about JSIT

Greeting from Executive President

April 2008
Executive President
Jun-ichi Sawada

The Japanese Society of Imunotoxicology (JSIT) was founded in 1994 as a small researcher’s society. We appreciate much effort made by the former Presidents, Drs. Hiroshi Nagura and Motoyasu Ohsawa to establish and expand the Society. The aims of the Society, to educate young immunotoxicologists, to release the newest immunotoxicological information to the public, to facilitate cooperations among immunotoxicologists in different fields, and to contribute to the development of safer drugs and chemicals, are still valid even after fourteen years.

As the immunotoxicology field has expanded from the classical immunotoxicity (immunosuppression) to unintended immunoenhancement (or immunomodulation) including autoimmunity and chemical and food allergy, our Society has been more interdisciplinary. The topics or keywords in current toxicology include “ecological” toxicity, “high-risk group”, newly developed materials like “nanoparticles”, and new technologies like “omics” and “epigenetics””. These also apply to immunotoxicology, and we must challenge these new aspects. In this point, the role of the Society as a platform for interdiciplinary communications becomes more important.

Finally, from an international point of view, the Society would promote cooperations with foreign immunotoxicologists, including Asian researchers.