Hiroyuki Nakai

Hiroyuki Nakai is a Professor of Molecular and Medical Genetics and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), and a Senior Scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC). He holds dual appointments in the School of Medicine and is a Distinguished Professor in Molecular Medicine. His research focuses on adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for gene therapy, with expertise in vector biology, host interactions, and translational applications.

Education: M.D. (1987) and Ph.D. (1994) in hematology-oncology from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. Postdoctoral training at Stanford University (Pediatrics/Genetics labs) and industry experience at Avigen Inc. (gene therapy development).

Research Interests: AAV vector-host interactions, overcoming barriers in gene delivery, immune responses, and advancing AAV-based therapies for neurological, renal, and metabolic disorders. Techniques include molecular biology, bioinformatics, high-throughput sequencing, and primate models.

Publications highlight innovations in capsid engineering, targeted delivery, and translational studies. His work addresses critical challenges in AAV safety, efficacy, and scalability for diverse human diseases.

Labs/Teams: Leader of the AAV Vector Research Group at ONPRC, collaborating on primate studies and computational biology projects supported by the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center.