The 3rd International Joint Symposium of
JSBMS and MSACL

He is trained (Canada and Switzerland) as a physical biochemist with interest in the development of various spectroscopic and spectrometric methods to understand the dynamics of biological systems, in particular transition to the disease state. He is currently Principal Investigator at University Health Network (Princess Margaret Hospital) and leads a group of researchers focused on development of rapid diagnostic methods using mass spectrometry. He holds a position at the rank of Associate Professor with the Department of Surgery and Graduate Department of Medical Biophysics at University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. The research in his laboratory over the past 5 years has further matured Picosecond Infrared Laser Mass Spectrometry (PIRL-MS) as a rapid pathology determination tool where 10-second laser sampling of tissue molecular content has allowed differentiation of cancer types and subtypes faster than currently possible in the standard of care.

He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo in 1997. Currently, he is a Professor and Dean of Faculty (Pharmaceutical Sciences), and a Core Director of Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (WPI-Bio2Q) at Keio University, and a Team Leader of RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences. Dr. Arita has experience leading multidisciplinary research teams as a principal investigator for “Biology of LipoQuality” a program project supported by JSPS Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (FY2015-2020). He serves as an Executive Editor for the Progress in Lipid Research. Now he is leading JST-ERATO Lipidome Atlas Project (FY2021-2026) to pioneer the spatiotemporal biology of lipid diversity through a creation of the Lipidome Atlas, and to discover unknown molecules associated with important biological processes.

She has conducted molecular analyses focused on synaptic plasticity, considered foundational to memory and learning. Her research revolves around understanding how neural activity is optimized in response to external stimuli, with a specific emphasis on neural synapses. To date, she has employed mass spectrometry in innovative ways, including pioneering work at JST PRESTO, where she achieved the world's first visualization of acetylcholine through direct mass analysis of tissues, aiming to visualizer neurotransmitters. She has successfully applied these techniques to analyze changes in neurotransmitter levels in genetically modified mice, pathological models, and developmental stages. In 2004, she obtained her doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Subsequently, she has held positions at the Mitsubishi Chemical Life Sciences Institute, Kansai Medical University, and Hamamatsu Medical University before assuming her current position in 2019.