Assoc. Prof. Yasuhiro Kato, Ph.D
Keio Global Research Institute @ Keio University
Bio
I am Yashiro Kato from Nagoya, Japan. During my time at the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, I became fascinated by the high environmental adaptability of immobile plants. I continued my research at Nagoya University, where I earned a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Bio-agricultural Science focusing on the salt tolerance mechanism (water stress) of plants. I then did research on the water channels of organisms (aquaporin: AQP) at Johns Hopkins University for a short period through a JSPS research fellowship. I also established a method of selecting and enriching cells by taking advantage of the functions of aquaporins while at Tokyo Dental College and Keio University, for which I earned the Best Presentation Award of the Japanese Pharmacological Society Annual Meeting. Furthermore, I went out to Peking University in order to clarify the relationship between AQPs which regulate the flow of water in organisms and poor health before the onset of symptoms. While there, I was able to witness firsthand the speed of social implementation and innovation in China. After returning to Japan, I engaged in industry-academia collaborative creation as a University Research Administrator (URA) at the Nagoya University Academic Research & Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Headquarters. Additionally, I established the “Aqua Lab,” a general incorporated association that aims to resolve water-related issues on a local level as well as conducting experimentation classes. Based on these experiences, for the Keio 2040 Research Project, I would like to promote the coordination of individual projects and establish an “aqua-platform” to contribute to healthy longevity and the SDGs.