Toshifumi Yokota

Toshifumi Yokota
横田俊文
Born
EducationUniversity of Tokyo
Awards
  • Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
  • The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research & Muscular Dystrophy Canada Endowed Research Chair
  • The Henri M. Toupin Chair in Neurological Science
Scientific career
Institutions

Toshifumi (Toshi) Yokota (Japanese: 横田俊文, romanizedYokota Toshifumi) is a biomedical scientist and professor of medical genetics at the University of Alberta, holding the titles of the Friends of Garrett Cumming Research & Muscular Dystrophy Canada Endowed Research Chair and the Henri M. Toupin Chair in Neurological Science.[1] Yokota is widely recognized for pioneering work in antisense therapy for muscular dystrophy and other genetic diseases, which led to the development of viltolarsen, an FDA-approved treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).[2][1][3][4] With over 100 peer-reviewed publications and several patents, Yokota has made significant contributions to the field of precision medicine. Yokota also co-edited three volumes in the Methods in Molecular Biology series by Humana Press, Springer-Nature and serves on editorial boards of multiple scientific journals. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

In 2023, Yokota was elected as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, an honor that recognizes outstanding achievements in health sciences. [9] In addition, Yokota serves as Chief Scientific Officer at OligomicsTx, is a co-founder of the Canadian Neuromuscular Network (CAN-NMD), and contributes as a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. [15][16][17]

Biography

[edit]

Yokota was born in Morioka, a city in Iwate Prefecture, and raised in multiple cities including Tsu, Mie and Nerima, Tokyo, in Japan.[18][3][19] After completing a Ph.D. in Biological Science in 2003,[18][3] further training was undertaken at Imperial College London, as a Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,[20][18] and as a Research Associate at the Children's National Medical Center before joining the University of Alberta in 2011.[21] Currently, Yokota is a tenured professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, serving as the Friends of Garrett Cumming Research & Muscular Dystrophy Canada Endowed Research Chair and the Henri M. Toupin Chair in Neurological Science since 2011.[22][1] In 2022, Yokota received the Scientific Achievement and Innovation Award from BioAlberta.[23] In 2023, Yokota was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.[24]

Major contributions

[edit]

Yokota's research focuses on precision health and personalized genetic medicine using single strands of artificial DNA/RNA-like molecules called antisense oligonucleotides for neuromuscular diseases.[2] Yokota demonstrated the therapeutic potential of antisense oligonucleotides for exon skipping, which can be designed to frame-disrupting exons and restore the reading frame and function of a mutated gene by modulating pre-mRNA splicing, leading to the improvement of skeletal muscle function accompanied by dystrophin restoration for the first time in a severe animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).[25][26][27] Based on the study, viltolarsen, a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer antisense oligonucleotide, was developed for the treatment of DMD in collaboration with a Japanese pharmaceutical company.[1][4] Viltolarsen was later approved by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in Japan and by the FDA in the United States in March and August 2020, respectively, after clinical trials conducted in Japan, Canada, and the United States.[28] Yokota's team further developed a potential treatment for nearly half of DMD patients using multiple antisense oligonucleotides and demonstrated therapeutic effects in a dystrophic mouse model.[29][30] Supported by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the research team developed a cocktail of peptide-conjugated morpholinos (PPMOs) and restored expression of dystrophin in the myocardium and Purkinje fibers in the heart muscle of dystrophic animal models.[31][32][19] In 2021, the team developed eSkip-Finder, a machine learning-mediated free online application with a database of antisense oligonucleotides to facilitate the design of antisense oligonucleotides that can be used for exon skipping targeted for various genes and exons.[33][34][35]

Supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Yokota's team is also developing antisense oligonucleotide-mediated therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy using lipid nanoparticles in collaboration with Pieter Cullis.[36][37] In 2020, they identified antisense oligonucleotides called gapmers that knock down the expression of a toxic gene called DUX4 in cell and mouse models for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.[38][39]

In 2022, Yokota's team identified gapmers that selectively knocked down most of the mutated mRNA for the treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.[40] With support from CIHR and muscular dystrophy Canada, the team also identified novel peptide-conjugated morpholinos called DG9-PMOs that effectively improved mouse models of DMD and spinal muscular atrophy.[31][41]

