Yutaka Eguchi, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Lab. Molecular Genetics Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine

Dr. Eguchi is a board certified molecular genetist who is currently studying signal transduction mechanisms of cell death. He made a great contribution in regulatory mechanisms of naturally occurring anti-sense RNA in the National Institutes of Health in late 1980s, and afterwards changed his focus on the oncogene bcl-2, the key regulator of the programmed cell death. Through the studies with Bcl-2 functions, he contributed in the various aspects of cell death mechanisms, especially in involvement of mitochondria, energy, and several gene products in cell death, and also uncovered the new function of smn gene, responsible for spinal muscular atrophy. For systematic elucidation of cell death mechanisms and their therapeutic applications, he recently concentrates his focus on the RNAi-based library for screening new genes involved in cell death.

Masahiko Kuroda, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Tokyo Medical University

Dr. Kuroda is a board certified surgical pathologist with research interests in molecular diagnostic pathology, tumor biology and environmental science. He has a special interest in the relationship between chromosomal loci and cell differentiation. His findings about the novel oncogene hWAPL have prompted him to study strategies for target-based molecular therapy against cancer predisposing genes such as hWAPL.