Kiyoshi Kita

Editor

Dr. Kiyoshi Kita is a Professor at the University of Tokyo and Dean of Nagasaki University, School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health. His research interests are bacterial and mitochondrial respiratory chains from the viewpoint of oxygen homeostasis. He found two different terminal oxidase complexes, cytochrome bo and bd, in Escherichia coli, and showed their physiological role in the adaptation to change of oxygen availability. Since moving to Juntendo University, he has expanded his research to anaerobic respiratory chain of parasite mitochondria as well as host human mitochondria, and found that mitochondrial fumarate reductase plays an important role in the parasitic adaptation and cancer cells. Furthermore, he developed several promising anti-helmintics and trypanocidal drugs using biochemical and molecular biological approach. Dr Kita's research has contributed not only to basic biology but also directly to human health.