Hiroyuki Nagashima, Ph.D.

Dr. Nagashima received his Ph.D. in 2016 from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tohoku University. He studied the role of TNF-receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) in the activation and memory formation of T-helper (Th) cells. His work revealed the previously unrecognized role of TRAFs in the regulation of IL-6 receptor signals, which is crucial for the differentiation of Th17 cells that induce autoimmune diseases.

After receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Nagashima worked as a research fellow for Young Scientists of JSPS (2016) and as an assistant professor (2017). He continued his research studying TNFR family members, focusing on type 2 innate lymphoid (ILC2) cells. He found that glucocorticoid-inducible TNF-related protein (GITR) provided co-signaling during ILC2 activation in the lung, resulting in exacerbated allergic immune responses.

In 2017, Dr. Nagashima joined Dr. John O’Shea’s lab at the NIAMS as a visiting fellow. He studied the molecular mechanisms of activation and differentiation of Th cells and ILCs and found that the neuropeptide CGRP is crucial for the regulation of ILC2s which induces type 2 immune responses following infection with helminth. Pursing his interest in the regulation of type 2 immunity, Dr. Nagashima also revealed a three-dimensional conformation of type 2 cytokine locus (ll4/ll13/ll5), underlying the cell-type specific control of these clinically significant cytokines.

Dr. Nagashima is currently working on multiple projects, including investigating the function of ILC2s in asthma and atopic dermatitis. He is also generating new research tools to further study how cytokines and neuropeptides rapidly control gene expression and alter chromatin structure toward a better understanding of the molecular basis of immune cell regulation in vivo.