Patient advocacy

[edit]

In addition to research achievements, Yokota has significantly advanced patient advocacy in the realm of genetic disorders, particularly muscular dystrophy.[42] Advocacy efforts are strongly reflected in the integration of individuals affected by muscular dystrophy into the research team, which enhances the research approach with valuable firsthand insights. [43] This initiative aligns with Yokota’s broader dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), actively seeking to bring diverse perspectives into the scientific process. [42]

Honors

[edit]

Yokota is honored as a ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar.[44] Yokota's publication record, impact of work, and quality of scholarly contributions have earned rankings of 2nd in Muscular dystrophy and 4th in Personalized medicine globally over the last five years, placing in the top 0.01 percent of highly ranked scholars.

  • Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2003-2005)[20]
  • National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (2010)[45]
  • The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research & Muscular Dystrophy Canada Endowed Research Chair (2011-)[22][1]
  • The Henri M. Toupin Chair in Neurological Science (2011-)[22][1]
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative Award (2013)[46]
  • Scientific Achievement and Innovation Award, BioAlberta (2022)[23]
  • Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2023)[47]
  • Startup TNT Life Sciences Summit Finale Pitch Night Winner (2024)[16]
  • University of Alberta Innovation Award (2024)[48]

Selected publications

[edit]
  • Yokota T, Lu QL, Partridge T, Kobayashi M, Nakamura A, Takeda S, Hoffman E. Efficacy of morpholino systemic exon-skipping in Duchenne dystrophy dogs. Ann. Neurol., 2009, 65:667-76.
  • Echigoya Y, Lim K, Trieu N, Bao B, Miskew B, Vila MC, Novak JS, Hara Y, Lee J, Touznik A, Mamchaoui K, Aoki Y, Takeda S, Nagaraju K, Mouly V, Maruyama R, Duddy W, Yokota T. Quantitative antisense screening and optimization for exon 51 skipping in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Mol Ther. 2017, 25(11): 2561-2572.
  • Echigoya Y, Nakamura A, Aoki Y, Nagata T, Kuraoka M, Urasawa N, Panesar D, Iversen P, Kole R, Maruyama R, Partridge T, Takeda S, Yokota T. Effects of systemic multi-exon skipping with peptide-conjugated morpholinos in the heart of a dog model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A., 2017, 114 (16), 4213-4218.
  • Lim K, Echigoya Y, Nagata T, Kuraoka M, Kobayashi M, Aoki Y, Partridge T, Maruyama R, Takeda S, Yokota T. Efficacy of multi-exon skipping treatment in Duchenne muscular dystrophy dog model neonates. Mol. Ther. 2019, 27(1): 76-86.
  • Echigoya Y, Lim K, Melo D, Bao B, Trieu N, Mizobe Y, Maruyama R, Mamchaoui K, Tanihata J, Aoki Y, Takeda S, Mouly V, Duddy W, Yokota T. Exons 45-55 skipping using mutation-tailored cocktails of antisense morpholinos in the DMD gene. Mol. Ther. 2019, 27(11): 2005-17.
  • Lim K, Maruyama R, Echigoya Y, Nguyen Q, Khawaja H, Chandra S, Jones T, Jones P, Chen Y, Yokota T. Inhibition of DUX4 expression with antisense LNA gapmers as a therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 2020, 117 (28), 16509-16515.
  • Lim K, Bittel A, Maruyama R, Echigoya Y, Nguyen Q, Huang Y, Dzierlega, Zhang A, Chen Y, Yokota T. DUX4 transcript knockdown with antisense 2’-O-methoxyethyl gapmers for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Mol. Ther. 2021, 29(2): 848-58.
  • Chiba S, Lim K, Sheri N, Anwar S, Erkut E, Shah A, Aslesh T, Woo S, Sheikh O, Maruyama R, Takano H, Kunitake K, Duddy W, Okuno Y, Aoki Y, Yokota T. eSkip-Finder: a machine learning-based web application and database to identify the optimal sequences of antisense oligonucleotides for exon skipping. Nucleic Acids Res. 2021, 49(W1):W193-W198.
