Contact Details:

ken.suzuki@qmul.ac.uk

Ken Suzuki is a clinician-scientist who has completed a clinical training as a cardiovascular surgeon in Japan. His research career started at Osaka University, Japan, where he was awarded a PhD for studies on gene therapy for myocardial protection against ischaemia-reperfusion injury using heat shock protein 70 (J Clin Invest. 1997;99:1645-1650). Following an invitation by Sir Magdi Yacoub, FRS, he then moved to the Harefield Heart Science Centre, Imperial College London in 1998 where he successfully completed a large series of important projects in cell and gene therapy for treating heart diseases. After this fruitful work with Sir Magdi, Suzuki took up the chair of a new research group within the William Harvey Research Institute in April 2007. Since then, he has organised a well-balanced, multi-disciplinary group, equipped with the full range of research expertise needed to carry out translational cardiovascular research. His group closely works with the clinical trial team led by Dr A Mathur at Barts and The London NHS which has initiated the largest clinical trial of stem cell therapy in the UK. Professor Suzuki is a former MRC Senior Clinical Fellow (2003-2008).

Current research interests

Suzuki’s research strategy acknowledges that the success of clinical trials of cell therapy critically depends on the resolution of several fundamental issues by further laboratory research. His research programme has focused upon various aspects of behaviour of grafted cells into a cardiac environment and the interaction between native and grafted cells at genetic, molecular, and cellular levels. His research achievements include the clarification of the acute dynamics of grafted cells in the heart and the development of strategies to enhance graft survival; the development of original cell-delivery models including antegrade and retrograde intracoronary infusion; the role of connexin 43 which favours cell-cell connection between myoblasts and cardiomyocytes when over-expressed. In addition, he has demonstrated that implantation of genetically modified myoblasts which over-express VEGF and IL-1 receptor antagonist exhibit markedly enhanced therapeutic benefits as cell-based gene therapy. More recent research projects include the study of paracrine effects of cell therapy, cardiac side population cells, transendothelial migration of donor cells into the myocardial interstitium and the role of inflammatory response in cell therapy-mediated therapeutic effects, the latter two programmes in synergy with other groups within the Institute (Profs Flower, Perretti and Nourshargh).

Professor Suzuki’s current work continues to primarily focus on translational research with an emphasis on cell therapy for treating heart failure using stem/progenitor cells, with the firm aim of establishing this therapy in the clinical arena. His programme aims to comprehensively elucidate various aspects of graft behaviour in the cardiac environment, such as survival, proliferation, differentiation (to cardiomyocyte and vascular cells), cell-cell communication, integration, fusion, and indirect (paracrine) interaction with host myocardium at molecular, biochemical, and cellular levels. In parallel, his group aims to further refine cell therapy for the treatment of heart failure with new, original ideas and technologies. These include:

• Modulating the cellular behaviours of donor cells using physical, chemical and genetic approaches (Drs Takahashi and Shintani)
• Development of novel, more effective cell-delivery method using a temperature-responsive cell sheet (Dr Narita)
• Enhancing the early endothelial interactions of progenitor cells following intracoronary injection (Dr Campbell; BHF Clinical Research Training Fellow)
• Cardiomyogenic differentiation of embryonic and adult stem cells (Dr Yashiro; MRC New Investigator)
• Identification of a new population of cardiac resident stem cells (Dr Yashiro)
• Investigation of donor cell dysfunction due to senescence (Dr Brouilette)

In addition, he is also interested in other themes in heart research, including:

• Post infarction myocardial inflammation and regeneration (Dr Takahashi)
• Myocardial protection using novel strategies (Dr Shintani)
• Telomere biology and heart disease (Dr Brouilette)
  
  
  

Key publications

 

• Shintani Y, Fukushima S, Varela-Carva, Coppen SR, Takahashi K, Brouilette SW, Salem H, Yashiro K, Yacoub MH, Suzuki K. Donor cell-specific responses of the host myocardium after cell transplantation into post-infarction chronically failing rat heart. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2009, 47:228-95

• Coppen SR, Fukushima S, Shintani Y, Takahashi K, Varela-Carver A, Salem H, Yashiro K, Yacoub MH, Suzuki K. A factor underlying arrhythmogenicity after cell therapy to the heart: Global down-regulation of connexin43 in the host myocardium following skeletal myoblast transplantation. Circulation. 2008;118:S138-44.
  
  
• Takahashi K, Fukushima S, Yamahara K, Yashiro K, Shintani Y, Coppen SR, Salem HK, Brouilette S, Yacoub MH, Suzuki K. Modulated inflammation by injection of high-mobility group box 1 recovers post-infarction chronically failing heart. Circulation. 2008;118:S106-14.
  
  
• Yamahara K, Fukushima S, Coppen SR, Felkin LE, Varela-Carver A, Barton PJ, Yacoub MH, Suzuki K. Heterogeneic nature of adult cardiac side population cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008;371:615-20.
  
  
• Fukushima S, Varela-Carver A, Coppen SR, Yamahara K, Felkin LE, Lee J, Barton PJR, Terracciano CMN, Yacoub MH, Suzuki K. Direct intramyocardial, but not intracoronary, injection of bone marrow cells induces ventricular arrhythmias in a rat chronic ischemic heart failure model. Circulation. 2007;115:2254-61.
  
  
• Lara-Pezzi E, Winn N, Paul A, McCullagh K, Slominsky E, Santini MP, Mourkioti F, Sarathchandra P, Fukushima S, Suzuki K, Rosenthal N. A naturally occurring calcineurin variant inhibits FoxO activity and enhances skeletal muscle regeneration. J Cell Biol. 2007;179:1205-18.
  
  
• Santini MP, Tsao L, Monassier L, Theodoropoulos C, Carter J, Lara-Pezzi E, Slonimsky E, Salimova E, Delafontaine P, Song YH, Bergmann M, Freund C, Suzuki K, Rosenthal N. Enhancing repair of the mammalian heart. Circ Res. 2007;100:1732-40

 

 

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