Research summary
Work spans cell-death biology and tumour immunology. A review of ferroptosis catalogues the iron-dependent, non-apoptotic cell-death pathway first described in 2012, distinguishing extrinsic (transporter-dependent) and intrinsic (enzyme-regulated) routes and tracing the redox imbalance between oxidant production and antioxidant defence that drives lipid peroxidation [1]. The review enumerates regulation at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels and discusses health implications across cancer and degenerative disease. A separate review of mitochondrial membrane permeabilisation (MMP) argues that, irrespective of apoptotic, necrotic, autophagic, or mitotic morphology, MMP is frequently the decisive event determining cell fate; the article catalogues pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, the permeability transition pore, mitochondrial lipids, and intermediate metabolites as determinants of MMP propensity [2]. A clinical-translational study published in Science showed that the antitumor activity of anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy depends on specific commensal Bacteroides species: tumours in antibiotic-treated or germ-free mice did not respond to CTLA-4 blockade, and the defect was rescued by gavage with Bacteroides fragilis, by immunisation with B. fragilis polysaccharides, or by adoptive transfer of B. fragilis-specific T cells; faecal microbial transplantation from melanoma patients to mice recapitulated the effect, providing evidence that the gut microbiota modulates checkpoint-blockade efficacy [3]. The three abstracts together cover a mechanistic review of regulated cell death, a synthesis of mitochondrial-permeabilisation signalling, and a host-microbiome study with direct relevance to cancer immunotherapy.
Recent publications
- The Hallmarks of AgingDOI
- Autophagy in the Pathogenesis of DiseaseDOI
- Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universeDOI
- Gut microbiome influences efficacy of PD-1鈥揵ased immunotherapy against epithelial tumorsDOI
- Molecular characterization of mitochondrial apoptosis-inducing factorDOI
- Ferroptosis: molecular mechanisms and health implicationsDOI
- Self-eating and self-killing: crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosisDOI
- Mitochondrial Membrane Permeabilization in Cell DeathDOI
- Autophagy and the Integrated Stress ResponseDOI
- Anticancer immunotherapy by CTLA-4 blockade relies on the gut microbiotaDOI
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How to apply
Email Guido Kroemer 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.
For applications via MEXT scholarship: see our MEXT 2027 complete guide and university-specific University Recommendation track.
External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9334-4405
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Kyushu University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.