BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Akira Sawa ASAWA1 Professor of ...

NAME
Akira Sawa
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
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eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login)
ASAWA1
POSITION TITLE
Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University
Director, Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and
residency training if applicable.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
MM/YY FIELD OF STUDY
University of Tokyo M.D. 1990 Medicine
University of Tokyo Ph.D. 1994 Clinical Neuropsychiatry
A. Personal Statement
Based on my training in both clinical psychiatry and basic molecular neuroscience, my own research program
aims translational study for major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and Huntington’s disease, with a
particular emphasis on molecular pathways of the diseases. In my program, there are three key projects of (1)
molecular pathways involving genetic risk factors and production of animal models in order to test gene
environmental interaction in the developmental trajectory of the disease pathologies, (2) molecular study of
stress sensing mechanism, especially that to oxidative stress and inflammation, in the context of the
pathologies of mental illnesses (in particular, those at disease onset), and (3) analysis of molecular expression
and functional profiling with patient cells and tissues (iN cells, iPS cells, and olfactory neurons), all of which are
aimed to be integrated towards molecular understanding of mental illnesses. I also lead P50 Silvo O. Conte
center grant, which takes multifaceted translational approach on DISC1 interactome and schizophrenia. In
addition to research activities, I serve the director of Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center where we work on
clinic, research, professional education, and public outreach towards better care and cure for schizophrenia.
B. Positions and Honors
Positions and Employment
1990-1996 Resident/Clinical fellow, Department of Neuropsychiatry, the Hospital of the University of Tokyo
1996-1998 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine;
(JHU) under the supervision of Professor Snyder, SH.
1998-2000 Research associate Department of Neuroscience, JHU,
under the supervision of Professor Snyder, SH
2000-2001 Instructor Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, JHU,
under the supervision of Professor Snyder, SH
2001-2006 Assistant Professor Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, JHU
2005-2006 Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Program in Cellular Molecular Medicine, JHU
2006-2009 Associate Professor, Director of Program in Molecular Psychiatry,
Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Program in Cellular Molecular Medicine, JHU
2009- Professor, Director of Program in Molecular Psychiatry,
Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Program in Cellular Molecular Medicine, Human Genetics, JHU
2011- Director, Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
2005- VA ad hoc review member
2006- NIH review member
2007-2011 VA review committee MHBB
2011- NARSAD scientific council member

Honors
2007 Staglin award
2007 Efron award from ACNP
2010 Tsukahara Award
2011 NARSAD distinguished investigator award
C. Selected peer-reviewed publications from over 200: underline, corresponding author
1. Sawa A., Wiegand G.W., Cooper J.K., Margolis R.L., Sharp A.H., Lawler J.E., Greenamyre J.T., Snyder
S.H., Ross C.A.. Increased apoptosis of Huntingtonís disease lymphoblasts associated with repeat lengthdependent
mitochondrial depolarization. Nature Med., 5: 1194-1198 (1999)
2. Ferris D., Jaffery S.R., Sawa A., Takahashi M., Brady S., Barrow R. K., Tyosoe S., Wolosker H., Dore S.,
Snyder S.H. Heme oxygenase-1 prevents cell death by regulating cellular iron levels. Nature Cell Biol., 1:
152-157 (1999)
3. Sawa, A., Snyder, S.H.: Schizophrenia: diverse approaches to a complex disease. Science, 296; 692-695
(2002)
4. Hara, M.R., Agrawal, N., Kim, S.F., Cascio, M.B., Fujimuro, M., Takahashi, M., Cheah, J.H., Tankou, S.K.,
Hester, L.D., Ferris, C.D., Hayward, S.D., Snyder, S.H., Sawa A.: S-Nitrosylated glyceraldehyde-3phosphate
dehydrogenase initiates cell death by nuclear translocation following Siah1 binding. Nature
Cell Biol., 7; 665-674 (2005)
5. Bae, B.I., Igarashi, S., Fujimuro, M., Agrawal, N., Taya, Y., Hayward, S.D., Moran, T., Ross, C.A., Snyder,
S.H., Sawa, A.: p53 mediates cellular dysfunction and behavioral abnormalities in Huntington’s disease.
