Adrenal Investigator: Kotaro Sasaki, MD, PhD, details how his laboratory’s research is poised to transform the field

Almost three years ago, Kotaro Sasaki, MD, PhD, was lauded as one of the Endocrine Society’s Early Investigator Award winners. Now he discusses his research that involves building a human adrenal gland from stem cells, the importance for scientists to attend ENDO , and why the process of publishing research can often prove challenging.

Kotaro Sasaki, MD, PhD What if adrenal disease could be treated not with lifelong pills, but with lab-grown human tissue designed to restore what the body has lost? That question lies at the heart of the work of Kotaro Sasaki, MD, PhD.

Sasaki is Richard King Mellon associate professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine and of Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine. Before joining the faculty in 2018, he earned his medical degree from Hokkaido University School of Medicine (Sapporo, Japan) and PhD from Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine (Kyoto, Japan).

Sasaki also completed his pathology residency and fellowship training at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Washington.