Nakao Lab at Tokai University School of Medicine

12/11/2025

We were awarded a research grant from the Takeda Foundation. The ceremony in Tokyo had lots of successful scientists working on medical research that stimulates us to go forward on our way of biology of the cardiac pacemaker tissue.

03/11/2025

28/10/2025

23/10/2025

We had lab lunch at a lovely Italian restaurant. It’s a celebration party for our achievement. Many thanks for your continuous efforts.

21/10/2025

Our paper demonstrating a possible mechanism underlying pacemaker dysfunction induced by doxorubicin, a widely used anti-cancer drug, has been published in the Journal of Physiological Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphyss.2025.100047

Doxorubicin is known as an anti-cancer agent that also has a cardiotoxic side effect, but no one knows its impact on the cardiac conduction system, the cardiac pacemaker tissue. Our comprehensive analyses using a murine model illustrate accumulation of the drug in the nucleus that may cause downregulation of pacemaking-related genes and mitochondrial damage in the sinus node, the primary pacemaking site of the conduction system. Subsequent loss of pacemaker cells results in a slowed heart rate.

As there are recently developed anti-cancer drugs that can also cause arrhythmias, this study highlights the emerging importance of pacemaker tissue investigation within the expanding field of cardio-oncology.

19/09/2025

I was finally back to Japan from an exciting journey in Europe. Nakao Lab was presenting a poster at IUPS 2025, an physiology meeting, in Frankfurt, Germany and received constructive feedback. There were also visits to collaborators’ labs in London and Manchester. We enjoyed scientific discussions and shared ideas at the meeting, restaurants, labs, and even in a mountain. It was special time that really encourages us to proceed our science. The next IUPS Congress in2029 will take place in Kobe, Japan. As the host country, we’re welcoming physiologists from the world!

16/09/2025

As one of the participants, we were really stimulated by such an exciting congress. We’ll be really welcoming you to reunite in Japan.

The IUPS 2025 Congress concluded on Sunday after nearly four days of outstanding and cutting-edge science showcased through plenary lectures, symposia, and poster sessions. The atmosphere was exceptional, reflected in the unusually high number of participants who remained engaged until the very end.

With around 1,500 attendees from 70 countries worldwide, this meeting will no doubt be remembered as a highlight in the global physiology community. After such a rewarding experience in Frankfurt, we are already looking forward to the next IUPS Congress, which will take place in 2029 in Kobe, Japan.

Our heartfelt thanks go to all the speakers, the scientific and organizational teams, and especially the many young and enthusiastic participants who helped make IUPS 2025 a true success!