Dr. Kaku received a PhD in medicine (immunology) at the University of Tokyo and continued his postdoctoral training in the United States. His early research used techniques in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology to elucidate novel functions of the immune system. This work initially led to new insights in autoimmune disease and cancer and later led to his transition to exploring the links between cellular stress and protein aggregation.

Dr. Kaku began studying the Fas Apoptosis Inhibitory Molecule (FAIM) in 2007 to uncover its role in immune cells. In the process, he made the serendipitous discovery that FAIM protects cells from cellular stress by inhibiting protein aggregation. More recently, he found that FAIM can prevent and reverse the formation of various protein aggregates including alpha-synuclein, which is the major hallmark of Parkinson’s disease.