Brain Research Institute, Niigata University Field for Evolutionary Brain Pathology Department of Neuroscience of Disease Care fish, Cure human
Associate Professor Tomoyuki Yamanaka

Tomoyuki Yamanaka

Associate Professor

Career

March 1997: Graduated from Tokyo University of Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences March 1999: Completed master's program, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science April 2000: JSPS Research Fellow, Yokohama City University March 2002: Ph.D. (Medicine), Yokohama City University April 2003: Postdoctoral fellow, Yokohama City University March 2005: Research scientist, RIKEN Brain Science Institute April 2007: RIKEN Special Postdoctoral Researcher April 2010: Research scientist, RIKEN Brain Science Institute April 2013: Collaborative researcher, Juntendo University (concurrent) October 2013: Part-time lecturer, Yokohama City University (concurrent) April 2015: Associate Professor, Doshisha University Graduate School of Brain Science April 2017: Part-time lecturer, Juntendo University (concurrent) May 2021: Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience of Disease, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University

In their words

In graduate school, I immersed myself in molecular and cell biology and was moved by how life phenomena can be explained in terms of molecules. I then wanted to apply the knowledge and skills I had gained to disease research, and began studying neurodegenerative diseases. At the Brain Research Institute, I use a range of models and systems, from proteins to cells, fish, mice and human tissue, to uncover the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and brain aging, and to establish new target factors and interventions that can help prevent and treat them.

Selected publications

  • Yamanaka, T., Kurosawa, M., Yoshida, A., Shimogori, T., Hiyama, A., Maity, S. N., Hattori, N., Matsui, H., Nukina, N. The transcription factor NF-YA is crucial for neural progenitor maintenance during brain development. J. Biol. Chem. 300(2):105629. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105629
  • Yamanaka, T., Matsui, H.*. Modeling familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease in small fishes. Dev. Growth Differ. 66(1):4-20. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/dgd.12904