M.D., Ph.D. Professor Kenji Minatoya
We provide evidence-based standardized surgical treatments for patients with various acquired (valvular/coronary/cardiomyopathy/arrhythmia) and congenital heart diseases, and vascular diseases (aortic/peripheral). We deal with highly complex surgeries including thoracoabdominal aortic replacement, valve-sparing aortic root replacement, and Ross surgery, and advanced surgical care including endovascular repair for aortic aneurysms and transcatheter aortic valve implantation . We pursue cardiac and vascular regenerative researches under broad collaborations with institutes nationwide ranging from basic to clinical researches, and translational researches to pioneer the frontier of cardiovascular surgical treatments.
Research and Education
Research
We study surgical treatments for cases in which conventional surgery has been ineffective. Our research theme includes cardiac regeneration using human iPS cell-derived cardiac tissue sheets, prevention of complications related to cardiopulmonary bypass, development of surgical devices, phenotype control of vascular grafts using microRNAs, and development of decellularized vascular xenograft. We are preparing a clinical study of cardiac regenerative therapy for severe heart failure using human iPS cell-derived cardiac tissue as translational research. We also conduct observational studies from a registry database of patients undergone cardiovascular surgery from our affiliated institutes nationwide.
Education
We focus on medical students’ education and the training of trainees who are the future of cardiovascular surgery. In particular, we emphasize the development of communication skills, which are essential for cardiovascular surgeons. We provide trainees with operator opportunities while they perform their roles in the team as a team player. We use periodic questionnaires to assess the trainees’ training and achievement level. They rotated in our affiliated institutes according to their skills .
Figure 1
Members of the department
Figure 2
A: Thick viable (5-layered) human iPS cell-derived cardiac tissue sheets transplanted onto the heart of a porcine myocardial infarction model.
B: Rat cardiopulmonary bypass model.
Recent Publications
- Maurissen TL, Kawatou M, López-Dávila V, Minatoya K, Yamashita JK, Woltjen K. Modeling mutation-specific arrhythmogenic phenotypes in isogenic human iPSC-derived cardiac tissues. Sci Rep. 2024 Jan 31;14(1):2586.
- Murata K, Makino A, Tomonaga K, Masumoto H. Predicted risk of heart failure pandemic due to persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection using a three-dimensional cardiac model. iScience. 2023 Dec 22;27(1):108641.
- Heima D, Takeda M, Tabata Y, Minatoya K, Yamashita JK, Masumoto H. Therapeutic potential of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac tissue in an ischemic model with unloaded condition mimicking left ventricular assist device. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Nov 21:S0022-5223(23)01095-4.
- Ho WJ, Kobayashi M, Murata K, Hashimoto Y, Izumi K, Kimura T, Kanemitsu H, Yamazaki K, Ikeda T, Minatoya K, Kishida A, Masumoto H. A novel approach for the endothelialization of xenogeneic decellularized vascular tissues by human cells utilizing surface modification and dynamic culture. Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 24;12(1):22294.
- Kyo S, Murata K, Kawatou M, Minatoya K, Sunagawa GA, Masumoto H. Quiescence-inducing neurons-induced hypometabolism ameliorates acute kidney injury in a mouse model mimicking cardiovascular surgery requiring circulatory arrest. JTCVS Open. 2022 Nov 8;12:201-210.
Laboratory
Professor: Kenji Minatoya
Associate Professor: Tadashi Ikeda
Program Specific Associate Professor: Hidetoshi Masumoto
Senior Lecturer: Takehiko Matsuo
Assistant Professor: Takahide Takeda, Fumie Takai, Masahide Kawatou, Kazuyoshi Kanno, Hirokatsu Kira, Kazuhiro Takatoku
TEL: +81-75-751-3780 or 3784
FAX: +81-75-751-3098
e-mail: cvs@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
URL: http://kyoto-cvs.jp/english/