His research is mainly focusing on prion diseases as a neurodegenerative disorder and food-borne zoonosis. He is now conducting broad aspect of research projects, such as the elucidation of the entity of prions, mechanisms of propagation and transmission of prions as well as the neurodegeneration caused by prion propagation, the establishment of therapeutics, a surveillance of animal prion diseases, and an analysis of the resistance gene to prion diseases. In addition to the comprehensive research on prion diseases, his research activity includes Lawsonia infection as a model of an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes proliferative enteropathy in variety of animals especially in pigs and horses and results in severe economic loss. He is now studying on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of Lawsonia infection.

1. Management of program as a program coordinator
2. Promotion of fostering Zoonosis Control Expert
3. Coordination of Internship support program, overseas activity support program

1. Yamasaki, T., Suzuki, A., Shimizu, T., Watarai, M., Hasebe, R., Horiuchi, M. 2012 Characterization of intracellular localization of PrPSc in prion-infected cells using a mAb that recognizes the region consisting of aa 119-127 of mouse PrP. J. Gen. Virol. 93: 668-680.
2. Song, C-H., Honmou, O., Furuoka, H., Horiuchi, M. 2011 Identification of chemoattractive factors involved in the migration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells to brain lesions caused by prions. J. Virol. 85:11069-11078.
3. Horiuchi, M., Karino, A., Furuoka, H., Ishiguro, N., Kimura, K., Shinagawa, M. 2009. Generation of monoclonal antibody that distinguishes PrPSc from PrPC and neutralizes prion infectivity. Virology. 394: 200-207.
4. Song, C-H., Honmou, O., Ohsawa, N., Nakamura, K., Hamada, H., Furuoka, H., Hasebe, R., Horiuchi, M. 2009. Effect of transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on mice infected with prions. J. Virol. 83: 5918-5927.
5. Shindoh, R., Kim, C-L., Song, C-H., Hasebe, R., Horiuchi, M. 2009 The region approximately between amino acids 81 and 137 of proteinase K-resistant PrPSc is critical for the infectivity of the Chandler prion strain. J. Virol. 83: 3852-3860.