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Interview with Dr Makoto Ono
Posted 17 November 2011
Dr Makoto Ono
Dr Makoto you have joined us from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences. Can you tell me a little about your work in Tokyo and the team you work with there?
I am a paediatrician and a paediatric endocrinologist at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Hospital. I have been working at both the University and its hospital, where I teach and undertake clinical work
How did your sabbatical with Prince Henry’s Institute come about? Why have you come to work with Vince’s team?
Most of paediatric endocrine diseases are congenital and genetic disorders. Consequently, I have become interested in medical genetics. I am especially interested in the underlying causes of disorders of sex development (DSD), which are studied at PHI by the Sex Determination and Gonadal Development team, headed by Professor Vincent Harley. Many of the causes remain unexplained thus my interest in the area. My current project in MGD lab is to identify potential DSD genes. Professor Harley’s lab was introduced to me by one of my former colleagues, who had come to work at his collaborator’s lab in Brisbane.
What are you hoping to achieve during your time with PHI?
I hope I can provide new insights into mechanisms of DSD. Besides, personally, I would like to get to know many brilliant scientists in Australia and other countries.
What do you see as the potential benefits of your sabbatical for both Tokyo Medical and Dental University and for PHI?
I and my colleagues in Tokyo are basically clinicians. I believe PHI and TMDU could benefit each other by working in collaboration, as it offers a chance to build on and improve our research work. Collaboration between researchers and clinicians is essential for medical research. Furthermore, there are many excellent studies in both Australia and Japan, so we will come to be able to exchange their detailed information.
How does medical research in Australia differ from medical research in Japan?
In Japan, medical research has been usually conducted by physicians and non-physician scientists who are engaged in this area are not so many.
Why did you choose a career in medical science? What drives your interest in and passion for endocrinology, sexual development disorders etc?
Endocrine disorders of childhood directly influence patients’ growth, development, and quality of life. As a clinician, my pleasure is to improve them. I think that one of the most important things to do this is to identify the cause of patients’ disorder properly.