Aiko Sada, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Aiko Sada is an Associate Professor at the International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS), Kumamoto University, Japan. She graduated from Shizuoka University with a B.S. degree in 2006, and received her Ph.D. degree from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) in 2011 for her research on RNA binding protein Nanos2 in spermatogonical stem cells under the supervision of Dr. Yumiko Saga (Sada et al., Science 2009, Stem cells 2012). After graduation, she joined Dr. Tudorita Tumbar's lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY as a postdoctoral fellow to identify and characterize stem cells and niches in the skin epidermis (Sada et al., Nat. Cell. Biol. 2016, J Invest Dermatol 2017). She is a recipient of a long-term fellowship from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) and a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
In 2016, she returned to Japan after completing her postdoctoral training and started as an Assistant Professor at the Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba. In October 2019, she was promoted to Associate Professor and started her own laboratory at Kumamoto University. She was awarded the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Young Scientist Award in 2021 and has been awarded various research grants from Japanese government or private foundations. Her current research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of skin regeneration and aging, and she is using mouse genetics and three-dimensional skin culture systems to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of epidermal stem cells under physiological or pathological conditions.
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
2016 - 2019
Assistant Professor
Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics
Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA)
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Project : Skin stem cells in tissue regeneration and aging
2011 - 2016
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Tudorita Tumbar’s laboratory
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Project : Cellular and molecular characterization of mouse epidermal stem cells
Fellowships:
Long-Term Fellowship, Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)
Postdoctoral Fellowship for research abroad,
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
2006 - 2011
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)
Department of Genetics
Dr. Yumiko Saga’s laboratory
National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, JAPAN
Project : Elucidating the role of an RNA-binding protein Nanos2 in mouse spermatogonial stem cells
Fellowship:
Research Fellowships for doctoral course students (DC1)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Award:
The 1st Presidential Award FY2010
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, JAPAN
2002 - 2006
Bachelors of Science (B.S.)
Shizuoka University
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science
Shizuoka, JAPAN
Dr. Nobuyoshi Shiojiri’s laboratory
Project : Analysis of C/EBPa knockout mice in liver development
2019 - Current
Associate Professor
International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS), Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
Visiting Associate Professor
Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics
Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA)
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Project : Skin stem cells in tissue regeneration and aging