Mizuho A. Kido Professor

Research overview

Developing a Diverse Range of Professionals through Research on Mechanosensitive Ion Channels Illuminating the Mechanisms of Ion Channels to Utilize Them for Treatment
We focus on thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and mechanosensitive Piezo channels. We are working to know the role of the ion channels on tissue maintenance or repair in response to temperature and/or mechanical force, which will lead to the treatment for human diseases.

■ Focusing on the Spotlighted TRP Channels from the Beginning
The mouth is an essential organ in our daily lives, involved in eating, speaking, and more. Proper oral sensations allow us to stay healthy and enjoy life, but pain and other distressing sensations in the mouth can have a profound impact on our behavior and emotions. Some people suffer so much that they have to quit school or work. The mouth is constantly exposed to a variety of stimuli, such as foodstuffs of varying hardness, large changes in temperature, and irritants, yet there is still a lot that we do not know about the mechanism that enable it to acutely discern these stimuli.

Since their discovery, I have been studying thermosensitive TRP channels and mechanosensitive Piezo channels, a subject for which the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded in 2021. We have reported that the epithelium that covers the surfaces of our bodies responds to temperature changes through the ion channels and is involved in wound healing, gum disease (periodontal diseases), and more. We are currently working for the discovery of drugs that target these ion channels to combat pain, periodontal diseases or wound.

■ Various Initiatives That Aid the Careers of Medical Professionals Are Also Available
I am fortunate to have continued to pursue my career while raising two children out of my sheer desire to continue the research that I enjoyed. The experience of struggling as an minority to find the methodology to enjoy my curiosity driven basic research, will also have some practical outcomes that will benefit for the patients, has helped me get to where I am today. And it has developed into interdisciplinary research relating to the workplace and support for the careers of various medical professionals, like those of women. Our small challenges and research will hopefully lead to a fair and inclusive academic environment for the next generation, an environment in which a variety of people, including women, will play active roles.

■ Nurturing of Researchers
Because our laboratory consists of a small group of people, my fellow researchers and I are able to think freely and flexibly and take immediate action based on the curiosity we come up with. Receiving grants such as Kakenhi from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and other organizations, we are fortunately enjoying research and grow together with people who will lead the next generation while having them acquire the following skills needed for doing research.

• The ability to take beautiful, high-resolution microscopic images and the ability to identify relevant differences between such images.
• The ability to think in a scientifically appropriate, logical manner.
• The ability to debate and present papers in English so as to be able to play an active role on the international stage.
• The ability to understand people and things from a variety of perspectives.

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  Mechanobiology That Targets Ion Channels