Dr. Yamamura's main interests are the immunological pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and related disease (neuromyelitis optica) and development of new treatment options for neuroimmunological disorders. NKT cell biology, nuclear receptors, and gut flora with regard to MS pathogenesis are the major targets of his research. He is an international advisory board member of International Society of Neuroimmunology (ISNI). He is past co-chair or Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCiS) (2007). He also served as Vice President of 5th International Symposium on CD1/NKT cells (2009), Chair or Neuroimmunology Satellite symposium for ICI 2010, and Congress President for Japanese Society for Neuroimmunology in 2010. As PI, he has received a number of prestigious research grants in Japan, including those from the government, The Mitsubishi Foundation and Uehara Memorial Foundation. He is also known as a semi-professional jazz piano player.