Prof. Yuma Yamada from Hokkaido University, Japan, will present his recent research at the 2nd RIKEN-ISM Conjoint Meeting — Tokyo Microbiota 2026, taking place on September 24–25, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. His talk, entitled Engineering Mitochondrial Stress Tolerance through Mitochondria-Targeted Nanocapsules: Perspectives on the Microbiota–Mitochondria Axis, explores the emerging links between mitochondrial biology and the microbiota.

Yuma Yamada is Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University. He received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Hokkaido University in 2008 and was appointed Professor in 2023. His research focuses on pharmaceutics, especially mitochondria-targeted and drug delivery systems (DDS). He developed the MITO-Porter, a membrane-fusion-based nano capsule for mitochondrial delivery of bioactive molecules, and has applied this platform to mitochondrial gene therapy, oxidative stress control, cancer therapy, and cell therapy. He has received several awards, including the Ebert Prize Award and major Japanese awards in pharmaceutical sciences, DDS, nucleic acid therapeutics, and mitochondrial research.

Mitochondria are central organelles that determine cellular responses to metabolic, oxidative, and inflammatory stresses. In the context of the microbiota–mitochondria axis, microbiota-derived metabolites and inflammatory cues are increasingly recognized as important extrinsic factors that influence mitochondrial function and cellular resilience. Therefore, technologies that can deliver bioactive molecules directly to mitochondria provide a powerful strategy to modulate mitochondrial function and enhance cellular stress tolerance. Our laboratory has developed mitochondria-targeted nanocapsules, including the MITO-Porter, a lipid-based nano capsule designed to deliver cargoes to mitochondria via membrane fusion with mitochondrial membranes. This platform allows mitochondrial delivery of a wide range of molecules that are difficult to introduce by conventional targeting strategies, including small molecules, antioxidants, nucleic acids, and higher-order molecular assemblies. In this lecture, I will summarize our efforts to engineer mitochondrial function using mitochondria-targeted drug delivery systems. First, I will introduce the concept of MITO-Porter and its membrane-fusion-based delivery mechanism. I will then discuss applications in the regulation of mitochondrial oxidative stress, mitochondrial RNA/nucleic acid delivery for controlling mitochondrial gene expression, and the generation of mitochondria-activated therapeutic cells, termed MITO Cells. I will also introduce our recent e-MITO concept as an emerging strategy for controlling mitochondria-related cellular phenotypes. Finally, I will discuss how mitochondrial nanomedicine may contribute to cellular resilience, stress tolerance, and future therapeutic strategies for aging-associated mitochondrial dysfunction, with particular emphasis on how mitochondrial-side interventions may complement studies of microbiota-driven regulation of host physiology.

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The 2^nd RIKEN-ISM Conjoint Meeting
Tokyo Microbiota 2026
September 24-25, 2026 – The University of Tokyo, Japan
www.tokyo.microbiota-ism.com