Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine

Toshiyuki Sakai

Born in Yuasa-cho, Arida-gun, Wakayama in 1953.
Graduated with a Ph.D. in Medicine from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.
Studied at Harvard Medical School for oncology research.
Served as Professor of Department of Preventive Medicine at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.

Professor, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine

   I was born in Yuasa, Wakayama, a town known as the birthplace of soy sauce. I attended Taikyu High School, which, having been founded in 1852, is one of the oldest high schools in Japan. I was raised in this historical setting and a good home environment, and I have since my childhood days been strongly interested in the work of the great Kumagusu Minakata. Also, because I played the violin, I was raised to like classical music. There were three children in my family. My older sister became a doctor, but I decided to follow a path in medicine because my younger brother died of malignant tumor at an early age. My field of specialty is "Molecular-targeting prevention or therapy of cancer", a name I have coined. I have currently produced some results in joint research with a food business, in an attempt at practical applications of components that activate RB. The concept already existed for treatment, but we were the first to apply it to prevention. Results on rice components continue to come, but rice is a new subject in food research, and there is still a long way to go when you look around the world. The Asian region has a history of rice culture, therefore research in Korea, India and elsewhere is much farther advanced than in the West. At this international symposium, I want to focus on new information from various countries and regions, and hope to exchange information with others.
   Rice research is still a growing field, but by looking at rice more objectively, new functional foods such as rice juice should be developed and the field itself should expand.