Specializing in heart failure, research and clinical practice focus on the early detection of heart failure in patients with exertional dyspnea at the “Dyspnea Clinic.” Clinical research is also being conducted with the aim of providing comprehensive care for patients with heart failure, including the establishment of exercise stress echocardiography for early diagnosis and the promotion of team-based medical care. 

In the research project under the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) “Medical Research Support Program,” efforts are also being made to address polypharmacy (the use of multiple medications) among patients with heart failure through a comprehensive medication management program.

Since his student days, his research has been driven by a strong interest in the physiological responses and hormones of living organisms, with a particular focus on the fundamental question: “How do living organisms adapt to environmental changes and survive?” His research seeks to elucidate the diverse survival strategies of living organisms and the biological mechanisms underlying their remarkable robustness.

For instance, “starvation.” Adaptation to starvation has been an important selective pressure that has repeatedly challenged humans throughout our evolutionary history. It is thought that, in surviving prolonged periods of food scarcity, such as during ice ages, humans evolved metabolic systems that conserve energy and store fat, as well as mechanisms that prioritize the delivery of energy to the brain during fasting. These sophisticated regulatory mechanisms underlying the “starvation response” have been passed down to modern humans and continue to play an important role in our physiology.

Elucidating these fundamental principles of life—how living organisms adapt to changes in their environment—could open new horizons in our understanding of human health, disease, and even aging.

Preterm birth is a global challenge that places a significant burden on babies and their families. We are working on predicting pregnancy complications, particularly preterm birth, and elucidating their mechanisms based on advanced analysis of biological information during pregnancy. 

In the research project under the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) “Medical Research Support Program,” we aim to integrate two types of biological information to achieve “early” and “highly accurate” prediction of preterm birth risk and pathological classification, which have been difficult to predict with conventional tests. Through the development of indicators leading to prediction and prevention, we are building the foundation for personalized medicine for pregnant women.

As a gastrointestinal surgeon, he has been involved in the treatment and surgery of many cancer patients while developing research that bridges clinical practice and basic science. His research has focused on biomarker studies involving tumor immunity, the gut microbiota, trace elements, and microRNAs. His current research aims to advance personalized medicine and develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for colorectal cancer.

His current research aims to develop personalized medicine as well as novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for gastrointestinal cancers, particularly colorectal cancer.

Although gastrointestinal cancers, particularly colorectal cancer, can be cured when detected at an early stage, limitations in the accuracy of current screening methods mean that some colorectal cancers are not detected until they have progressed and grown larger. In addition, accurately predicting treatment efficacy and the risk of recurrence remains challenging, while current diagnostic methods can be highly invasive. His research addresses these challenges with the aim of improving the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.