Yasutoshi Koga

Title : GDF15 as a new useful biomarker of mitochondrial disorders, and develop the diagnostic device in Japan

Abstract:

Among pediatricians and neurologists who treat patients with MELAS, there is an urgent need for clinical evidence on the effective treatment for them. To date, pharmacotherapy with L-arginine has been suggested to be promising for patients with MELAS. We conducted 9-year clinical research with MELAS, into which the data from two 2-year, phase 3, multicenter, open-label clinical trials of oral and intravenous L-arginine involving 7-year follow-up were integrated as pooled data. We will discuss the therapeutic regimen in the presentation.

Biography:

Dr. Yasutoshi Koga is a professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kurume University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. After he finished the research at NCNP, he joined the Mitochondrial Research Group at the Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University (Profs. DiMauro S and Schon EA). He discovered a novel therapeutic procedure and has completed the investigator-mediated clinical trial of L-arginine on MELAS in Japan. In 2012, he started the new national project to cure the lactic acidosis. He investigated the new biomarker and develop the diagnostic device of GDF15 for mitochondrial disorders. He has published more than 200 papers in reputed journals.