Taniki, Nobuhito

写真a

Affiliation

School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) (Shinanomachi)

Position

Assistant Professor/Senior Assistant Professor
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Papers 【 Display / hide 】

  • The impact of T cells on immune-related liver diseases: an overview

    Koda Y., Kasuga R., Taniki N., Kanai T., Nakamoto N.

    Inflammation and Regeneration 45 ( 1 ) 21 2025.12

    ISSN  1880-9693

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    The liver presents a unique immune system. Liver diseases are closely associated with the immune system. Disruption of the tightly regulated balance between immune activation and tolerance induction leads to the development and worsening of immune-related liver diseases. T cells play diverse crucial roles in the immune system, and they have long been known to induce inflammation through direct tissue damage by effector molecules and the recruitment of effector cells via chemokines. Additionally, T cells interact with B cells to induce autoantibodies, promoting tissue inflammation and dysfunction through the deposition of IgG and immune complexes in the tissues. Recent advances in omics technologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, have elucidated the role of T cells in the progression and recovery of liver fibrosis. Moreover, comprehensive and unbiased information can now be obtained from small samples of human and mouse tissues, which advances our understanding of tissue-specific functions of T cells, including resident memory T cells, peripheral helper T cells, and tissue Tregs. However, significant unmet needs remain in the fields of immune-related liver diseases. In this review, we discuss the T cell biology and its role in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which are non-viral liver diseases exhibiting a strong involvement of immunity and inflammation. Furthermore, the latest therapeutic concepts for the diseases and associated drugs targeting T cells have been overviewed.

  • Trends and Barriers in Liver Transplantation for Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis: A 15-Year Single-Center Cohort at a Japanese Center

    Hasegawa Y., Obara H., Ojiro K., Kitago M., Abe Y., Usui S., Taniki N., Nakamoto N., Kitagawa Y.

    Transplantation Proceedings 57 ( 8 ) 1560 - 1564 2025.10

    ISSN  00411345

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    Background and Aim: Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment for end-stage liver disease; however, access remains limited, particularly in Japan, where the severe shortage of deceased donors presents a major challenge. Research comprehensively assessing the full trajectory from referral to either transplantation or death remains scarce. We aimed to analyze long-term trends and propose potential strategies to improve access to liver transplantation in Japan. Patients and Methods: This study included 616 adult patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis referred for liver transplantation. Patients were divided into 3 periods to assess temporal trends: Period 1 (2009-2013), Period 2 (2014-2018), and Period 3 (2019-2023). The primary endpoint was the liver transplantation rate among referred patients. Patient demographics, liver disease etiology and severity, and donor type were analyzed. Results: The transplantation rate declined from 30.2% in Period 1 to 22.1% in Period 3, despite increases in follow-up rates and waitlist registrations. The availability of living donors significantly decreased over time, from 29.5% in Period 1 to 22.4% in Period 2 and 18.6% in Period 3. The rate of death without transplantation remained high (41.0%, 45.0%, and 40.0%, respectively). A higher MELD score at referral was an independent risk factor for both not undergoing transplantation and mortality among transplantation candidates. Conclusion: Over this 15-year period, the transplantation rate declined despite increases deceased donor registrations, resulting in persistently high waitlist mortality. Our findings suggest that expanding deceased donor pool and facilitating earlier referral of transplant candidates are essential to improving access to transplantation and patient outcomes in a Japanese transplant setting.

  • Case review of perivascular epithelioid cell tumor occurring in patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome

    Abe N., Yamazaki F., Tsujikawa H., Kasuga R., Taniki N., Shimada H.

    Familial Cancer 24 ( 1 ) 18 2025.03

    ISSN  13899600

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    Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) belong to a family of rare mesenchymal tumors composed of histologically and immunohistochemically distinctive perivascular epithelioid cells. Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome, is caused by a germline variant of the tumor suppressor gene TP53. Here, we report the case of a 20-year-old woman with LFS who developed a PEComa of the liver. She was suspected to have LFS because she had developed osteosarcoma (OS) of the femur along with a concurrent transitional liver cell tumor in the right liver lobe at the age of 8 years. She also tested positive for the germline TP53 missense variant c.722 C > T (p.Ser241Phe). She concurrently experienced recurrence of OS and a new-onset liver tumor at the age of 20 years. Thereafter, microwave ablation was performed for the liver tumor because the Magnetic resonance imaging features suggested that the tumor was a hepatocellular carcinoma. Post-ablation biopsy showed that the tumor cells were spindle-shaped and possessed eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the tumor cells expressed HMB45 and focal alpha-smooth muscle actin. Labeling for S100 protein and cytokeratin-AE1/AE3 yielded negative results. Therefore, a diagnosis of PEComa of the liver was made. Among the ten PEComas reported in patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome so far, all PEComas except the current case were surgically resected, and no cases of recurrence were documented in the follow-up period. Six of the ten PEComas were located in the liver. We think that the possibility of PEComa should be considered when a liver tumor develops in patients with LFS.