  • Lim K, Woo S, Melo D, Huang Y, Dzierlega K, Shah MNA, Aslesh, Roshmi RR, Echigoya Y, Maruyama R, Moulton HM, Yokota T. Development of DG9 peptide-conjugated single- and multi-exon skipping therapies for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 2022, 119 (9) e2112546119.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "FDA approves new drug to treat common form of muscular dystrophy based on research from University of Alberta". MirageNews.com. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "U of A Researchers Find Possible Relief for Muscular Dystrophy Patients". edmonton.ctvnews.ca. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Heroes - Spring 2016". Issuu. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "A New Precision-Medicine Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Recently Approved by the FDA, Nearing Approval in Canada". Patient Worthy. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  5. ^ Yokota, Toshifumi; Maruyama, Rika, eds. (2020). Gapmers. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 2176. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-0771-8. ISBN 978-1-0716-0770-1. ISSN 1064-3745. S2CID 221372639.
  6. ^ Yokota, Toshifumi; Maruyama, Rika, eds. (2018). Exon Skipping and Inclusion Therapies. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 1828. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-8651-4. ISBN 978-1-4939-8650-7. ISSN 1064-3745. S2CID 52141624.
  7. ^ Maruyama, Rika; Yokota, Toshifumi, eds. (2023). Muscular Dystrophy Therapeutics. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 2587. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-2772-3. ISBN 978-1-0716-2771-6. ISSN 1064-3745.
  8. ^ "Toshifumi Yokota". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Toshifumi Yokota elected 2023 Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  10. ^ "International Journal of Molecular Sciences". www.mdpi.com. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Genes". www.mdpi.com. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Frontiers in Genome Editing". www.frontiersin.org. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Nucleic Acid Therapeutics | Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers". home.liebertpub.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Frontiers in Physiology". www.frontiersin.org. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee". Muscular Dystrophy Canada. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  16. ^ a b Gallant, Colin (15 March 2024). "OligomicsTx wins at Startup TNT summit finale". Taproot Edmonton. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Neuromuscular disease network to enhance Canadian research and patient care". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  18. ^ a b c "Toshifumi Yokota". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Heart Warriors: 'Genetics is the future of medicine' according to U of A researcher, who uses it to help with muscular dystrophy". The Gateway. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  20. ^ a b "【研究者データ】横田俊文". 日本の研究.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Edmonton researchers at the University of Alberta have found a way to regrow a protein [sic] missing in Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice". edmontonsun. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Seeking a cure for muscular dystrophy". WCHRI. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  23. ^ a b "BioAlberta Recognizes Alberta Innovators and Entrepreneurs at Annual Health and Life Sciences Showcase & Awards Ceremony". www.businesswire.com. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Toshifumi Yokota elected 2023 Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Researchers Develop DNA "Patch" For Canine Form of Muscular Dystrophy". National Institutes of Health (NIH). 28 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  26. ^ Yokota, Toshifumi; Lu, Qi-Long; Partridge, Terence; Kobayashi, Masanori; Nakamura, Akinori; Takeda, Shińichi; Hoffman, Eric (June 2009). "Efficacy of systemic morpholino exon-skipping in Duchenne dystrophy dogs". Annals of Neurology. 65 (6): 667–676. doi:10.1002/ana.21627. ISSN 1531-8249. PMC 5951302. PMID 19288467.
