Yumi Fukuzaki, PhD
Associate Specialist
Neurology
School of Medicine

I am a developmental neuroscience researcher currently working as an Associate Specialist in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). My research focuses on the role of microglia and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in neonatal brain injury, particularly ischemic stroke.

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I aim to uncover novel mechanisms of neuroinflammation and to develop targeted RNA-based therapies that promote brain repair during early life.

I earned my PhD in Bioscience from Soka University in 2015, followed by postdoctoral research at Gunma University and the University of Oxford. I later joined UCSF as a postdoctoral scholar and, in 2022, transitioned to my current role as an Associate Specialist under the mentorship of Professor Zena Vexler. My current work integrates molecular biology, immunology, and developmental neuroscience, utilizing techniques such as flow cytometry, EV profiling, and AAV-mediated gene delivery in neonatal mouse models. I am driven by a strong interest in improving long-term neurological outcomes in infants affected by perinatal brain disorders.

Awards

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• Repayment Exemption for Students with Excellent Grades, JP Student Services Organization, 2014
• Best Lecture Award, Laser Florence 2013, Florence, ITALY, 2013
• Best Poster Award, Congress of Asia Pacific Association of Laser Medicine & Surgery 2012, Taipei, TA, 2012
• DaVinci Award (Outstanding performance award), Soka Univiersity, 2012

Education & Training

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• Postdoc Cerebral cortical development University of Oxford 12/2019
• Postdoc Neurophysiology and Neural Repair Gunma University 11/2018
• Postdoc Neuroscience Soka University 10/2017
• PhD Bioscience, Cell biology Soka University 9/2015
• Brain Science Training Program RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI) 6/2013
• iPS culture training course RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) 3/2013

Interests

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• neonatal stroke
• microglia
• extracellular vesicles
• neuroinflammation
• microRNA
• AAV

Grants and Projects

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• , Post doctoral Fellowship from the Uehara Memorial Foundation, 2018-2019
• , Kato Memorial Bioscience Foundation Subsidy for International Exchange, 2017
• , Research Fellowship for Young Scientists DC2-PD from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 2014-2016
• , The Naito Foundation Subsidy for Dispatch of Young Researchers Abroad, 2013
• , Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant from The Japan Science Society, 2011-2012

Publications (7)

Top publication keywords:
Low-Level Light TherapyProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktGABAergic NeuronsOligopeptidesNuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 1Dose-Response Relationship, RadiationAmyloid Precursor Protein SecretasesCell ProliferationMachado-Joseph DiseaseFluorescent Antibody TechniqueNeocortexAtaxin-3Hypoxia-Ischemia, BrainPurkinje CellsNeural Stem Cells

• Neuroserpin alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by suppressing ischemia-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress.
  Neural regeneration research 2024 Liao Y, Zhang Q, Shi Q, Liu P, Zhong P, Guo L, Huang Z, Peng Y, Liu W, Zhang S, Adorján I, Fukuzaki Y, Kawashita E, Zhang XQ, Ma N, Zhang X, Molnár Z, Shi L
• Global sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 deficiency attenuates neuroinflammation and ischemic-reperfusion injury after neonatal stroke.
  iScience 2023 Fukuzaki Y, Faustino J, Lecuyer M, Rayasam A, Vexler ZS
• Microglia-leucocyte axis in cerebral ischaemia and inflammation in the developing brain.
  Acta physiologica (Oxford, England) 2021 Rayasam A, Fukuzaki Y, Vexler ZS
• Pharmacological enhancement of retinoid-related orphan receptor α function mitigates spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 pathology.
  Neurobiology of disease 2018 Watanave M, Hoshino C, Konno A, Fukuzaki Y, Matsuzaki Y, Ishitani T, Hirai H
• 532 nm Low-Power Laser Irradiation Facilitates the Migration of GABAergic Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells in Mouse Neocortex.
  PloS one 2015 Fukuzaki Y, Shin H, Kawai HD, Yamanoha B, Kogure S
• 532 nm low-power laser irradiation recovers γ-secretase inhibitor-mediated cell growth suppression and promotes cell proliferation via Akt signaling.
  PloS one 2013 Fukuzaki Y, Sugawara H, Yamanoha B, Kogure S
• Immunocytochemical studies on the effect of 405-nm low-power laser irradiation on human-derived A-172 glioblastoma cells.
  Lasers in medical science 2011 Ang FY, Fukuzaki Y, Yamanoha B, Kogure S