Advanced Hemato Oncology

Blood cancers, focusing on malignant lymphomas

Cancer immunology, focusing on both blood and solid cancers

Professor Mamiko Sakata-Yanagimoto is a valued member of both the University of Tsukuba’s Department of Hematology in the Faculty of Medicine, and Transborder Medical Research Center (TMRC). As a clinical hematologist, she specializes in malignant lymphomas and is dedicated to both patient care and advanced education of new generations of hematologists in her highly specialized field. Professor Sakata-Yanagimoto graduated from University of Tokyo in 2000. After training as a Hematologist, she continued work to complete a doctoral course in 2007. She has advanced her expertise at University of Tsukuba since 2008 and in 2021, became a Professor of both the Department of Hematology in the UoT Faculty of Medicine and the Division of Advanced Hemato Oncology in TRMC.

During routine practice as an experienced hematologist, Professor Sakata-Yanagimoto found interesting and encouraging discovery possibilities within basic research in her field. She developed her own laboratory and with determined research investigation, has been able to successfully apply her findings for the benefit of her clinics. This she believes, is the true motivational style of a medical research physician. An opportunity to apply her intense interest and expertise in basic research, and then provide direct and meaningful outcomes in clinics to improve patients’ lives and to advance medical care, via translation research.

Her research is focused on clarifying the fundamental mechanisms in cancers, particularly within cells of cancer tissues and micro-environment structures and to then develop novel treatment strategies. This has included approaches to discovery via big data and data science where analysis of patients’ single cell RNA sequences and genomics has allowed her to establish hypotheses for further examination via disease model mice. The results can then be re-examined against analysis of human samples.

It is not only Professor Sakata—Yanagimoto’s expertise and knowledge that makes her a significant asset for TMRC, but also her sincere passion and creativity in advanced research which is delivering important improvements in clinical care and patients’ lives.