  27. ^ "First treatment for muscular dystrophy in sight: Scientists successfully harness exon-skipping". medicalxpress.com. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Viltepso (viltolarsen) injection Now Commercially Available in the U.S." The Associated Press. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  29. ^ "A DNA 'Stitch' as a Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy". Labroots. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Researchers developing new 'DNA stitch' to treat muscular dystrophy: Experimental treatment has potential to help almost half of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  31. ^ a b Lim, Kenji Rowel Q.; Woo, Stanley; Melo, Dyanna; Huang, Yiqing; Dzierlega, Kasia; Shah, Md Nur Ahad; Aslesh, Tejal; Roshmi, Rohini Roy; Echigoya, Yusuke; Maruyama, Rika; Moulton, Hong M. (1 March 2022). "Development of DG9 peptide-conjugated single- and multi-exon skipping therapies for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 119 (9): e2112546119. Bibcode:2022PNAS..11912546L. doi:10.1073/pnas.2112546119. ISSN 1091-6490. PMC 8892351. PMID 35193974.
  32. ^ Echigoya, Yusuke; Nakamura, Akinori; Nagata, Tetsuya; Urasawa, Nobuyuki; Lim, Kenji Rowel Q.; Trieu, Nhu; Panesar, Dharminder; Kuraoka, Mutsuki; Moulton, Hong M.; Saito, Takashi; Aoki, Yoshitsugu (18 April 2017). "Effects of systemic multiexon skipping with peptide-conjugated morpholinos in the heart of a dog model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114 (16): 4213–4218. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.4213E. doi:10.1073/pnas.1613203114. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 5402437. PMID 28373570.
  33. ^ "eSkip-Finder". eskip-finder.org. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  34. ^ Chiba, Shuntaro; Lim, Kenji Rowel Q.; Sheri, Narin; Anwar, Saeed; Erkut, Esra; Shah, Md Nur Ahad; Aslesh, Tejal; Woo, Stanley; Sheikh, Omar; Maruyama, Rika; Takano, Hiroaki (2 July 2021). "eSkip-Finder: a machine learning-based web application and database to identify the optimal sequences of antisense oligonucleotides for exon skipping". Nucleic Acids Research. 49 (W1): W193–W198. doi:10.1093/nar/gkab442. ISSN 1362-4962. PMC 8265194. PMID 34104972.
  35. ^ "Health Innovation Roundup". Health Cities. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  36. ^ "Funding Decisions Database". webapps.cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  37. ^ "Enhancing the efficacy of antisense oligonucleotide therapy for FSHD | Muscular Dystrophy Canada". 28 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  38. ^ Lim, Kenji Rowel Q.; Maruyama, Rika; Echigoya, Yusuke; Nguyen, Quynh; Zhang, Aiping; Khawaja, Hunain; Sen Chandra, Sreetama; Jones, Takako; Jones, Peter; Chen, Yi-Wen; Yokota, Toshifumi (14 July 2020). "Inhibition of DUX4 expression with antisense LNA gapmers as a therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117 (28): 16509–16515. Bibcode:2020PNAS..11716509L. doi:10.1073/pnas.1909649117. PMC 7368245. PMID 32601200.
  39. ^ "Researchers develop potential new therapy for common form of muscular dystrophy". News-Medical.net. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  40. ^ Maruyama, Rika; Nguyen, Quynh; Roshmi, Rohini Roy; Touznik, Aleksander; Yokota, Toshifumi (June 2022). "Allele-Selective LNA Gapmers for the Treatment of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Knock Down the Pathogenic ACVR1R206H Transcript and Inhibit Osteogenic Differentiation". Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. 32 (3): 185–193. doi:10.1089/nat.2021.0009. ISSN 2159-3345. PMID 35085461. S2CID 246360464.
  41. ^ Aslesh, Tejal; Erkut, Esra; Ren, Jun; Lim, Kenji Rowel Q.; Woo, Stanley; Hatlevig, Susan; Moulton, Hong M.; Gosgnach, Simon; Greer, John; Maruyama, Rika; Yokota, Toshifumi (31 January 2023). "DG9-conjugated morpholino rescues phenotype in SMA mice by reaching the CNS via a subcutaneous administration". JCI Insight. 8 (5): e160516. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.160516. ISSN 2379-3708. PMC 10077475. PMID 36719755. S2CID 256415367.
  42. ^ a b "Toshifumi Yokota elected 2023 Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  43. ^ Holley, Claire (1 August 2019). "LO student chosen as a Fulbright Scholar". LakeOswegoReview.com. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  44. ^ "scholargps".
  45. ^ "Federal RePORTER - Project Details". federalreporter.nih.gov. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  46. ^ "Funding Decisions Database". webapps.cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  47. ^ "Toshifumi Yokota elected 2023 Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  48. ^ Fast, Darren. "2024 Innovation Awards recipients". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
[edit]