My name is Hideaki Morishita, and I have been appointed as the professor in the Department of Molecular Cell Biology on July 1, 2023.

After graduating from Kyushu University School of Medicine in 2007, I had clinical training at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, and then received my doctor degree from Tokyo Medical and Dental University in 2013 (under Dr. Noboru Mizushima, currently the professor at the University of Tokyo). After that, I worked at the University of Tokyo and Juntendo University. Since my undergraduate days, I have been fascinated by "dramatic intracellular degradation phenomena occurring physiologically in vivo" (e.g., degradation of all organelles in the lens), and have identified a novel organelle degradation system that is different from autophagy (Morishita* et al., Nature 2021). I have also conducted research on the molecular mechanisms and physiological functions of autophagy, the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and liquid-liquid phase separation. Our goal is to contribute to the development of medicine and medical care by further broadening our perspective and elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of biological phenomena and their roles in various organs and diseases at the molecular, cellular, and individual levels.

At Kyushu University School of Medicine, I will be responsible for education in physiology as well as for training young researchers who will be internationally active. I would like to provide new science from Hakata while listening to the opinions of researchers from a wide range of fields, including clinical medicine, social medicine, and basic medicine. We appreciate your guidance and support.