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Angel A. Yanagihara, PhD

TitlePrincipal Investigator
Faculty RankAssociate Professor
InstitutionUniversity of Hawaii
DepartmentPacific Biosciences Research Center
AddressBekesy Laboratory of Neurobiology
1993 East West Road
Honolulu HI 96822
Phone8089568328
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    Other Positions
    TitleAssistant Research Professor
    InstitutionJohn A. Burns School of Medicine
    DepartmentDepartment of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology


    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    My research efforts to elucidate the field ecology and pathophysiology of cubozoa (box jellyfish) envenomations have resulted in major advances in the understanding of the behavior of various box jellyfish species and mechanistic bases of lethal sting events which in turn have informed prevention and new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of these life threatening envenomations. I am keenly interested in communicating the outcomes of my laboratory research as well as providing therapeutic deliverables to affected tropical coastal areas. These motivations, as well as my interest in advocating for marine education, sting prevention and treatment are evidenced in ongoing translational treatment and field research efforts with special emphasis to lower and middle income regions and countries.

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Diarsvitri W, Yanagihara AA. Evaluation of a Guest Lecture on Medical Emergency of Box Jellyfish Envenomation Pathophysiology and First Aid for Medical Students. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2023 Jul; 11(3):141-146. PMID: 37469386.
      Citations:    
    2. Torres JP, Lin Z, Watkins M, Salcedo PF, Baskin RP, Elhabian S, Safavi-Hemami H, Taylor D, Tun J, Concepcion GP, Saguil N, Yanagihara AA, Fang Y, McArthur JR, Tae HS, Finol-Urdaneta RK, ?zpolat BD, Olivera BM, Schmidt EW. Small-molecule mimicry hunting strategy in the imperial cone snail, Conus imperialis. Sci Adv. 2021 03; 7(11). PMID: 33712468.
      Citations: 12     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    3. Reinicke J, Kitatani R, Masoud SS, Galbraith KK, Yoshida W, Igarashi A, Nagasawa K, Berger G, Yanagihara A, Nagai H, Horgen FD. Isolation, Structure Determination, and Synthesis of Cyclic Tetraglutamic Acids from Box Jellyfish Species Alatina alata and Chironex yamaguchii. Molecules. 2020 Feb 17; 25(4). PMID: 32079282.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    4. Acevedo MJ, Straehler-Pohl I, Morandini AC, Stampar SN, Bentlage B, Matsumoto GI, Yanagihara A, Toshino S, Bordehore C, Fuentes VL. Revision of the genus Carybdea (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Carybdeidae): clarifying the identity of its type species Carybdea marsupialis. Zootaxa. 2019 Jan 09; 4543(4):515-548. PMID: 30647284.
      Citations: 6     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    5. Pirkle CM, Yanagihara AA. Insights in Public Health: Trapped in a Sea of Uncertainty: Limitations in Unintentional Injury Research in the Philippines and Interdisciplinary Solutions to Reduce Fatal Box Jellyfish Stings. Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2019 01; 78(1):30-34. PMID: 30697473.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsPHPublic Health
    6. Doyle TK, Headlam JL, Wilcox CL, MacLoughlin E, Yanagihara AA. Evaluation of Cyanea capillata Sting Management Protocols Using Ex Vivo and In Vitro Envenomation Models. Toxins (Basel). 2017 07 07; 9(7). PMID: 28686221.
      Citations: 10     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    7. Wilcox CL, Headlam JL, Doyle TK, Yanagihara AA. Assessing the Efficacy of First-Aid Measures in Physalia sp. Envenomation, Using Solution- and Blood Agarose-Based Models. Toxins (Basel). 2017 04 26; 9(5). PMID: 28445412.
      Citations: 7     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    8. Yanagihara AA, Wilcox CL. Cubozoan Sting-Site Seawater Rinse, Scraping, and Ice Can Increase Venom Load: Upending Current First Aid Recommendations. Toxins (Basel). 2017 03 15; 9(3). PMID: 28294982.
      Citations: 12     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    9. Lawley JW, Ames CL, Bentlage B, Yanagihara A, Goodwill R, Kayal E, Hurwitz K, Collins AG. Box Jellyfish Alatina alata Has a Circumtropical Distribution. Biol Bull. 2016 10; 231(2):152-169. PMID: 27820907.
      Citations: 7     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    10. Wilcox CL, Yanagihara AA. Heated Debates: Hot-Water Immersion or Ice Packs as First Aid for Cnidarian Envenomations? Toxins (Basel). 2016 Apr 01; 8(4):97. PMID: 27043628.
      Citations: 12     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    11. Yanagihara AA, Wilcox C, King R, Hurwitz K, Castelfranco AM. Experimental Assays to Assess the Efficacy of Vinegar and Other Topical First-Aid Approaches on Cubozoan (Alatina alata) Tentacle Firing and Venom Toxicity. Toxins (Basel). 2016 Jan 11; 8(1). PMID: 26761033.