Neuron, 47; 29-41 (2005)
6. Kamiya, A., Kubo, K., Tomoda, T., Takaki, M., Youn, R., Ozeki, Y., Sawamura, N., Park, U., Kudo, O.,
Okawa, M., Ross, C.A., Hatten, M.E., Nakajima, K., Sawa, A.: Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 is required for
neuronal migration in the cerebral cortex: perturbation by schizophrenia-associated mutation. Nature Cell
Biol., 7; 1167-78 (2005)
7. Sawa, A., Snyder, S.H.: Two genes, PDE4 and DISC1, may link schizophrenia and affective disorder.
Science, 310; 1128-1129 (2005)
8. Sen, N., Hara, , M.R., Kornberg, M.D., Cascio, M.B., Bae, B.I., Shahani, N., Thomas, B., Dawson, T.M.,
Dawson, V.L. Snyder, S.H., and Sawa, A.: Nitric oxide-induced nuclear GAPDH activates p300/CBP and
mediates apoptosis. Nature Cell Biol., 10; 866-873 (2008)
9. Sen N., Hara M.R., Ahmed A., Cascio M.B., Kamiya A., Ehmsen J.T., Aggrawal N., Hester L., Dore S.,
Snyder S.H., and Sawa A.: GOSPEL: A novel neuroprotective protein that binds to GAPDH upon Snitrosylation.
Neuron, 63:81-91 (2009)
10. Jaaro-Peled H., Hayashi-Takagi A., Seshadri S., Kamiya A., Brandon N.J., and Sawa A.:
Neurodevelopmental mechanisms of schizophrenia: understanding disturbed postnatal brain maturation
through Neuregulin-1 and DISC1. Trends Neurosci, 32:485-495 (2009)
11. Tajinda K, Ishizuka K, Colantuoni C, Morita M, Winicki J, Le C, Lin S, Schretlen D, Sawa A, Cascella, NG:
Neuronal biomarkers from patients with mental illnesses: a novel method through nasal biopsy combined
with laser-captured microdissection. Mol. Psychiatry, 15:231-232 (2010)
12. Niwa M, Kamiya A, Murai R, Kubo K, Gruber AJ, Tomita K, Lu L, Tomisato S, Jaaro-Peled H, Seshadri S,
Hiyama H, Huang B, Kohda K, Noda Y, O’Donnell P, Nakajima K, Sawa A, Nabeshima T. Knockdown of
DISC1 by in utero gene transfer disturbs postnatal dopaminergic maturation in the frontal cortex and leads
to adult behavioral deficits. Neuron, 65:480-448 (2010)
13. Hayashi-Takagi A, Takaki M, Graziane N, Seshadri S, Murdoch H, Dunlop AJ, Makiko Y, Seshadri AJ,
Ishizuka K, Srivastava DP, Xie Z, Baraban JM, Houslay MD, Tomoda T, Brandon NJ, Kamiya A, Yan Z,
Penzes P, Sawa A. Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) regulates spines of the glutamate synapse via
Rac1. Nature Neurosci., 13:327-332 (2010)
14. Ishizuka K, Kamiya A, Oh EC, Kanki H, Seshadri S, Robinson JF, Murdoch H, Dunlop AJ, Kubo K, Furukori
K, Huang B, Zeledon M, Hayashi-Takagi A, Okano H, Nakajima K, Houslay MD, Katsanis N, Sawa A.
DISC1-dependent switch from progenitor proliferation to migration in the developing cortex. Nature,
473:92-96 (2011)
15. Brandon NJ, Sawa A. Linking neurodevelopmental and synaptic theories via DISC1. Nature Rev
Neurosci, 12:707-22 (2011)