
Research Staff

Hiromi Yanagisawa,
M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Dr. Yanagisawa received her MD from the School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Japan in 1986 and her Ph.D. in 1993. After completing a residency in Internal Medicine, she moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and worked in the laboratories of Dr. Robert Hammer and Dr. Eric Olson. In 2003, she was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2011. In 2014, she was appointed as Professor of the TARA Center, University of Tsukuba and relocated Dallas Lab to Tsukuba Science City in September of 2015.
Her research focuses on the interaction between cells and extracellular environments, which is a dynamic process that takes place in a temporospatial fashion. She has been particularly interested in the extracellular matrix, a major component of extracellular environments, in blood vessels, skin, kidneys, and reproductive organs. Currently, she is investigating the molecular mechanisms regarding how cells respond to alterations in the extracellular environment, including aging and disease conditions; she is supported by two group leaders with expertise in vascular biology and skin stem cell biology. She also collaborates with research groups working on label-free imaging techniques, bioengineering and glycotechnology.
She has been involved in the women faculty networking, promotion of diversity and woman leadership as well as development of the research community to facilitate intra-campus and external collaborations. She currently serves as a mentor faculty member in the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences Majors of Medical Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Human Biology, and Ph.D. Program in Humanics.
Based on her own experience as a trainee and PI in the U.S. research institution for more than 20 years, she runs her laboratory to train the independent researcher with 4Cs (Challenging, Creative, Consistent, and Collegial). He/she will be the one who can find the most exciting question and come up with a strategy to find the answer.

Kenichi Kimura Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Students

Karina Ramirez
5th year doctoral student in Human Biology Program

Ryutaro Ishii M.D.
4th year doctoral student in Biomedical Sciences

Yen Xuan Ngo
4th year doctoral student in Human Biology Program

Nguyen Vu Tram Anh
3rd year doctoral student in Human Biology Program

Huynh Thuy Hang
2nd year student in master’s program in Medical Sciences

Chang Liu
Clinical Sciences,
Research collaborator
from Professor Hiramatsu’s lab(Cardiovascular Surgery)

Tomonari Shimoda
4th year student in School of Medicine

Shunsuke Akasaka
1st year student in Degree Programs in Pure and Applied Sciences
Engineering Science
Research collaborator
from Professor Kano’s lab

Eri Motoyama
3rd year student in Medical Sciences
Research Assistant

Keerthana Ranganathan Ph.D.
Research Assistant
Visiting Professor

Hiroaki Tateno Ph.D.
Visiting Professor
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Cellular Glycome-targeted Technology Research Group
Group Leader
Visiting Associate Professor

Visiting Researcher

Erna Raja, Ph.D.

Kaori Sugiyama Ph.D.

Lalhaba Oinam Ph.D.
Administrative Staff

Mariko Higashi
Administrative Assistant
Previous Members
-
Research Staff
Aiko Sada, Ph.D.
(Tenure-trak Assistant Professor, April 2016 – Sep.2019, Current position : Kumamoto University, IRCMS)
Jaakko Kangas M.D., Ph.D.
(Postdoctoral Researcher, Feb. 2017 – Jan. 2018)
Wataru Kimura, Ph.D.
(International Tenure-track Assistant Professor, May 2015 – Aug. 2017,
Current position : RIKEN BDR Laboratory for Heart Regeneration Team Leader)
-
Graduate Students
Shin Seung Jae, Ph.D.
(Biological Sciences in the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, April 2017 – Sep. 2020)
Gopakumar Changarathil, Ph.D.
(Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, July 2016 – Sep. 2019
Current position : postdoctoral fellow at University of Texas at San Antonio, USA)
Bui Quoc Thang M.D., Ph.D.
(Clinical Sciences,Research collaborator from Professor Hiramatsu’s lab(Cardiovascular Surgery) Dec.2015-Mar.2019
Current position : Cardiac Surgeon at Cho Ray Hospital, Viet Nam)
Juliano Vilela Alves (Participant of Inter-University Exchange Project, University of São Paulo, Apr. 2018 – Aug. 2018)
Caroline Antunes Lino (Participant of Inter-University Exchange Project, University of São Paulo, Sep. 2017 – Mar. 2018)
-
Undergraduate Students
Rachel Elizabeth Sides (Collaborator from Dr. Justin Weinbaum’s lab, University of Pittsburg, May – Aug. 2017)
Kotaro Matsumura (Medical Sciences, Apr. 2016 – Mar. 2017)
Kae Kawazoe(Medical Sciences,Dec.2017 – Mar.2019)
Ram Prabaharan(2nd year student in Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, May 12th ~ July 19th)
-
Administrative Staff
Keiko Yashima (Sept. 2016 – Mar. 2017)
Satoko Sato (Jan. 2015 – Dec. 2018)