Koichi Hasegawa, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Focus

As a physician-scientist of respiratory medicine, Dr. Hasegawa has focused on the maintenance of homeostasis in the lung. Through his clinical studies, he elucidated the structure-functional relationship in chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) and emphasized the importance of comprehensive symptomatic evaluation for patient care.
In basic science research, he focused on alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells, and progenitor cells in the lung, and elucidated the dynamic changes of their fate in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. This study laid the foundation for future AT2 cell-targeted therapy for the disease.
In 2022, he joined Chen’s lab as a postdoc research associate to broaden and deepen his research focuses on airway and alveolar epithelial cell homeostasis and its disruption in the diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and other chronic lung diseases.

Certifications

Senior Fellow of the Japanese Respiratory Society
Board Certified Member of the Japanese Respiratory Society
Fellow of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine (FJSIM)

Honors

2017 The Congressional award in the 57th Congress of the Japanese Respiratory Society
2016 The Congressional award in the 56th Congress of the Japanese Respiratory Society

Selected Bibliography

1. Miyata R, Hasegawa K, Menju T, Yoshizawa A, Watanabe A, Hirai T, et al. Lung fibrogenic microenvironment in mouse reconstitutes human alveolar structure and lung tumor. iScience. 2022;25(9):104912.
2. Uemasu K, Tanabe N, Tanimura K, Hasegawa K, Mizutani T, Hamakawa Y, et al. Serine Protease Imbalance in the Small Airways and Development of Centrilobular Emphysema in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology. 2020;63(1):67-78.
3. Hasegawa K, Sato S, Tanimura K, Fuseya Y, Uemasu K, Hamakawa Y, et al. Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms and nasal symptoms affect the severity of bronchitis symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respiratory investigation. 2018;56(3):230-7.
4. Hasegawa K, Sato A, Tanimura K, Uemasu K, Hamakawa Y, Fuseya Y, et al. Fraction of MHCII and EpCAM expression characterizes distal lung epithelial cells for alveolar type 2 cell isolation. Respiratory research. 2017;18(1):150.
5. Tsao PN, Matsuoka C, Wei SC, Sato A, Sato S, Hasegawa K, et al. Epithelial Notch signaling regulates lung alveolar morphogenesis and airway epithelial integrity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2016;113(29):8242-7.
6.Hasegawa K, Sato S, Tanimura K, Fuseya Y, Uemasu K, Sato A, et al. Emphysema and airway disease affect within-breath changes in respiratory resistance in COPD patients. Respirology. 2015.