Previous work experience includes Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital (UCL, UK), Manchester Royal Infirmary (University of Manchester, UK)

Dr. Masato Fujioka received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in 2002 and 2006, respectively, from Keio University School of Medicine. From 2006 to 2009, he served as a senior research fellow at the Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, where he conducted auditory neuroscience research at the Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Following his return to Japan, he held academic positions as Instructor, Assistant Professor, and later Associate Professor at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Keio University School of Medicine. He currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics at Kitasato University School of Medicine. In addition to his academic roles, he is an active clinician, practicing as an ENT specialist at both Kitasato University Hospital and Keio University Hospital.

Dr. Fujioka’s research spans basic science to translational and clinical studies in the auditory and vestibular systems. His scientific philosophy emphasizes building a “total balance” strategy that links clinical phenotypes with underlying molecular mechanisms, a concept he believes is essential for the success of future clinical trials.

In the field of hereditary and acquired hearing loss, Dr. Fujioka’s team is developing an integrated research pipeline that includes patient-derived iPSC-based in vitro models, in vivo non-human primate models, and human clinical trials. This platform is supported by digital tools for daily monitoring of hearing and balance function, aiming to increase the “resolution” and precision of clinical data in drug development.

Two of his core research themes—hair cell regeneration and iPSC-based drug discovery—have progressed from preclinical to clinical development. His team is also actively involved in gene therapy research for SLC26A4-, EYA4- and OTOF-related deafness, combining molecular genetics, pharmacology, and clinical evaluation.

Dr. Fujioka has published widely in international journals and has contributed to both national and international collaborative initiatives in auditory science and rare disease research. He is committed to advancing precision medicine in otology by bridging basic biology with real-world clinical application.

Lukas Varga, MD, MSc, PhD is an associate professor and ENT consultant / otologist at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. He also works as a researcher at the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava. Dr. Varga graduated from Faculty of Natural Sciences and Faculty of Medicine at the Comenius University. He is an author and co-author of more than 40 in extenso scientific papers and four books/book chapters. His main research interests include otogenetics, otology, implantable hearing devices and various topics in biomedical research.