  • Continuation of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab beyond initial progressive disease: clinical benefits in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma – a multicenter cohort study

    Tabuchi T., Taniki N., Ojiro K., Kasuga R., Nakadai Y., Chu P.S., Usui S., Shiba S., Tahara T., Komatsu H., Fujita Y., Kaneko F., Hoshi H., Yamaguchi A., Fukuhara S., Okamura Y., Kanamori H., Ebinuma H., Tamura M., Tsukada J., Hasegawa Y., Abe Y., Kitago M., Jinzaki M., Kitagawa Y., Kanai T., Nakamoto N.

    Frontiers in Immunology 16   1653456 2025

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    Background: The clinical significance of treatment beyond progression (TBP) with immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. As atezolizumab plus bevacizumab has become a first-line therapy for advanced HCC, understanding the real-world outcomes of TBP is increasingly relevant. Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective observational study involving 122 patients with unresectable HCC treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab across nine liver centers in Japan. Among patients who experienced radiologic progressive disease (PD), clinical outcomes were compared between those who continued treatment beyond progression (TBP group) and those who discontinued therapy. Overall survival (OS), tumor response, and subgroup analyses based on major vessel involvement (MVI) were evaluated. Results: Among patients with PD, the median OS was not reached in the TBP group, compared to 13.6 months in the non-TBP group (HR 2.04; 95% CI 1.02–4.07; p=0.0435). When stratified by MVI status, patients without MVI who received TBP had significantly longer OS (median not reached) than those who received palliative care (median 6.2 months; HR 11.2; 95% CI 3.89–32.5; p<0.001). Among patients with MVI, TBP did not confer an OS benefit over palliative care (median OS: 10.4 months vs. 7.4 months; HR 2.24; p=0.260), whereas switching to subsequent chemotherapy showed improved OS (median 23.1 months vs. 7.4 months; HR 7.33; 95% CI 1.44–37.3; p=0.0164). Multivariate analysis identified MVI as an independent negative prognostic factor (HR 5.17; 95% CI 1.34–20.0; p=0.0172), even after adjusting for AFP ratio at progression. Conclusions: This multicenter study suggests that continuation of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab beyond radiologic progression may improve survival outcomes in selected patients with unresectable HCC, particularly those without major vessel involvement. These findings support the integration of TBP into personalized treatment strategies in advanced HCC.

  • Validation of novel scoring systems for acute decompensated cirrhosis identifies PBC as an independent poor prognostic factor: a single-center Japanese cohort study

    Nakadai Y., Ojiro K., Kasuga R., Chu P.S., Ueno M., Tabuchi T., Taniki N., Usui S., Hasegawa Y., Abe Y., Kitago M., Obara H., Kanai T., Nakamoto N.

    Journal of Gastroenterology  2025

    ISSN  09441174

    　View Summary

    Background: The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease 3.0 (MELD 3.0) was developed in the United States to improve prioritization for liver transplantation (LT); however, its utility in Japanese patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and acute decompensation (AD) remains invalidated. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 312 patients with LC and first-time AD admitted to our institution between 2012 and 2022. Prognostic accuracy of MELD 3.0 was evaluated at 90 and 180 days after admission by comparison with other predictive models. Prognoses according to cirrhosis etiology and contributing factors were also examined. Results: MELD 3.0 demonstrated superior prognostic accuracy at day 180 (C-index: 0.770) compared to the original MELD and MELD Na, although its C-index up to day 90 was comparable to that of MELD and MELD Na. A cut-off value of MELD 3.0 > 20.5 predicted LT or liver-related death at day 180. Patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) had poorer outcomes than non-PBC cases through 180 days and remained an independent risk factor in the Cox proportional hazards model incorporating MELD 3.0. A progressive increase in both MELD 3.0 and total bilirubin from day 0 to day 90 after AD was observed specifically in the PBC group, which may have been associated with the poor prognosis at day 180. Conclusions: MELD 3.0 was effective in predicting 180-day outcomes in Japanese patients with LC and AD. Progressive bilirubin elevation in PBC may be associated with poor prognosis. These findings suggest that early consideration of LT is warranted in patients with PBC.

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Papers, etc., Registered in KOARA 【 Display / hide 】

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Reviews, Commentaries, etc. 【 Display / hide 】

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Research Projects of Competitive Funds, etc. 【 Display / hide 】

  • 原発性硬化性胆管炎のAhRを介した病態解明およびAhR ligandによる新規治療開発

    2025.04
    -
    2028.03

    基盤研究(C), Principal investigator

  • "腸-肝臓-脳相関"で構成される自律神経回路による大腸癌の新規病態解明と治療開発

    2022.04
    -
    2025.03

    MEXT,JSPS, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, 基盤研究(C), Principal investigator

  • インジゴ化合物による新規原発性硬化性胆管炎治療法の開発

    2020.04
    -
    2022.03

    MEXT,JSPS, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists , Principal investigator

  • 腸肝相関を介した肝免疫寛容誘導機序の解明

    2018.04
    -
    2020.03

    MEXT,JSPS, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists , Principal investigator

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Courses Taught 【 Display / hide 】

  • PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ISSUES IN CHRONIC CARE

    2025

  • LECTURE SERIES, INTERNAL MEDICINE (GASTROENTEROLOGY)

    2025

  • PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ISSUES IN CHRONIC CARE

    2024

  • LECTURE SERIES, INTERNAL MEDICINE (GASTROENTEROLOGY)

    2024

  • PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ISSUES IN CHRONIC CARE

    2023

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