Akiko Sekiguchi received her Ph.D. in Dermatology. She studies the mechanisms of pressure ulcers and develops new treatments for these diseases. She is also interested in autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis and dermatomyositis.

In the past, Dr. Sekiguchi conducted vigorous studies of skin wound healing, including pressure ulcers. She found that a local injection of botulinum toxin and mesenchymal stem cells inhibited ulceration caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury. She identified that a zinc deficiency exacerbates pressure ulcers by increasing oxidative stress and ATP in the skin. 

In other research, Dr. Sekiguchi has actively conducted basic and clinical research on systemic sclerosis. She revealed the physiological role of extracellular ATP in the regulation of skin fibrosis and found that kaempferol, a kind of polyphenol, has an inhibitory effect. Recently, she became interested in the inhibitory effect of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis by regulating the balance of regulatory T cells and Th17 cells.