08 January 2025
The winner of the prestigious LEO Foundation Award in Region Asia-Pacific 2024, MD PhD Satoru Yonekura, wants to bridge the knowledge gap from current studies which primarily focus on bacteria by developing a comprehensive understanding of the whole gut microbiome network. In this interview Satoru Yonekura talks about his research vision and fascination with skin.
What is your academic focus?
My academic focus lies at the intersection of gut microbiota research and its systemic effects on distant organs, particularly the skin. I explore how gut microbiome interactions influence immune responses and disease progression, uncovering mechanisms that shape outcomes in cancer such as melanoma and inflammatory skin diseases.
What has been the most surprising finding of your research so far?
A key and surprising finding of my research has been uncovering the causal mechanisms that connect the gut to the extraintestinal malignancies. For instance, we discovered that malignant tumors, including melanoma, induce significant changes in the ileal epithelium and gut microbiota—distant from the tumor site—ultimately creating conditions that promote tumor growth itself. Additionally, we found that gut microbiota dysbiosis impairs immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy by the infiltration of immunosuppressive lymphocytes from the ileum into the tumor microenvironment, highlighting a novel gut-cancer connection.
What fascinates you about skin?
I am fascinated by the incredible diversity of diseases and conditions that manifest on the skin, from tumors like melanoma to inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and autoimmune diseases. This breadth, combined with the depth of research opportunities and the remarkable immunological mechanisms at play, makes skin an endlessly intriguing field for me.
the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology by Professor Manabu Ohyama
What is your vision for your future research?
I aspire to advance the way we approach the gut microbiome in dermatology by exploring the whole gut microbiome community including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and mediators such as metabolites that act as a bridge between the gut and skin. My scientific curiosity—and even my gut feeling—points to this as an exciting frontier for understanding the gut microbiome’s role in our body’s system, particularly in relation to skin diseases.
What do you aim to do with your research?
I aim to translate insights from gut microbiome research into actionable strategies for diagnosing and treating melanoma and inflammatory skin diseases, including identifying biomarkers and developing novel therapies that modulate the gut-skin axis effectively.
Satoru Yonekura’s career path:
- 2023-: JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
- 2023-: Resident in Dermatology, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan
- 2022-2023: Resident in Dermatology, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto, Japan
- 2021-2022: Resident in Dermatology, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan
- 2017-2020: PhD, Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Université Paris-Saclay, France
- 2011-2015: MD, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
- 2006-2011: BSc, Faculty of Agricultural and Life science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan