Short Bio
Dr. Shimokawa graduated from Kyushu University in 1979 and obtained MD and PhD degrees at the University. He studied at the Mayo Clinic from 1985-1987 and was appointed as an assistant professor at Kyushu University in 1991, and then associate professor in 1995. In 2005, he was appointed as the professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University. In 2020, he was appointed as the Vice Dean of Graduate School, International University of Health and Welfare. He has performed a number of innovative research in both basic and clinical cardiovascular medicine, and has received society awards from the American Heart Association (AHA), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS). He also served as a Co-Editor of European Heart Journal (ESC), associate editor of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (AHA), and editor-in-chief of Circulation Journal (JCS).
Development of innovative therapy with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound for angina pectoris and dementia
Although the numbers of patients with severe angina pectoris and those with dementia have been rapidly increasing in the current super-aging society, effective therapies still remain to be developed. In 2004, we succeeded in developing low-intensity shock wave therapy that enhances angiogenesis and improves myocardial ischemia in patients with severe angina pectoris. Then, we aimed to develop innovative therapy with ultrasound, which should be safer and time-saving than shock wave therapy. In 2013, we found that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) exerts almost the same effects as shock wave therapy and this LIPUS therapy ameliorated myocardial ischemia in a porcine model of angina. Based on these findings, we started investigator-initiated clinical trial of the LIPUS therapy for angina pectoris with 60 patients. The results will be available in 2021. Then, we hypothesized that this LIPUS therapy may also be effective for dementia. In mouse models of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia, we confirmed that the LUPUS therapy is effective and safe. Based on these findings, we started investigator-initiated clinical trial of the LIPUS therapy for Alzheimer disease. We already have confirmed its safety in those patients in the exploratory trial and have started subsequent confirmatory trial with 40 patient