Patients died of chronic liver diseases, including liver cancer, are about 40,000 persons per a year in Japan. Liver transplantation remains the only effective treatment available to patients with end-stage liver diseases. Because of a serious shortage of donors for allogeneic liver transplantation, an alternative therapy is needed. Prevention of hepatocarcinogenesis and hepatic fibrosis is also necessary for patients with chronic hepatitis, and the development of effective treatment for progressive liver diseases has been quite essential. We believe that the central role of clinical departments in the graduate school of TMDU is to establish basis for the innovative medical treatment in the next generation. To achieve our mission, both basic research lead by clinical concepts and development of novel therapeutics established upon basic research are required.
Our section is a donation-funded department collaborating with the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in TMDU. Most of basic research projects, education for students, and clinical contributions including multicenter studies are collaboration with the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in TMDU. The goal of our education is to promote students to become a well-developed hepatologist, and also a leading expert in the field of Hepatology and Gastroenterology.

Our principle is to achieve a research evoked from various clinical problems, and also directed to launch innovative therapeutic procedures to the daily clinical practice.
We focus on the basic studies of molecular mechanism regulating development, pathophysiology, progression, and therapeutic resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We also focus on the development of novel disease models using human induced pluripotent stem cells, the research for molecular mechanisms regulating liver tissue regeneration and hepatic fibrogenesis, the study for molecular mechanisms regulating differentiation of hepatic stem/progenitor cells, analysis of mechanisms regulating escape of hepatitis viruses from innate immune systems in host cells, and factors for therapeutic resistance against antiviral agents.

Research projects
・Research for mechanism regulating development, pathophysiology, progression, and therapeutic resistance of HCC, based on molecular biology and genome informatics
・Development of novel disease models using human induced pluripotent stem cells to elucidate the pathophysiology of liver diseases
・Research for molecular mechanisms regulating liver tissue regeneration and hepatic fibrogenesis
・Research for molecular mechanisms regulating differentiation of hepatic stem/progenitor cells
・Analyses of molecular mechanisms regulating escape of hepatitis viruses from innate immune systems in host cells, and clinical factors for therapeutic resistance against antiviral agents.

Primary goal for education in our section is to train highly educated and experienced clinician-researchers in the field of hepatology. Our goal for education of graduate students is to produce clinical researchers thinking from a wide perspective and to bring up leaders of the next generation in hepatology.

Our lectures and courses are collaboration with the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in School of Medicine, TMDU. We also educate clinical residents in Medical Hospital of TMDU and graduate students of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, in TMDU in collaboration with such department.

For the treatment of patients with diseases of liver, biliary duct, and pancreas in Medical Hospital of TMDU, we collaborate with the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in TMDU. In the clinical section, we pursue development and application of highly advanced technologies, including novel procedures, for sophisticated diagnosis and treatment of diseases of liver, biliary duct, and pancreas. We also operate a lot of multicenter study collaborating with the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in TMDU. We participate in 8 research projects for treatment and eradiation of hepatitis virus funded by Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). From April 2019, our clinical research program, “Development of innovative disease models using hepatic organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and construction of new treatments to suppress carcinogenesis in liver”, was started as Programs for Basic and Clinical Research on Hepatitis in Division of infectious disease research, AMED. This program is primarily operated by our department in cooperation with several departments in TMDU and other institute. We are trying to develop novel therapeutic strategies to treat progressive liver diseases. We published a lot of studies in peer-reviewed international journals and presented the recent works in a lot of international and domestic conferences as described below.

For the treatment of patients with diseases of liver, biliary duct, and pancreas in Medical Hospital of TMDU, we collaborate with the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in TMDU. We have recently established the outpatient department specialized for chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and HCC. We have operated a lot of multicenter study about efficacy of treatment against viral hepatitis, named as “Ochyanomizu Liver Conference”. More than 2000 patients with viral hepatitis were enrolled in such studies. We have clarified the clinical factors predicting accurately the therapeutic prognosis and risk for development of HCC. We are developing the screening programs for the early detection of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis after eradication of viruses utilizing non-invasive elastography, novel serum markers, and dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.
For the treatment of HCC, three-dimensional location and structure of tumors and vessels are evaluated by multilateral approaches using dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI, and real-time virtual ultrasonography (RVS). We have reported the utility and safety of such therapeutic approaches. We are providing patients the appropriate therapeutic option based on collective multimodal therapeutic strategy in collaboration with departments of surgery and radiology.