Kosuke Funato

Kosuke Funato is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia and a member of the Center for Molecular Medicine. His long-term research focuses on developing therapies and early detection methods for glioblastoma, utilizing human embryonic stem cell-based tumor models. He holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics and Biochemistry from the University of Tokyo and completed postdoctoral training in Cancer/Stem Cell Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

His research explores glioblastoma heterogeneity through cutting-edge technologies in oncology and stem cell biology, with emphasis on intertumor and intratumor variations. Key areas include epigenetic regulation, cancer stem cell dynamics, and human-specific gene functions in tumor evolution. His work has been published in high-impact journals including Science, Cell Stem Cell, and EMBO Reports.

Dr. Funato teaches BCMB 3100 and leads the Funato Lab at the Center for Molecular Medicine, where his team investigates subtype-specific vulnerabilities in glioblastoma. He received the IEEE CASE Best Conference Paper Award in 2021 and maintains collaborations across neuro-oncology and translational research communities.