Scientific Board

Dr. Keisuke Tabata earned a Master's degree in Agricultural and Life Sciences from the University of Tokyo. During his studies, he gained a fundamental understanding of intracellular signaling and regulation.

To further explore his interest in cell biology, he joined Professor Tamotsu Yoshimori's laboratory at Osaka University as a Ph.D. student. Here, he focused on autophagy, a vital intracellular degradation system. His research, alongside his colleagues, led to the identification of Rubicon (RUBCN) as a negative regulator of autophagy. He further discovered RUBCN's interaction with a key molecule, RAB7. He received his Ph.D. from Osaka University in 2009.

As a postdoctoral fellow, he continued his research on autophagy and the RUBCN project. This included generating RUBCN knockout mice. Through genetic approaches using these mice, he and his colleagues unraveled the physiological roles of RUBCN in various tissues.

His research interests extend beyond autophagy. He also investigates cellular responses in virus-infected cells. From 2015 to 2019, he collaborated with Professor Ralf Bartenschlager's group in Germany, studying Hepatitis C virus and SARS-CoV-2. These viruses utilize double-membrane vesicles for viral genome replication. These vesicles are morphologically similar to double-membrane vesicles produced during autophagy. His research revealed the utilization of common proteins and lipids both by viruses and autophagy induction.

Research has significantly advanced our understanding of the molecular basis of autophagy and its connection to various diseases. However, there's still much to discover. He remains committed to studying the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy.

Since 2020, He has collaborated with Dr. Stephanie Efthymiou to understand the functions of RUBCN variants associated with rare disorders.