Mariko Kita, MD
Background Information
Dr. Kita received her BA degree in biology from Johns Hopkins University and her MD degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine. She completed her internship in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and her residency in neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kita completed her fellowship in neuroimmunology at Mt. Zion Multiple Sclerosis Center, University of California School of Medicine. She joined Virginia Mason Medical Center and Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) in 2000. Dr. Kita is currently Chief of Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center; Director, Virginia Mason Multiple Sclerosis Center; and Director, Neurology Clinical Trials, BRI.
Area of Research
Dr. Kita leads the BRI clinical trials in multiple sclerosis — testing drugs that selectively modulate the immune system and are more effective in reducing symptoms. BRI has extensive experience in local and national clinical trials including studies with the most recent and dramatically efficacious immunotherapies.
Clinical Trials in Multiple Sclerosis
Featured Publications
Kita M; Laskowitz D; Kolson D: “CNS Infections” in Blue Books of Practical Neurology: Critical Care Neurology, Miller DH; Raps EC (eds). Butterworth Heineman, Oxford, England.
Stecker, MM; Kita, M: Paradoxical response to valproic acid in a patient with a hypothalamic hamartoma. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 1998 Nov, 32(11):1168-72.
Kita M; Goodkin DE: “Emerging treatments for progressive forms of MS” in Principles of Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis, Hawkins C; Wolinsky J (eds). Butterworth Heineman, Oxford, England.
Kita M, Goodkin DE: “Multiple Sclerosis” in Conn’s Current Therapy 2000, Rakel RE (ed) W.B. Saunders Co.
Kita M. "Treatment of Spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis” in Multiple Sclerosis: Experimental and Applied Therapeutics, Rudick R, Goodkin D.E. (Eds.) Spinger Verlag, London.
Kita M; Goodkin DE: “Drugs used in the treatment of spasticity disorders” in Drugs.
Kita M, Goodkin DE, Bacchetti P, Waubant E, Nelson SJ, Majumdar. Magnetization transfer ration in new MS lesions before and during therapy with IFNß-1a. Neurology 2000. 54(9); 1741-1745.
Kita M; Goodkin DE: “Treatment for progressive forms of MS” in Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine 2000, On-Line
Kita, M; Goodkin DE: “Therapeutic Consideration, Immunosuppressive Drugs” in Handbook of Multiple Sclerosis, Cook S (Ed.) Marcel Dekker, New York
Bassi, V; Kita, M; Feldman, D; Devinsky, O. “Spasticity” in Epliepsy and developmental Disabilities. Butterworth Heineman.
Kita M, Goodkin DE, Bacchetti P, Waubant E, Nelson SJ, Majumdar S. “Improvement of magnetization transfer ratio in new gadolinium-enhanced lesions detected before and during therapy with interferon-beta-1a.Multiple Sclerosis: Tissue Destruction and Repair, Roberts, ed. Martin Dunitz, London.
Pelletier D. Nelson SJ. Oh J. Antel JP. Kita M. Zamvil SS. Goodkin DE. MRI lesion volume heterogeneity in primary progressive MS in relation with axonal damage and brain atrophy. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 74(7):950-2, 2003 Jul. Neutralizing Antibodies in MS, Quarterly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Alliance of MS Centers, Summer 2003
Stuve O. Kita M. Pelletier D. Fox RJ. Stone J. Goodkin DE. Zamvil SS. Mitoxantrone as a potential therapy for primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis. 10 Suppl 1:S58-61, 2004 Jun..
Kita M. FDA-approved Preventative Therapies for MS: First-line Agents. Neurology Clinics – Multiple Sclerosis. May 2011. Vol 29 (2):401-411.
Waubant E, Pelletier D, Mass M, Cohen JA, Kita M, Cross A, Bar-Or A, Vollmer T, Racke M, Stuve O, Schwid, S, Goodman A, Kachuck N, Preiningerova J, Weinstock-Guttman, B, Calbresi PA, Miller A, Mokhtarani M, Ikle D, Murphy S, Kopetskie H, Ding L, Rosenberg E, Spencer C, Zamvil SS. Randomized controlled trial of atorvastatin in clinically isolated syndrome. Neurology; published online before print March 28, 2012.
Schneider A, Long A, Cerosaletti K, Samuels P, Kita M, Hamerman J, Buckner J. T effector cell resistance is regulated/influenced by increased IL-6 mediated pSTAT3 in active RRMS submitted Science Translational Medicine. 2012
Fox RJ, Miller D, Phillips TJ, Kita M, Hutchinson M, Havrdova E, MinHua Y, Raghupathi K, Novas M, Viglietta V, Dawson KT. Oral BG-12 for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in the CONFIRM Study. NEJM. 2012 367(12) 1087-97.