Rate My Professor Yukio Kawahara

Professor Yukio Kawahara is Professor and Principal Investigator of the Department of RNA Biology and Neuroscience in the Graduate School of Medicine at Osaka University, a position he has held since April 2014, and Vice President of the University since April 2025. He earned his M.D. from the University of Tokyo Medical School in 1995 and Ph.D. in Medical Science from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine in 2004. His early career included clinical training as a junior resident at The University of Tokyo Hospital (1995-1996) and Social Insurance Central General Hospital (1996-1997), followed by senior residencies in neurology at Japanese Red Cross Medical Center (1997-1998), Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital (1998-1999), and The University of Tokyo Hospital and affiliated institutions (1999-2000).

After a JSPS Research Fellow appointment in 2004, Kawahara served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Kazuko Nishikura’s laboratory at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, USA, from July 2004 to November 2008. He joined Osaka University in December 2008 as Associate Professor and PI of the Laboratory of RNA Function (tenure-track until 2013), later serving as Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine from April 2019 to March 2021 and Domain Representative for the 'Creation of Disrupted RNA Science' program from April 2025 to March 2030. His research centers on RNA biology, including RNA editing (adenosine-to-inosine), modifications, non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, and RNA-binding proteins like TDP-43 and FUS. The laboratory investigates dysregulation of RNA metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and spinocerebellar ataxia, aiming to elucidate selective neuronal death mechanisms, develop RNA labeling technologies, biomarkers, and therapies through molecular biology, bioinformatics, and mouse models. Notable awards include the Japan Medical Association Award for Research Encouragement (2014) and Ching Jer Chern Memorial Award (2008). Key publications feature 'Redirection of silencing targets by adenosine-to-inosine editing of miRNAs' (Science, 2007; co-corresponding author), 'Mutations in the adenosine deaminase ADAR1 that prevent endogenous Z-RNA binding induce Aicardi-Goutières-syndrome-like encephalopathy' (Immunity, 2021), and 'Aberrant multicellular interferon signaling underlies Adar1 mutation–driven Aicardi-Goutières syndrome-like encephalopathy' (Cell Reports, 2026).