Rate My Professor Junko Takita

Junko Takita, M.D., is Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University. As a clinical department, the laboratory emphasizes translational research to provide optimized and high-quality medicine for patients. Research focuses on elucidating molecular mechanisms and developing new therapeutic strategies for intractable pediatric diseases through multi-omics analysis using genetic and epigenetic approaches. Human iPS cell technology is applied to better understand etiologies of congenital diseases and establish regenerative medicine for patients with intractable diseases. Research projects aim to contribute to the development of pediatric research as well as life science while fostering physician scientists.

The laboratory maintains a close relationship between clinic and laboratory to apply outcomes to children with intractable diseases. The most important aspect in pediatrics is recognized as development, with many pediatric diseases derived from disorders during the developmental process. Investigations are intended to lead to new diagnosis and treatment for intractable diseases. Recent publications include work on aberrant lysosomal dynamics in X-linked myotubular myopathy, multiomics analysis of high-risk NK cell-type chronic active EBV infection, longitudinal analysis of somatic mosaicism in cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome, multi-omics analysis in lineage-switched AML, and single-cell analysis of NLRP3-mediated secretion. Professor Takita has served in this role at Kyoto University since at least 2018.