Division and Department
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Yukihiro Terada M.D., Ph.D
A Greeting from the Professor
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has a 50-year history as a core department of the Akita University School of Medicine since its establishment. The people nurtured in our department are playing an active role as the core of obstetrics and gynecology in Akita prefecture and throughout Japan. We believe that reproductive medicine, which takes care of the entire process from gametes to birth, is important in this region, where the birthrate is declining rapidly. In terms of infertility treatment, we provide one of the best assisted reproductive technologies (IVF, ICSI, etc.) among university-affiliated hospitals in Japan. Basic cell biological research using surplus human gametes and embryos is vigorously conducted in relation to these techniques. Please see one of the papers published this year as an example. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35640043/) In addition, we are currently conducting the first research in academia in Japan to be certified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as compliant with the "Ethical Guidelines for Assisted Reproductive Medical Research Involving the Generation of Human Fertilized Embryos". In the perinatal field, the Department of Perinatal Medicine is engaged in traditional clinical and basic research. As the only hospital in the prefecture with specific clinical functions, the Department accepts all cases of severe perinatal conditions that can only be managed by the Department at any time. The department also provides free consultations and lectures on pre-conceptional care, which is an important element in the future of reproductive medicine. Its work has been introduced nationwide by national broadcasting. (https://www.nhk.jp/p/ts/88NX9Y85X3/movie/) As the basic research, objective evaluation of cervical hardness is currently being conducted in collaboration with the engineering field. The management of patients with gynecological diseases is also an important task of the department, as there is no core cancer hospital in this prefecture. The number of endoscopic surgeries has doubled in the past few years, and the number of robotic-assisted surgeries is steadily increasing. New diagnoses and new anticancer agents are being introduced without delay, but we believe that this should be done based on a solid grasp of basic theory. An example of basic research on gynecological cancer is the basic study for the development of immunotherapy for cervical cancer using autologous iPS cell-derived dendritic cells. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35101945/) Japan's declining birthrate is worsening, and Akita Prefecture is experiencing the fastest growth. We are all working hard to maintain obstetrics and gynecology care in this region, which is vast and has severe winter weather.
Yukihiro Terada M.D., Ph.D
Staff
Professor:
Yukihiro Terada
Associate Professor:
Yukiyo Kumazawa
Dai Shimizu
Hiroshi Miura
Hiromitsu Shirasawa
Research Areas
- Cell biological studies of preimplantation human embryogenesis using uuman surplus embryos
- Cell biological studies of human fertilization and first oocyte division that are in compliance with the "Ethical Guidelines for Assisted Reproductive Technology Research Involving Human Fertilized Embryos”
- Socioeconomic examination of the medical structure of assisted reproductive technologies in Japan.
- Development of various new devices to bring objectivity to perinatal diagnosis
- Diffusion of pre-conceptional care and examination of the impact of interventions on reproductive medicine
- Investigation of potential Lynch syndrome-related genetic abnormalities in gynecological diseases in Japan
- Development of novel immunotherapy for advanced cervical cancer using autologous iPS cell-derived dendritic cells
Contact Information
Yukiyo Kumazawa(obgyn@med.akita-u.ac.jp)
