Takuya Saito

I was very honoured to receive the APSR / JRS Young Investigator Award at the APSR 2021 Congress in Kyoto.

I am a graduate student at Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. In our laboratory, we are focusing on alveolar macrophages in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Previously, we reported that the expression of Siglec-1, one of plasma membrane-receptors, was decreased on alveolar macrophages of COPD patients compared to control never smokers and control ex-smokers. However, little is known about phenotypes of Siglec-1^neg alveolar macrophages and their impacts on the clinical course of COPD.

To determine whether Siglec-1^neg alveolar macrophages were associated with COPD exacerbation, we collected induced sputum from 15 COPD patients and prospectively followed them to evaluate the frequency of exacerbations for four years. We found that the expression of Siglec-1 in sputum macrophages quantified by immunofluorescence staining exhibited inverse correlation with the frequency of exacerbations for four years. Using the public database, the functional annotation clustering indicated that genes associated with NF-κB signaling were enriched in Siglec-1^neg alveolar macrophages from COPD patients. Our results suggested that Siglec-1^neg alveolar macrophages in COPD airways were a risk factor in exacerbation and exhibited the pro-inflammatory properties.

This was my first time to attend an APSR Congress and I was very impressed by the variety of topics and latest research from all over the world. I would like to thank the APSR for giving me such a wonderful and valuable experience and for the honour of receiving the APSR / JRS Young Investigator Award.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Sugiura, Dr Yamada, Dr Fujino, and my colleagues at Tohoku University.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic of COVID-19, I attended the Congress online this time, but I sincerely hope that one day I will be able to attend the APSR Congress on-site.

Takuya Saito