Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsMasanori Sasaki, MD, PhD
Professor Adjunct of NeurologyDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Titles
Professor Adjunct of Neurology
Biography
2025: Professor and Chair, Division of Neuroscience, Department of Physiology,
Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan
2005:Board of the Japan Stroke Society (No. 20050807)
2002:Board of the Japan Neurosurgical Society (No. 5682)
1996:Medical Doctor License in Japan (Registration No. 378728)
Last Updated on December 24, 2025.
Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- Sapporo Medical University (2001)
- MD
- Sapporo Medical University (1996)
Research
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Overview
My research
interest is in the area of cellular transplantation to repair spinal cord
injury. My work has primarily utilized neural cells derived from adult tissues
and processed for transplantation into injured spinal cord. I developed cells
from the olfactory system called olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) that
display unique properties that assist normal axon growth of olfactory sensory
neurons into the brain. I have also engineered adult stem cells derived from
bone marrow to hypersecrete a neurotrophic factor and has found that these
cells are neuroprotective. Collectively, my research has important clinical
implications and could lead to a clinical study in spinal cord injury patients.
ORCID
0000-0001-7961-9698
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Masanori Sasaki's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Masanori Sasaki's research output by year.
Jeffery Kocsis, PhD
Osamu Honmou, MD, PhD
Karen L Lankford, PhD
Andrew Tan, PhD
Hajime Tokuno, MD
Nancy Ruddle, PhD
98Publications
2,829Citations
Publications
2026
Mesenchymal stromal/stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in brain disorders: mechanisms of repair and recovery
Lankford K, Ukai R, Hirota R, Oka S, Sasaki M, Kocsis J, Honmou O. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in brain disorders: mechanisms of repair and recovery. Frontiers In Cellular Neuroscience 2026, 20: 1819046. PMID: 42179845, PMCID: PMC13193808, DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2026.1819046.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsCitationsAltmetricThe Pivotal Roles of Macrophages and Microglia in Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cell-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicle–Mediated Tissue Repair After Spinal Cord Injury
Nakazaki M, Lankford K, Yokoyama T, Ukai R, Hirota R, Oka S, Sasaki M, Kocsis J, Honmou O. The Pivotal Roles of Macrophages and Microglia in Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cell-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicle–Mediated Tissue Repair After Spinal Cord Injury. Frontiers In Bioscience-Landmark 2026, 31: 47612. PMID: 42052826, DOI: 10.31083/fbl47612.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsCitationsComparison of Ultrasound and MRI for Measuring Foramen Magnum Diameter in Neonates and Infants: A Preliminary Study
Terada K, Yabusaki S, Ota K, Ito Y, Ono T, Umami S, Abe H, Tomita M, Yabuki I, Fusagawa S, Daimon Y, Ohara T, Sakai T, Sasaki M, Tsugawa T, Kihara M. Comparison of Ultrasound and MRI for Measuring Foramen Magnum Diameter in Neonates and Infants: A Preliminary Study. Pediatrics International 2026, 68: e70451. PMID: 42299046, DOI: 10.1111/ped.70451.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
Mesenchymal stem cells reverse disease-specific abnormalities in nociceptive regions of the brain
Fukushi R, Sasaki M, Obara H, Kurihara K, Hirota R, Morita T, Teramoto A, Yamashita T, Tan A, Waxman S, Kocsis J, Honmou O. Mesenchymal stem cells reverse disease-specific abnormalities in nociceptive regions of the brain. Brain Communications 2025, 8: fcaf494. PMID: 41509715, PMCID: PMC12776362, DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf494.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricTherapeutic Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Modulating Oxidative Stress in Puromycin-Induced Nephropathy
Iizuka Y, Sasaki M, Terada K, Sakai T, Nagaoka Y, Fukumura S, Kocsis J, Tsugawa T, Honmou O. Therapeutic Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Modulating Oxidative Stress in Puromycin-Induced Nephropathy. Pathophysiology 2025, 32: 19. PMID: 40407599, PMCID: PMC12101160, DOI: 10.3390/pathophysiology32020019.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsIntravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells increased axonal signal intensity in the rubrospinal tract in spinal cord injury
Hirota R, Sasaki M, Teramoto A, Yamashita T, Kocsis J, Honmou O. Intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells increased axonal signal intensity in the rubrospinal tract in spinal cord injury. Molecular Brain 2025, 18: 35. PMID: 40241097, PMCID: PMC12004759, DOI: 10.1186/s13041-025-01210-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
2024
Multiple intravenous infusions versus a single infusion of mesenchymal stem cells in a rat model of cerebral ischemia.
Yokoyama T, Sasaki M, Nagahama H, Kataoka-Sasaki Y, Ukai R, Oka S, Kocsis J, Honmou O. Multiple intravenous infusions versus a single infusion of mesenchymal stem cells in a rat model of cerebral ischemia. Journal Of Neurosurgery 2024, 142: 684-692. PMID: 39454218, DOI: 10.3171/2024.6.jns241111.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricIntravenous Infusion of Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expanded in Auto Serum for Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Case Series
Hirota R, Sasaki M, Iyama S, Kurihara K, Fukushi R, Obara H, Oshigiri T, Morita T, Namioka T, Namioka A, Onodera R, Kataoka-Sasaki Y, Oka S, Takemura M, Ukai R, Yokoyama T, Sasaki Y, Yamashita T, Kobayashi M, Okuma Y, Kondo R, Aichi R, Ohmatsu S, Kawashima N, Ito Y, Kobune M, Takada K, Ishiai S, Ogata T, Teramoto A, Yamashita T, Kocsis J, Honmou O. Intravenous Infusion of Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expanded in Auto Serum for Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Case Series. Journal Of Clinical Medicine 2024, 13: 6072. PMID: 39458022, PMCID: PMC11509003, DOI: 10.3390/jcm13206072.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsIntravenous infusion of auto-serum-expanded autologous mesenchymal stem cells into chronic severe brain injury patients
Yamaki T, Oka S, Iyama S, Sasaki M, Onodera R, Kataoka-Sasaki Y, Namioka T, Namioka A, Takemura M, Ukai R, Yokoyama T, Sasaki Y, Yamashita T, Kobayashi M, Yamaguchi M, Fukino M, Takazawa T, Hayasaka M, Owaku T, Funakura M, Onodera S, Ito Y, Kobune M, Kato J, Ishiai S, Kocsis J, Odaki M, Iwadate Y, Kobayashi S, Honmou O. Intravenous infusion of auto-serum-expanded autologous mesenchymal stem cells into chronic severe brain injury patients. Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery 2024, 36: 101927. DOI: 10.1016/j.inat.2023.101927.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsA Surgical Protocol for Establishing Spinal Cord Ischemia with Extended Lifespan and Low Complication Rates in Rats
Yasuda N, Sasaki M, Kocsis J, Kawaharada N, Honmou O. A Surgical Protocol for Establishing Spinal Cord Ischemia with Extended Lifespan and Low Complication Rates in Rats. World Neurosurgery 2024, 188: e349-e356. PMID: 38789035, DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.05.114.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitations
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Activities
activity Neuroscience
03/01/2025 - PresentJournal ServiceEditorial Board Memberactivity Sapporo Medical University
11/01/2025 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsProfessorDetailsProfessor and Chair, Division of Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine https://web.sapmed.ac.jp/physiol2/en/index.htmlactivity The VA Merit Review panel: Neuro-SCI/Neuroregen/RGM, RRD0
2009 - 2011Peer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsRevieweractivity The New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research (NJCSCR)
2008 - 2008Peer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsReviewerDetailsReviewer
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