Koichi SakakuraDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery,
Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine,
Japan.
Biography
Koichi Sakakura, MD, PhD graduated Gunma University School of Medicine and registered as MD in 1999. He started his carrier as a physician scientist in the field of otology in Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck (H&N) Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine after 2-year residency. Then his research interest shifted to cancer immunology, and Dr. Sakakura earned PhD degree in 2005. Until 2007, he had published several articles about cancer immunology/immunotherapy in patients with HN cancer.
Dr. Sakakura moved to University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), PA, USA in 2007, worked in Drs. T.L. Whiteside?s and A.B. DeLeo?s labs, and involved in T-cell apoptosis and dendritic cell vaccine. Then he transferred to Drs. S. Ferrone?s and X. Wang?s lab in UPCI to engage in antigen machinery and tumor antigen presentation in cancer cells until 2010.
He returned to Japan as a chief surgeon of otolaryngology-H&N surgery in National Hospital Organization Shizuoka Medical Center. Then Dr. Sakakura was engaged as an assistant professor in 2012, and has been as an associate professor since 2016 in Department of Otolaryngology-H&N Surgery, Gunma University Hospital.
His current interest in cancer immunology is dynamics of myeloid cells in tumor microenvironments and systemic circulation in patients with H&N cancer. He has published over 40 scientific papers to date mainly in oncology area, awarded 3 National Grant-in Aids for Scientific Research. His subspecialty is H&N surgery, and swallowing disorder, and he is a founder and a chief of Swallow Support Team.
Research Interest
General otorhinolarynbology, Head and neck surgery, Cancer immunology, tumor microenvironment, Dysphagia/swallowing disorder, Pediatric Otolaryngology and Oriental traditional medicine.