Research Fields

Bacteria can bind not only to hard tissues such as teeth, implant, or an artificial organ but also to soft tissues such as mucous membrane and organs to develop biofilm formation. Bacterial biofilm is a form of bacterial aggregate which confers protection against antibiotics, detergent and host immune defense. Our study focuses on the identification of biological substances to restrict and/or eliminate bacterial biofilm formation and elucidate the action mechanisms at the molecular level. Since the overuse or misuse of antibiotics generate antibiotic resistant bacteria, alternative strategy to replace conventional antibiotics is in demand. Our laboratory has found biological substances from a beneficial bacterium, Lactobacillus, which effectively inhibited the formation of pathogenic bacterial biofilm, and we are extensively studying the molecular mechanisms of action for the inhibitory effect on the biofilm formation. The Lactobacillus-derived substances have promising uses in the field of medicine, feed additives and food hygiene materials to prevent the formation of bacterial biofilm.