Dr. Aoki is a clinician-scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Motivated by his frontline experience treating patients with refractory lymphoma, he is committed to advancing translational research to improve clinical outcomes. His laboratory integrates genomics and immunology to understand how interactions in the tumor microenvironment and tumor cells regulate the development of cancer and tumor-educated microenvironment in lymphoid cancers, which lead to biomarker discovery and novel treatment target. Dr. Aoki is an ASH Scholar and a recipient of awards from the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
🏥 University Affiliation, City, Country: Assistant Professor University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Clinician Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
🧪 Area of focus in clinical practice and research: Basic/Translational research focusing on cancer genomics and tumor-microenvironment
🔎 Looking forward to in the field of cutaneous lymphomas and at the 6th WCCL: Expanding CTCL network and collaboration with Canadian and international colleagues
💭 What are you passionate about in medicine or recreationally? From his front-line experience as a hematologist, he felt a strong desire to pursue translational research to improve patient survival for refractory lymphoma patients. Outside of work, he is a big fan of baseball—both watching and playing. He especially enjoys cheering for the Blue Jays with his family.
🏆 A short story or academic achievement you are proud of: Dr. Aoki`s research has directly contributed to the treatment and management of lymphoma patients including establishment of the novel concept of spatially resolved biomarker and targetable interactions between LAG3/MHC-II and CXCR5/CXCL13, which has resulted in several awards for achievement in Canada, Japan and the United States.
🌟 Secret to career success: Stay positive, grow your network, be kind, and help one another.