      Citations: 16     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    12. Kayal E, Bentlage B, Cartwright P, Yanagihara AA, Lindsay DJ, Hopcroft RR, Collins AG. Phylogenetic analysis of higher-level relationships within Hydroidolina (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) using mitochondrial genome data and insight into their mitochondrial transcription. PeerJ. 2015; 3:e1403. PMID: 26618080.
      Citations: 23     Fields:    
    13. Jouiaei M, Yanagihara AA, Madio B, Nevalainen TJ, Alewood PF, Fry BG. Ancient Venom Systems: A Review on Cnidaria Toxins. Toxins (Basel). 2015 Jun 18; 7(6):2251-71. PMID: 26094698.
      Citations: 79     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    14. Jouiaei M, Casewell NR, Yanagihara AA, Nouwens A, Cribb BW, Whitehead D, Jackson TN, Ali SA, Wagstaff SC, Koludarov I, Alewood P, Hansen J, Fry BG. Firing the sting: chemically induced discharge of cnidae reveals novel proteins and peptides from box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) venom. Toxins (Basel). 2015 Mar 18; 7(3):936-50. PMID: 25793725.
      Citations: 24     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    15. Yanagihara AA, Chen JJ. The effect of vinegar on discharged nematocysts of Chironex fleckeri. Diving Hyperb Med. 2014 Sep; 44(3):172. PMID: 25311327.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    16. Lewis C, Bentlage B, Yanagihara A, Gillan W, Blerk JV, Keil DP, Bely AE, Collins AG. Redescription of Alatina alata (Reynaud, 1830) (Cnidaria: Cubozoa) from Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. Zootaxa. 2013 Nov 21; 3737:473-87. PMID: 25112765.
      Citations: 7     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    17. Chiaverano LM, Holland BS, Crow GL, Blair L, Yanagihara AA. Long-term fluctuations in circalunar Beach aggregations of the box jellyfish Alatina moseri in Hawaii, with links to environmental variability. PLoS One. 2013; 8(10):e77039. PMID: 24194856.
      Citations: 9     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    18. Yanagihara AA, Shohet RV. Cubozoan venom-induced cardiovascular collapse is caused by hyperkalemia and prevented by zinc gluconate in mice. PLoS One. 2012; 7(12):e51368. PMID: 23251508.
      Citations: 28     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    19. Smith DR, Kayal E, Yanagihara AA, Collins AG, Pirro S, Keeling PJ. First complete mitochondrial genome sequence from a box jellyfish reveals a highly fragmented linear architecture and insights into telomere evolution. Genome Biol Evol. 2012; 4(1):52-8. PMID: 22117085.
      Citations: 40     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    20. Tibballs J, Yanagihara AA, Turner HC, Winkel K. Immunological and toxinological responses to jellyfish stings. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2011 Oct; 10(5):438-46. PMID: 21824077.
      Citations: 21     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    21. Bentlage B, Cartwright P, Yanagihara AA, Lewis C, Richards GS, Collins AG. Evolution of box jellyfish (Cnidaria: Cubozoa), a group of highly toxic invertebrates. Proc Biol Sci. 2010 Feb 07; 277(1680):493-501. PMID: 19923131.
      Citations: 22     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    22. Prasad P, Yanagihara AA, Small-Howard AL, Turner H, Stokes AJ. Secretogranin III directs secretory vesicle biogenesis in mast cells in a manner dependent upon interaction with chromogranin A. J Immunol. 2008 Oct 01; 181(7):5024-34. PMID: 18802106.
      Citations: 33     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    23. Cuypers E, Yanagihara A, Rainier JD, Tytgat J. TRPV1 as a key determinant in ciguatera and neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Sep 14; 361(1):214-7. PMID: 17659256.
      Citations: 10     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    24. Cuypers E, Yanagihara A, Karlsson E, Tytgat J. Jellyfish and other cnidarian envenomations cause pain by affecting TRPV1 channels. FEBS Lett. 2006 Oct 16; 580(24):5728-32. PMID: 17010344.
      Citations: 33     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    25. Yoshimoto CM, Yanagihara AA. Cnidarian (coelenterate) envenomations in Hawai'i improve following heat application. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2002 May-Jun; 96(3):300-3. PMID: 12174784.
      Citations: 21     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    26. Yanagihara AA, Kuroiwa JM, Oliver LM, Chung JJ, Kunkel DD. Ultrastructure of a novel eurytele nematocyst of Carybdea alata Reynaud (Cubozoa, Cnidaria). Cell Tissue Res. 2002 May; 308(2):307-18. PMID: 12037587.
      Citations: 13     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
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