Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University

The Medical Institute of Bioregulation (MIB), Kyushu University, places "biodefense"—the fundamental system that enables living organisms to adapt to external threats and changes in the internal environment, and to maintain homeostasis—at the core of its research mission. MIB seeks to elucidate its regulatory mechanisms across the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels, and to overcome diseases that arise from the breakdown of biodefense systems. By integrating basic research that probes the essence of life phenomena with research that connects to disease understanding and medical applications, MIB has continued to disseminate numerous important achievements both in Japan and internationally, serving as a leading research center driving the advancement of biodefense research.

MIB was established in 1982 through the integration of Kyushu University's Hot Spring Therapy Research Institute and the Cancer Research Facility of the School of Medicine, and has since developed as a core hub for biodefense research. In 2001, the integration with the Genetic Information Experimental Facility prompted a major reorganization of the research structure, building a research foundation responsive to advances in the life sciences. In recent years, the establishment of the Center for Integrated Systems Immunology and the Center for High-Depth Omics Science has further strengthened the foundation supporting cutting-edge medical and biological research.

A defining feature of MIB is its provision of an open research environment for domestic and international researchers as a Joint Usage/Research Center, supported by an infrastructure of advanced research technologies including single-cell analysis, spatial omics, cryo-electron microscopy, and genome editing. By integrating these technologies, MIB advances the acquisition and integrated analysis of large-scale, high-precision biological data toward elucidating the onset mechanisms of diverse diseases such as infectious diseases, cancer, and allergies.

In addition, in recent years MIB has established the Department of International Cooperative Research and the Department of Multidisciplinary Life Science, advancing research and the creation of new fields centered on organization-to-organization international collaboration. Through interdisciplinary integration across biology, information science, mathematical science, and engineering, MIB aims to pioneer new research fields that comprehensively understand the biodefense system, and to generate new currents in life science research.

To further accelerate these efforts, MIB will further strengthen its research structure in fiscal year 2026. Within the Department of Multidisciplinary Life Science, three new divisions—the Division of Chromatin Structure and Function, the Division of Cancer Genome Biology, and the Division of Epigenomics—will be established, together with the launch of the "Nakatani Multiscale Biological Dynamics" as an endowed research department. Through these initiatives, MIB will advance integrated research spanning from epigenome regulation to higher-order life dynamics, opening new horizons for biodefense research.

Building upon these new research structures, advanced research infrastructure, and international research networks, the Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, will fulfill its role as a world-leading research center pioneering biodefense research, and will continue to advance research that opens new horizons in life and medical sciences. Faculty, students, and staff will continue to work as one to create medical innovation through groundbreaking research achievements. We sincerely ask for your continued understanding and support.