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Kiyoshi Ariizumi, Ph.D.

Kiyoshi Ariizumi, Ph.D.

Titles and Appointments

Professor

School
Medical School
Department
Dermatology
Graduate Programs
Cancer Biology, Immunology
  • Biography

    Dr. Kiyoshi Ariizumi is a Professor in the Department of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His research focuses on tumor immunology, skin cancer biology, and the molecular mechanisms that regulate immune responses in the skin. He has made significant contributions to understanding how dendritic cells and other immune pathways influence the development and progression of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

    In addition to his research, Dr. Ariizumi is dedicated to education and mentorship, training the next generation of physician–scientists and researchers in dermatology and immunology. He actively collaborates with colleagues across disciplines to advance discoveries that improve patient outcomes and support the mission of UT Southwestern in excellence in patient care, research, and education.

    Through his work, Dr. Ariizumi continues to advance the field of dermatology by bridging basic science research with translational applications that directly impact patient health.

  • Education
    Graduate School
    University of Tokyo (1985)
  • Research Interest
    • Cancer immunotherapy
    • Immunosuppression by tumors (melanoma, lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and prostate cancer)
    • Molecular and cellular mechanisms for regulation of immune responses by myeloid cells
    • Role of T cell-negative regulators in inflammatory diseases
  • Publications
    Acquired resistance to immune checkpoint therapy is caused by glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma protein B signal cascade
    Chung J, Ramani V, Guo L, Popat V, Cruz PD, Xu L, Hammers H, Ariizumi K Communications Medicine 2025 Dec 5
    Phase II Trial of Sipuleucel-T and Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation for Patients with Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer
    Hannan R, Dohopolski MJ, Pop LM, Mannala S, Watumull L, Womack KB, Gao A, Garant A, Arriaga YE, Bowman I, Chung J, Wang J, Ariizumi K, Ahn C, Timmerman R, Courtney K Biomedicines 2022 Jun 10
    Soluble DC-HIL/Gpnmb Modulates T-Lymphocyte Extravasation to Inflamed Skin
    Ramani V, Chung JS, Ariizumi K, Cruz PD Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2022 May 142 1372-1380.e5
    DC-HIL/GpNMB is a negative regulator of tumor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors
    Chung JS, Ramani V, Kobayashi M, Fattah F, Popat V, Zhang S, Cruz PD, Gerber DE, Ariizumi K Clinical Cancer Research 2020 Mar 26 1449-1459
    Expansion of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in the Peripheral Blood and Lesional Skin of Cutaneous Lupus Patients
    Florez-Pollack S, Tseng Lc, Kobayashi M, Hosler GA, Ariizumi K, Chong B Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2019 Feb 139 478-481
    Blocking monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell function via anti-DC-HIL/GpNMB antibody restores the in vitro integrity of T cells from cancer patients
    Kobayashi M, Chung JS, Beg M, Arriaga Y, Verma U, Courtney K, Mansour J, Haley B, Khan S, Horiuchi Y, Ramani V, Harker D, Gopal P, Araghizadeh F, Cruz PD, Ariizumi K Clinical Cancer Research 2019 Jan 25 828-838
    NF1 heterozygosity fosters de novo tumorigenesis but impairs malignant transformation
    Brosseau JP, Liao Ph.D. CP, Wang Y, Ramani V, Vandergriff TW, Lee M, Patel A, Ariizumi K, Le LQ Nature communications 2018 Dec 9
    Melanoma-Derived Soluble DC-HIL/GPNMB Promotes Metastasis by Excluding T-Lymphocytes from the Pre-Metastatic Niches
    Ramani V, Teshima T, Tamura K, Chung JS, Kobayashi M, Cruz PD, Ariizumi K Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2018 Nov 138 2443-2451
    Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Psoriasis Are an Expanded Population Exhibiting Diverse T-Cell–Suppressor Mechanisms
    Cao LY, Chung JS, Teshima T, Feigenbaum L, Cruz PD, Jacobe H, Chong B, Ariizumi K Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2016 Sep 136 1801-1810
    DC-HIL-expressing myelomonocytic cells are critical promoters of melanoma growth
    Chung JS, Tamura K, Cruz PD, Ariizumi K Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2014 Nov 134 2784-2794
  • Honors & Awards
    • Research career Development Award
      Awarded by the Dermatology Foundation (1994)
    • Henry Christian Memorial Award
      Awarded by the American Federation for Clinical Research (1993)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American Association for Cancer Research (2015)
    • American Association of Immunologists
    • American Society of Clinical Oncology
    • Society of Investigative Dermatology (1994)