRNA basis
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
    Date (from‐to) : 2019/04 -2022/03 
    Author : Masaki Tsutomu
     
    The purpose of this study was to prove the anti-tumor effect of Gal-9 on metastatic liver cancer and to analyze the microRNA changes in the tumor, and to conduct basic research on the possibility that Gal-9 could be a therapeutic strategy for metastatic liver cancer. We proved, in vitro, and in vivo systems whether Gal-9 treatment of OCUC-LM1, a metastatic liver cancer cell line derived from colorectal cancer, produces anti-tumor effects. We also found mcroRNAs associated with the in vitro tumor suppressive effect of Gal -9 in the metastatic liver cancer cell line OCUC-LM1 using array chips.
  • Matricellular proteins as severity markers for disaster or tropical infectious diseases
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
    Date (from‐to) : 2017/04 -2020/03 
    Author : Hattori Toshio
     
    We have attempted to clarify if full length and/or cleaved form of galectin-9 and osteopontin could be used as bio markers of disaster related tropical infectious diseases. In collaboration with San Lazaro Hospital at Manila in Philippines and National AIDS research Institute at Pune India, we have studied patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis (TB) and AIDS/TB and measured all 4 forms in using enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay. The results clearly showed that the cleaved form of galectin-9 reflect the diseases severity very well and the results were published independently. We also reported that osteopontin could reflect kidney dysfunction of leptospirosis. Furthermore, it was clarified that the cleaved from of these proteins reflect disease severity in COVID-19 infection.
  • A study on preparation of single receptor specific lectin and its usefulness
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research
    Date (from‐to) : 2016/04 -2019/03 
    Author : NIKI Toshiro
     
    A fusion protein of Galectin 9 and an anti-EGFR single chain antibody was produced with the goal of generating a modified galectin 9 specifically delivered to colon cancer. The target fusion protein performed two functions as expected, but the productivity was very low even with various trials to improve it. Therefore, the possibility of developing this fusion protein as a drug candidate is not high. However the productivity was improved when a peptide targeting cancer was fused instead of a single chain antibody. I would like to pursue this possibility in the future.
  • A study on the clinical significance of matri-cellular proteins in tropical and disaster infections
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
    Date (from‐to) : 2014/04 -2018/03 
    Author : Hattori Toshio; Krudsood Srivicha; Telan Elizabeth; Alsijahbana Bachti
     
    Galcetin-9 (Gal-9) was measured using Thai malaria patient plasma. In malaria, the Gal - 9 value increased markedly at hospitalization in both severe and mild cases. Also, the former was significantly higher than the latter, indicating Gal-9 reflects the severity of malaria. Proteomics analysis of patient urine was performed in leptospirosis, a disaster infectious disease, and it was reported for the first time that Defensin alpha 1 was present in the urine. The involvement of neutrophils were implicated in pathogenesis. In the context of weather, Manila rained in May after dengue and lept occurred, revealed that not only rain but temperature and humidity are involved in the epidemics of the diseases. We also reported the rise in Osteopontin (OPN), using plasma from tuberculosis patients in Manila and Indonesia. The rise of OPN, iP10 and neutrophils were the most remarkable changes.
  • Th17-suppressing novel regulatory T cells and the use thereof
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research
    Date (from‐to) : 2013/04 -2016/03 
    Author : NIKI Toshiro
     
    Galectin-9 an endogenous immunomodulator can normalize skewed immune balance and hence is supposed to have utilities for the treatment of refractory diseases including autoimmunities and cancers. We have been seeing galectin-9 as a promising seed molecule and have been studying it to elucidate the therapeutic mode-of-action and an appropriate disease indication for IND application. Through this research, we uncovered that the mode-of-action included signal transduction through a TNF-receptor superfamily 4-1BB and that the administration of galectin-9 demonstrated unprecedented therapeutic activities including 1)cytotoxicity in drug-resistant colon cancer cells by inducing incomplete autophagy, 2)drastic improvement of survival in an ischemia-reperfusion injury model in mice, 3)reactivation HIV from latently-infected cells and introduction of mutation in the viral genome. These results were summarized in research or patent articles and accepted for publications.
  • Clinical Utilities of new biomarker for dengue virus infection
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
    Date (from‐to) : 2011/04 -2015/03 
    Author : HATTORI Toshio; NIKI Toshiro; HIRASHIMA Mitsuomi; HAORILE Chagan-Yasutan; KUBO Toru
     
    Matricellular proteins of galectin-9 (Gal-9) and osteopontin (OPN) were studied in plasma from 65 dengue virus (DENV) infected patients. During the critical phase, Gal-9 levels were significantly higher in DENV infected patients compared to control groups. The highest Gal-9 levels were observed in dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients (DHF: 2464pg/ml; dengue fever (DF): 1407pg/ml). In the recovery phase, Gal-9 levels significantly declined from peak levels in those patients. Gal-9 levels tracked viral load, and were associated with monocyte frequencies and hematologic variables of coagulation. Plasma levels of OPN were significantly elevated in the critical phase in both of DF and DHF as compared with healthy. During the recovery phase, OPN levels declined while thrombin cleaved OPN levels increased dramatically in both of DF and DHF patients. Thus, Gal-9 and OPN appears to track DENV inflammatory responses and it could serve as an important novel biomarker of acute DENV infection..
  • The alteration of sugar chain profiling during the differentiation into IL-17-producing helper T cells
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
    Date (from‐to) : 2011 -2013 
    Author : OOMIZU Souichi; HIRASHIMA Mitsuomi; NIKI Toshiro
     
    It has been reported that the activation of Th17 cells is one of the genesis of autoimmune inflammation. Galectin-9, which is a B-galactoside binding animal lectin inhibits the differentiation of Th17 cells from naive helper T cells. The inhibitory effect of galectin-9 on Th17 differentiation is exerted by binding to the O-linked protein that is relatively specific. Furthermore helper T cells that express galectin-9 on the surface highly secrete galectin 9, and inhibit the differentiation Th17 cells.
  • Possible mechanisms of galectin-9-induced immunoregulatory macrophages
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science：Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
    Date (from‐to) : 2010 -2012 
    Author : HIRASHIMA Mitsuomi; OOMIZU Souichi; NIKI Toshiro
     
    We described that galectin-9 regulates functions of not only immunocompetent cells but also various cells by collaboration with world-wide investigators. From our works, it is suggested that galectins including galectin-9 play a role as an important factor to overcome stress, because galectins are conserved longtime from fungi and sea sponge to human.
  • 免疫制御因子ガレクチン９の機能に関する研究
    Date (from‐to) : 2004

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