Special Interview with Dr. Mariko Harada-Shiba of Rare Disease and Orphan Drugs Journal

On November 21, 2024, the Editorial Office of Rare Disease and Orphan Drugs Journal was delighted to interview Prof. Mariko Harada-Shiba, a renowned Cardiovascular specialist from Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan. Prof. Shiba talked about her team's recent research progress, the challenges during their studies, current research hotspots, valuable suggestions for RDODJ's development, etc. Let us explore the highlights of what Prof. Shiba has said in this engaging video interview.

Interviewee Biography

Prof. Mariko Harada-Shiba is an esteemed lipidologist whose research interest is the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of dyslipidemias. Her work spans genetic analysis, clinical studies, risk stratification, and the formulation of guidelines for familial hypercholesterolemia. She serves as the Chairperson of Primary Hyperlipidemia, Research on Measures Against Intractable Diseases by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. In this role, she has contributed to raising disease awareness and establishing diagnosis criteria for intractable dyslipidemias including familial hypercholesterolemia, Tangier disease, LCAT deficiency, familial hypobetalipoproteinemia, abetalipoproteinemia, and primary familial chylomicronemia. Prof. Harada-Shiba is also actively involved in the development of nucleic acid drugs for the treatment of intractable dyslipidemias.

Interview questions:

1) You have dedicated much of your career to the study of Dyslipidemias. What motivates you to keep working in this field? Could you please share some recent progress made by your team?

2) What challenges have you encountered during your research on Dyslipidemias?

3) Given your expertise, could you discuss the current research hotspots and the prospects in the field of Dyslipidemias?

4) As a new section editor of RDODJ, we are honored to collaborate with you. With your extensive experience in journal editing, could you offer suggestions for the future development of RDODJ? What do you think are the most critical factors in building a journal with international influence?

5）Beyond academic research, you are also passionate about education and have mentored many students. What advice would you give to young scholars entering the field of Dyslipidemias?

Editor: Stella Wang
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully Submitted by the Journal Editorial Office
Rare Disease and Orphan Drugs Journal