2026年2月2日

温泉免疫研究会を別府で開催（2026年2月2日〜3日）

Balneoimmunology Workshop Held in Beppu (February 2-3, 2026)

　The 4th Balneoimmunology Research Meeting was held on February 2 (Monday)–3 (Tuesday), 2026, at Resorpia Beppu, and members of our department participated in the meeting. This research meeting is held on a continuing basis with the aim of scientifically investigating the effects of hot spring bathing on immunity and skin health. At the 2nd meeting, experiments were conducted at Tsukahara Onsen, which is characterized by extremely high acidity and aluminum ion concentration, and intriguing changes in skin pH and the resident microbiota were observed. In contrast, during this 4th meeting, experiments were carried out at Beppu Kamioka Onsen (Hozanso), a hot spring well known for its strongly alkaline water. Skin measurements and sample collection were performed before and after bathing, with all participants bathing in the hot spring for 30 minutes. Data analysis is currently underway, and the results are highly anticipated. On the evening of the first day, seminar sessions were held with lectures by Dr. Ken Ishii (The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo), Dr. Tomoya Takegami (Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University), and Dr. Kobayashi, followed by lively and in-depth discussions. On the second day, invited lectures were given by Dr. Manami Toriyama (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University) and Dr. Reiko Yuasa (Beppu City, Office for New Spa Therapy and Wellness Promotion). These talks were followed by discussions on future collaborative research with Beppu City. The participants agreed to continue this research meeting series and to promote further studies utilizing Beppu hot springs as research fields, as well as to participate in the Beppu Hot Spring Academia scheduled for November. Continued progress in immunology research leveraging regional hot spring resources is highly anticipated.