Yuuki Obata

Dr. Yuuki Obata is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology and Neuroscience at UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA. He holds an Investigator role at the O'Donnell Brain Institute. Previously, he served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Francis Crick Institute (2016-2021) and the University of Tokyo (2015-2016). His research focuses on how environmental signals (microbiota, diet, circadian rhythms) shape intestinal neural circuits and immune networks. He employs advanced techniques including imaging, viral tracing, gnotobiotic systems, and multi-omics approaches.

Education: PhD in Immunology from Chiba University (RIKEN Joint Graduate School Program), Japan. Postdoctoral training included JSPS Superlative Postdoctoral Fellowships (Japan) and EMBO/HFSP fellowships (UK).

Research interests span microbiota-immune interactions, enteric nervous system development, gut-brain axis communication, and epigenetic regulation of immune responses. His lab investigates mechanisms linking microbial metabolites to host physiology, particularly in metabolic and neural contexts.

Key findings include microbiota's role in IgA responses, T cell differentiation, and neuronal programming. Collaborations emphasize inter-organ communication and translational applications in immunology and neuroscience.

Laboratory: The Obata Lab at UT Southwestern employs interdisciplinary methods to address how environmental factors reprogram gut neural and immune systems. Future work includes exploring microbiota-based therapies and neuroimmune interactions in disease models.