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Mayumi Fujita, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Mayumi Fujita

 

 
Mayumi Fujita, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology
Phone: (303) 724-4045 (office), 303-724-4037 or 303-724-4046 (lab)
Fax: (303) 724-4048
 

 

 

 

 
EDUCATION/TRAINING
Institution and location
Degree
Field of study
Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Japan
M.D.
Medicine
Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Japan
Internship
Medicine/Dermatology
Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Japan
Residency
Dermatology
Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Japan
Ph.D.
Immunology
University of Colorado, Denver, CO
Fellowship
Tumor biology
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Fellowship
Skin biology
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Internship
Internal Medicine
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Residency
Dermatology
 
EMPLOYMENT
1986 - 1990   Instructor in Dermatology, Kyoto University FOM, Kyoto, Japan
1990 - 1992   Medical Staff in Dermatology, Tenri Hospital, Nara, Japan
1992 - 1996   Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Kyoto University FOM, Kyoto, Japan
2002 - 2008   Assistant Professor of Dermatology, University of Colorado HSC, Aurora, CO
2002 - present  Director of Psoriasis Clinic, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO
2008 - present  Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO
2010-  present Dermatology physician, Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital, Denver, CO
 
HONORS
Sasagawa Research Award (1992-3, 1993-4), Dermatology Foundation Fellowship (1993-4, 1994-5), Women’s Dermatologic Society Mentorship award (2001), NIH Fellowship (5 T32 AR07019-25) (2001-2), AAD (American Association of Dermatology) Travel Award to European Dermatology Society Meeting (2001), NIH Award for NIH Dermatology Branch Resident Visit Day (2001), World Congress Education Fund Task Force Scholarship Award for International Investigative Dermatology 2003 (2003)
 
INVENTIONS AND PATENTS 
WO/2008/069881 (International Application No. PCT/US2007/023386)
US2010/0248225 A1 (U.S. Patent Application No. 12/312,390)
WO/2009/085695 (International Application No. PCT/US2008/086830)
US20090169497 (U.S. Patent Application No. 12/335,110)
WO2012/024302 A2 (U.S. Patent Application No.13/817,215)
 
CLINICAL INTERESTS
Psoriasis, auto-immune disease, melanoma
 
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Melanoma biology, melanoma immunology, skin immunology, disease biomarker
 
OVERVIEW OF ONGOING RESEARCH
The main focus of our current research is: (1) to identify and characterize cancer stem cells from human melanoma cells, (2) to study biological roles of several inflammatory molecules (particularly IL-1, IL-37 and AAT) in the progression of human malignant melanoma, (3) to analyze inflammasome components in human melanoma cells, (4) to identify melanoma-related and host response-related biomarker profiling from blood of melanoma patients, and (5) to study biological roles of several inflammatory molecules in skin immunology.  The experiments utilize in vitro methodologies (cellular and molecular biology, immunology, pathology) and in vivo animal study (xenotransplantation, direct in vivo xenograft and genetically-engineered mouse models). 
 
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (out of 65 peer-reviewed papers) published in 2010-2013

1.       Luo Y, Nguyen N, Fujita M: Isolation of human melanoma stem cells using ALDH as a marker. Accepted for publication in Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology

2.       Nguyen N, Luo Y, Fujita M: ALDH isozymes: markers of cancer stem cells in human melanoma. Accepted for publication in Expert Review of Dermatology

3.       Edwards CKIII, Green J, Volk HD, Schiff M, Kotzin BL, Mitsuuya H, Kawaguchi T, Sakata K, Cheronis J, Trollinger D, Bankaitis-Davis D, Dinarello CA, Norris DA, Bevilacqua MP, Fujita M (corresponding author), Burmeister GR: Combined anti-tumor necrosis factor-a therapy and DMARD therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients reduces inflammatory gene expression in whole blood compared to DMARD therapy alone. Front Immunol 3:366, 2012. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00366. PubMed PMID: 23264777

4.       Vasiliou V, Thompson DC, Smith C, Fujita M, Chen Y: Aldehyde dehydrogenases: from eye crystallins to metabolic disease and cancer stem cells. Aldehyde dehydrogenases: From eye crystallins to metabolic disease and cancer stem cells. Chem Biol Interact. 2012 Nov 16. pii: S0009-2797(12)00233-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2012.10.026. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 23159885

5.       Edwards CKIII, Pedler M, Yang DF, Fitzpatrick JE, Fujita M, Jonscher K, Norris DA: Recent observations on the heterogeneity of human effector memory T cells and novel cytokines implicated in cutaneous inflammation and psoriasis. Accepted for publication in Psoriasis Forum

6.       Liu W, Luo Y, Dunn JH, Dinarello CA, Norris DA, Fujita M: Dual role of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) in tumorigenesis of human melanoma. J Invest Dermatol 133(2): 518-27, 2013. PubMed PMID: 22931929

7.        Luo Y, Dallaglio K, Chen Y, Robinson WA, Robinson S, McCarter MD, Wang J, Gonzalez R, Thompson DC, Norris DA, Roop DR, Vasiliou V, Fujita M: ALDH1A isozymes are markers of human melanoma stem cells and potential therapeutic targets. Stem Cells 30(10): 2100-13, 2012. PubMed PMID: 22887839

