Tomokazu Sumida

Neurology,
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, CT | USA

I am a clinician-scientist deeply focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms governing human immune homeostasis in autoimmune diseases, with a specific emphasis on multiple sclerosis (MS). My overarching career goal is to leverage my expertise in basic science to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune disorders. My professional journey is characterized by a blend of clinical and scientific experiences that uniquely position me to tackle complex, treatment-resistant conditions. Initially trained as a cardiologist, my clinical practice has been defined by a commitment to finding cures for patients facing challenging diseases that defy conventional treatment approaches.

My clinical and scientific background is unique. I began my clinical career as a cardiologist and my guiding principle as a clinician is to cure patients who are suffering from intractable diseases that do not fit neatly into established clinical frameworks. My PhD work focused on the interplay between the innate immune system and cardiovascular diseases, utilizing murine models to advance our understanding of molecular biology in myeloid cells. This work ignited my fascination with the immune system’s pivotal role in maintaining tissue and organ homeostasis. Joining Dr. David Hafler’s laboratory at Yale University in 2015 marked a pivotal shift in my research focus towards investigating the transcriptional regulation of T cell heterogeneity, particularly Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs), in individuals with MS. Over the years, I have developed my expertise in human immunology and computational biology, enabling me to analyze genetic, epigenetic, and gene expression data at both bulk and single-cell resolutions.

In pursuit of a deeper understanding of the epigenetic regulation of T cells in MS, I have collaborated with the Bernstein and Kellis Labs at the Broad Institute, leveraging state-of-the-art technologies to analyze clinical samples from MS patients (Science Translational Medicine, 2024). More recently, I have collaborated with the Steve Reilly lab in Genetics at Yale to develop a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) focusing on autoimmune disease-associated variants at scale. These collaborations have broadened my perspective on translational science, which is essential for my proposed research.　My overarching ambition is to decode the genetic and epigenetic changes in T cells, particularly Tregs, in autoimmune diseases, with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapeutic approaches for patients facing treatment-resistant diseases.