EDUCATION:

1992 - 1998    Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan

2004 - 2008     Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING:

Intern:              1998 - 1999  Department of Otolaryngology, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan

Residency:        1999 - 2000  Department of Otolaryngology, Takatsuki Red Cross Hospital, Osaka, Japan

2000 - 2004  Department of Otolaryngology, Broncho-esophagology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Osaka, Japan

Fellowship:       2008 - 2012  Visiting Research Fellowship, Kelley's Laboratory, Section on Developmental Neuroscience,  NIDCD, NIH, USA

2012 - 2014  Clinical Fellowship, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Academic Appointments:

2014 - 2019     Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck  Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

2020 - 2023 Junior Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck  Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

2023 - presnt Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Fujita Health University, Aichi, Japan

Dr. Yilai Shu is a physician-scientist in the department of otolaryngology at Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University. He obtained both an M.D. and Ph.D. degree in otolaryngology. From 2010 to 2014, he studied as a PhD student in the joint training program and continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Eye and Ear-Harvard Medical School. Now, he serves as the vice president of Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University and Director of the Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Hereditary Deafness. His clinical interests are Otology and Neurotology. He is an expert in gene therapy and translational medicine of hereditary deafness based on gene replacement or CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, hair cell regeneration in the inner ear, and hearing protection. He has developed a gene therapy candidate drug—AAV-hOTOF—for the treatment of hearing loss caused by genetic defects and successfully spearheaded the world’s first clinical trial in this groundbreaking field. He was awarded the 2025 ARO Award for Clinical Innovation and the XPLORER PRIZE for his commitment to advancing gene therapy treatments for hearing restoration.