Masanori Sakaguchi

Why did you become a scientist?

To develop new therapeutic methods

I came to know that there are many patients with untreatable diseases, particularly in neurology, while I was in medical school. But through my research experiences in Dr. Hideyuki Okano’s (currently in Keio Univ.) and Dr. Hiromitsu Nakauchi’s (currently in Stanford) labs, I received inspirations on how researchers can contribute to the progress of medicine. In addition, I started to think that I might be able to contribute to medicine through my own research after hearing the successful stories of Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa (currently the director of this institute) and Dr. Takeshi Sakurai (currently the vice director of this institute). Although we are still halfway on reaching our goals, we are enjoying the experience of making new scientific findings with our own hands.

What are the characteristics of your lab?

Diversity

We incorporate research techniques from various fields outside our own specialties, such as informatics, next-gen sequencing, and analytical methods for non-human primates. Our lab holds many foreign staffs and interns from all over the world. Many collaborative projects are on-going with Oxford Univ., Edinburgh Univ., and Columbia Univ., to name a few. We put special efforts in creating an environment without rank in the lab. As a result, two undergraduate students have recently succeeded in publishing a paper in an international journal (Fujinaka et al). The backgrounds of the members are of many different fields outside biology, including engineering, informatics, and gymnastics. They fully utilize their skills for their research progresses.

What are you most interested in lately

Traveling

I enjoy experiencing wide ranges of nature and culture created by living things. My personal recommendations are:
１． Kruger National Park, South Africa
You can observe wild animals living in nature, including rare species, such as cheetah, in vast landscape with minimum interference.
2. Cappadocia, Turkey
You can experience living underground like ants. There is also a metropolis beneath Istanbul, which is also my favorite place.
3. Nature of Canada
There are innumerable breathtaking beauty in the nature of Canada, Banff national part (Alberta), Emerald lake (BC), and aurora in Yellowknife, to name a few.