Message from the Professor

Welcome to the Laboratory of Pharmacotherapy

Unraveling the Individual "Why" of Disease to Create the Future of Medicine.

Thank you for visiting the website for the Laboratory of Pharmacotherapy.

I am Professor Akifumi Kushiyama.

Diabetes, along with its various complications and comorbidities, poses a significant threat to our health. In our laboratory, we aim to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of how these diseases develop and progress, with the ultimate goal of delivering optimal, personalized therapies to each patient.

To achieve this, our research is built on two major pillars.

The first is basic research exploring mechanisms at the cellular level. We aim to discover new therapeutic targets by conducting multifaceted analyses of how various factors influence the onset and progression of lifestyle-related diseases and their complications. These factors include mitochondrial function (the cell's power plants), endoplasmic reticulum stress responses (responsible for protein quality control), the physical stiffness of the cellular environment (the extracellular matrix), circulating cholesterol metabolites, and ingested nutrients.

The second is clinical research, conducted in collaboration with patients. Why is it that, even with the same disease, the progression of symptoms and the effectiveness of medication differ from person to person? We conduct research to identify the risk factors for complications and comorbidities, as well as the factors that determine a drug's efficacy, which are the root causes of these individual differences.

Our challenge is to forge the future of medicine by deeply understanding the complete picture of these diseases through a dual approach that integrates both basic and clinical research.

To Working Professionals and Alumni Considering Graduate Studies

The questions you have encountered in clinical practice or in the industry—"Why does this pathology occur?" or "Why is there so much individual variation in a drug's effectiveness?"—are invaluable assets that drive research. As a physician myself, I entered the world of research with these very same questions in mind. We invite you to channel your experience and critical perspective into scientific inquiry in our laboratory. We accommodate a wide range of research themes for our graduate students, not limited to any specific field. Please refer to our list of publications. It is also possible to conduct research in teams with undergraduate students.

To Students Aiming for Study Abroad and International Careers

The language of life science is universal. Our research, which connects cellular biology—such as mitochondrial function and ER stress—with lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes, is a globally recognized and highly competitive frontier. Through your daily research activities, you will engage with world-class science and build a solid foundation for a career as a globally active researcher.

To Universities, Research Institutes, and Companies Considering Collaboration

Our laboratory's strength lies in our research foundation, which allows us to delve deeply into the pathophysiology of diabetic complications and comorbidities from a clinical perspective. In addition to our basic research on mitochondrial function and ER stress, our clinical research focuses on individual differences, exploring risk factors for complications and the determinants of therapeutic efficacy. By advancing both basic and clinical research in tandem, we believe we can contribute to the identification of new drug targets and the optimization of treatments. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss potential collaborations.

To High School and University Students, and Parents Interested in Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

Profound questions like, "What is the difference between sickness and health?" or "Why does the same drug work differently for different people?" are the starting points for the grand drama of life science. In our lab, you can experience the dynamism of how exploring the microscopic world of the cell connects directly to the larger goal of helping individual patients.

I sincerely hope that this website serves as a wonderful starting point for a connection between you and our laboratory.

Akifumi Kushiyama, Professor

Laboratory of Pharmacotherapy