研究室からのメッセージです　Laboratory of Histopathology and Cytopathology Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences

Greetings

Hello everyone. My name is Masanao Saio. Thank you for visiting this website.

I'm sure that those of you viewing this page are aspiring to become clinical laboratory technicians, or wondering what a clinical laboratory technician or cytotechnologist does.
Clinical laboratory technicians examine samples taken during hospital testing, helping to diagnose, treat, and monitor patients' progress. In the pathology department, clinical laboratory technicians work with physicians (often called pathologists) in the department to process organ and body fluid samples taken by physicians in other departments so they can be viewed under a microscope. Clinical laboratory technicians with cytotechnologist qualifications then screen the cytological images, while pathologists perform pathological diagnoses and return the results to the physician in the requested department. The pathology department is responsible for examining organs throughout the body, and many observations are done under a microscope, so I think it's a good fit for people who want to learn about every organ and who enjoy looking at microscopes.
But don't overthink it. It's easier to give up than to worry. Come to Gunma University and learn with us.
There are various ways to study with us.

- Join a lab as an undergraduate student for your graduation research.
- Join a lab as a student in the Cytotechnologist Training Course (only four national and public universities offer this option).
- Join a lab in the Master's Program.
- Join a lab in the Doctoral Program.
And more.

As mentioned above, there are many ways to learn, but no one is better than the other.

The lab I'm aiming for is one that can help each student grow, adapting to their individual personalities and differences in their progress. Our lab is made up of seven students, from the third-year Cytotechnologist Training Course students through the third-year Doctoral Program students. It's truly rewarding to watch students who didn't know what to do before or after gradually grow. All we can do is support your academic growth, but we also hope you enjoy your studies. Aiming to pass both the National Medical Technologist Examination and the Cytotechnologist Certification, pursuing both research and the Cytotechnologist Certification, and devoting yourself to research all require tremendous effort. That's why I hope to guide you in maintaining a sense of enjoyment.

This year, we resumed full-scale participation in international conferences, attending the International Cytology Congress in Florence in May and the Asia-Pacific Society of Pathology Conference in Bangkok in November. We are committed not only to conference presentations but also to the writing of papers. All members of our lab are dedicated to their research and study of cytology. Looking at our published papers and conference presentations, you can see how hard our undergraduate, graduate, and faculty members are dedicated to their research. This achievement has been achieved while also focusing on their studies, job hunting, and educational activities, and I am very proud of it.
In the nine years of teaching and research I've been involved in since I became a professor here in 2017, I've consistently focused on providing thorough support to both undergraduate and graduate students all the way to finding employment. Specifically, I'm always mindful of how much what I learn in the Pathology Cytology Laboratory will benefit their job hunt, how much obtaining a cytotechnologist license or graduating from the cytotechnologist training course will benefit them, how much graduating from graduate school will benefit them, and how much my experience will benefit them. I fully support my students in their job hunts, helping them reach their desired jobs.

Finally, Gunma University's School of Health Sciences and Graduate School of Health Sciences are a rare national university in the Kanto region, offering a large number of health science majors. Please do not overlook the fact that Gunma University is located within the Kanto Plain and has the characteristics of a comprehensive medical university, offering a thriving graduate school education. We take pride in this fact, and spend four or six years honing and nurturing our undergraduate and graduate students on campus before sending them out into society. Our students truly shine when they're polished. I always keep this in mind and do my best for my students.

December 2025

Professor,
Department of Laboratory Science, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Gunma University
Cytotechnologist Training Course Instructor
Saio Masanao, MD, PhD

PS: The mountain photo used on the homepage and at the top of each page of this website is Mount Akagi as seen from our lab. I am always energized and inspired by this view of Mount Akagi from our lab. If you visit Gunma University's Showa Campus for an open campus or other event, I hope you will take the opportunity to see the majestic view of Mount Akagi from the university.