ASCC Research Portfolio

Naoki Nakayama

Dr Naoki Nakayama, BSc MSc PhD, is a Senior Scientist at the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC). Prior to joining the ASCC in January 2004, Naoki was a Senior Research Scientist in the Division of Bone and Cartilage, Department of Metabolic Disorders, Amgen, Inc (Thousand Oaks, CA). Naoki obtained his BSc, MSc and PhD from the University of Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan), while most of his PhD projects were performed at DNAX Research Institute and the Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University Medical School (Palo Alto, CA), under Dr Ken-ichi Arai. Naoki stayed in DNAX for his postdoctoral training with Dr Kunihiro Matsumoto, and then became Assistant Professor (Joshu) at the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, before moving back to California.

His previous research focused on enzymology of DNA replication, molecular genetics of receptor signal transduction (GPCR and cytokine receptor), functional genomics of stem cells and stromal cells, and later, pharmacobiology of bone and cartilage, which gave him excellent grounding in protein chemistry, molecular genetics, cell culture, flow cytometry, and high-throughput screening techniques. Although initiated while in Amgen, Naoki has been focusing on elucidating the complicated biology of embryonic stem cells (ESC) since joining the ASCC, and more recently has examined signalling mechanisms involved in the differentiation of ESCs to different types of mesenchymal cells.

Contact Details
Email: naoki.nakayama@stemcellcentre.edu.au