Event Date
Speaker: Masahito Ikawa
Speaker Title: Professor
Speaker Institution: Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, The University of Osaka
Speaker Bio: Dr. Masahito Ikawa is a Distinguished Professor at the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Japan. He received his Ph.D. in 1997 and has since made pioneering contributions to reproductive biology and genome engineering. His laboratory pioneered the application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to reproductive biology, transforming functional genetic analysis in mice. His group has generated more than 400 testis-specific knockout mouse lines, identified over 100 genes essential for male fertility, and uncovered key molecular mechanisms governing spermatogenesis, sperm function, and fertilization. These discoveries have provided fundamental insights into the molecular basis of male infertility and mammalian fertilization. Dr. Ikawa has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous honors, including the JSPS Prize (2012), the SSR Research Award (2017), the Ando-Tajima Award from the Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science (2021), and the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2023).
Title: Functional Study of Testis-Specific Genes Using Genome Editing Approaches in Vivo and in Vitro
About the Series
The IGG Graduate Group Seminar Series brings leading researchers to UC Davis to present innovative work spanning genetics, genomics, and systems-level biology. The series fosters interdisciplinary dialogue around emerging approaches and discoveries shaping modern biological research.