Professor Motoko Yanagita of the Graduate School of Medicine has received a title of honorary fellow from RWTH Aachen University, one of the highest honors bestowed by the German institution. The presentation ceremony took place 9 February at Kyoto University.
Attending the occasion were eight delegates from RWTH Aachen University, led by their rector, as well as nine officials from Kyoto University, including President Nagahiro Minato and the Graduate School of Medicine’s Dean Tadashi Isa, along with several professors from both the Graduate Schools of Medicine and Engineering.
The ceremony was followed by a lively discussion, where attendees from the two institutions exchanged opinions on a wide range of topics, including research. The conversation revealed that there are multiple overlapping areas of interest and complementary fields between KyotoU and RWTH Aachen, paving the way for possible collaborations.
Professor Yanagita was recognized for her outstanding contributions to kidney research. Over the years, she has investigated the mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of kidney disease, and her recent endeavors have centered on uncovering barriers to kidney repair, employing various methods including lineage tracing experiments, the toxin receptor-mediated cell knockout (TRECK) method, amide proton transfer (APT) imaging, and single-cell analysis. One of her latest discoveries is that tertiary lymphoid tissues formed in diseased kidneys perpetuate inflammation and hinder the healing process. She has also identified the specific cells and signaling molecules responsible for the formation of these tissues. These findings are seen as a major step forward in the development of medications that promote kidney repair.