8.        Luo Y, Ellis LZ, Dallaglio K, Takeda M, Robinson WA, Robinson S, Liu W, Lewis KD, McCarter MD, Gonzalez R, Norris DA, Roop DR, Spritz RA, Ahn NG, Fujita M: Side population cells from human melanoma tumors reveal diverse mechanisms of chemoresistance. J Invest Dermatol 132(10); 2440-50, 2012. PubMed PMID: 2262243 (with Commentary by Fukunaga-Kalabis M and Herlyn M. J Invest Dermatol 132(10); 2317-9, 2012, PubMed PMID: 22971921)

9.        Domenico J, Lucas JJ, Fujita M and Gelfand EW: Susceptibility to Vaccinia Virus Infection and Spread in Mice Is Determined by Age at Infection, Allergen Sensitization and Mast Cell Status. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 158:196-205, 2012. PubMed PMID: 22286752

10.   Jensen JD, Dunn JH, Luo Y, Liu W, Fujita M, Dellavalle RP: Ellagic acid inhibits melanoma growth in vitro. Dermatology Reports 3: e36, 2011

11.    Reuland SN, Goldstein NB, Partyka KA, Smith S, Luo Y, Fujita M, Gonzalez R, Lewis K, Norris DA, Shellman YG: ABT-737 synergizes with Bortezomib to kill melanoma cells. Biol Open 1:92-100, 2012. PubMed PMID: 23213401

12.    Dunn JH, Ellis LZ, Fujita M: Inflammasomes as molecular mediators of inflammation and cancer: Potential role in melanoma.  Cancer Lett 314: 24-33, 2012.  PubMed PMID: 22050907  

13.    Ellis LZ, Liu W, Luo Y, Okamoto M, Qu D, Dunn JH, Fujita M: Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses melanoma growth by inhibiting inflammasome and IL-1b secretion. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 414: 551-6, 2011. PubMed PMID: 21982776.

14.    Luo Y, Robinson S, Fujita J, Siconolfi L, Magidson J, Edwards CK, Wassmann K, Storm K, Norris DA, Bankaitis-Davis D, Robinson WA, Fujita M: Transcriptome profiling of whole blood cells identifies PLEK2 and C1QB in human melanoma. PLoS One 6: e20971, 2011.  PubMed PMID: 21698244; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3115966 

15.    Prado R, Jensen JD, Okamoto M, Luo Y, Lewis KD, Fujita M: Metastatic melanoma manifesting with purulent nodules composed of neutrophils and melanoma cells. Eur J Dermatol 21 (4): 642-3, 2011.  PubMed PMID: 21840791

16.   Reuland SN, Goldstein NB, Partyka KA, Cooper DA, Fujita M, Norris DA, Shellman YG: The combination of BH3-mimetic ABT-737 with the alkylating agent temozolomide induces strong synergistic killing of melanoma cells independent of p53. PLoS One 6: e24294, 2011. PubMed PMID: 21897876;  PubMed Central  PMCID: PMC3163662

17.   Tanaka A, Jensen JD, Prado R, Riemann H, Shellman YG, Norris DA, Chin L, Yee C, Fujita M:  Whole recombinant yeast vaccine induces anti-tumor immunity and improves survival in a genetically engineered mouse model of melanoma. Gene Ther 18: 827-34, 2011.  PubMed PMID: 21390072 

18.   Anwar A, Norris DA, Fujita M: Ubiquitin proteasomal pathway mediated degradation of p53 in melanoma. Arch Biochem Biophys 508:198-203, 2011.  PubMed PMID: 21167122; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3060965

19.    Jensen JD, Fujita M, Dellavalle RP. Validation of Psoriasis Clinical Severity and Outcome Measures: Searching for a Gold Standard. Arch Dermatol 147:95-98, 2011.  PubMed PMID: 20855674

20.    Prado R, Brice SL, Fukuda S, Hashimoto T, Fujita M: Paraneoplastic pemphigus herpetiformis with IgG antibodies to desmoglein 3 and without mucosal lesions. Arch Dermatol 147:67-71, 2011. PubMed PMID: 21242397

21.    Wang X, Fujita M (corresponding author), Prado R, Tousson A, Hsu HC, Schottelius A, Kelly DR, Yang PA, Wu Q, Chen J, Xu H, Elmets CA, Mountz JD, Edwards CK 3rd: Visualizing CD4 T cell migration into inflamed skin and its inhibition by CCR4/CCR10 blockades using in vivo imaging model. Br J Dermatol 162: 487-96, 2010. PubMed PMID: 19832835; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC 3037861

22.    Strahan JE, Chorny JA, Cohen JL, Fujita M: Combined multifocal indeterminate cell histiocytosis and basal cell carcinoma.  Arch Dermatol 146:346-7, 2010. PubMed PMID: 20231516

23.    Okamoto M, Liu W, Luo Y, Tanaka A, Cai X, Norris DA, Dinarello CA, Fujita M: Constitutively active inflammasome in human melanoma cells mediating autoinflammation via caspase-1 processing and secretion of interleukin-1b. J Biol Chem 285: 6477-88, 2010.  PubMed PMID: 20038581. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2825443

 
OTHER PUBLICATIONS (non peer-reviewed)
9   proceedings (non peer-reviewed)
4   invited review articles (non peer-reviewed)
77 meeting abstracts published in journals
76 clinical/research papers in Japanese medical journals (in Japanese)
30  medical essays in Japanese Journal of Clinical Dermatology (in Japanese)