Organization for Fundamental Research

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2023-12-8
The 20th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 20th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 10 participants on December 8, 2023.
Speaker: Prof. Katsunori Tanaka (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
Title:  "Therapeutic In Vivo Synthetic Chemistry"

Dr. Tanaka gave a talk on his ongoing research, generating drug molecules at specific regions in a human body to elicit localized biological effects. If viable, this approach has potentials to circumvent various current issues with drug administration, such as off-target binding and/or the instability. He has developed glycosylated artificial metalloenzymes in order to exploit the chemoselectivity of embedded, non-natural transition metal catalysts for the synthesis/release of bioactive molecules. He also discovered chemical probes with novel and selective reactivity to the biological metabolites overexpressed in cancer cells. The initial proof-of-concepts and also recent results on the utility for therapeutic and diagnostic applications were presented.

Online gathering

2023-10-04
Research by Shunta ARAI(Specialized Academy for Quantum Computing) and his team was published in Tokyo Tech News.

Optimizing Continuous-Variable Functions with Quantum Annealing
Quantum annealing (QA) can be competitive to classical algorithms in optimizing continuous-variable functions when running on appropriate hardware, show researchers from Tokyo Tech. By comparing the performance of QA running on a D-Wave quantum computer to that of state-of-the-art classical algorithms, they find that a sufficient suppression of thermal noise can enable QA to significantly outperform classical algorithms.
Tokyo Tech News>>

2023-8-29
The 10th meeting of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science

At the 10th meeting of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Frank Uhlmann, Fellow of the Royal Society, a world-leading researcher at the Francis Crick Institute in London. He delivered a lecture titled “From Quarks to Chromosomes,” which was directed towards budding researchers aspiring to lead their own labs in the future. During his talk, he reflected on his own career so far, sharing his experiences and the lessons he learned that led him to become an established researcher.
As a grad student, he worked on a specific protein complex called Replication Factor C under the supervision of Jerard Hurwitz at Sloan Kettering. The research itself was centered around complex formation and wasn't particularly flashy. However, he emphasized the importance of small but solid work over something big yet half-cooked. Later, he moved to IMP in Vienna to study genetics under Kim Nasmyth. Upon arrival, he was tasked with screening for multicopy suppressors that could counter the effects of the esp1 mutant, while Kim took off for a two-month vacation. Instead, he decided to detect cohesin breakage through Western blotting and, after many attempts, managed to trace cohesin behavior. This effort eventually established the link between cohesin breakage and Esp1.
Having become a group leader, he expanded his research in various directions. This included exploring the role of separase beyond cohesin breakage, investigating the control mechanisms governing genome-wide localization of cohesin, reconstituting sister-chromatic cohesion in vitro, and comprehending the molecular mechanisms shaping chromosome architecture.
I found his fundamental attitudes towards science, such as “expect the unexpected” and “science is a hobby, not a job,” to be truly inspiring for the entire audience.

2023-8-2
Appointment of New Academy Scholars

A ceremony was held on August 2, 2023 for the presentation of certificates of appointment for members of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science. Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, the Headmaster, handed the certificates to the members with words of encouragement.

Jihye Shin, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor

2023-7-14
Research by Hideo TSUBOUCHI(Specialized Academy for Cell Science) and his team was published in Tokyo Tech News.

Hop2-Mnd1 and Swi5-Sfr1 stimulate Dmc1-driven homologous recombination by acting on different steps during filament assembly, reveal Tokyo Tech researchers in collaboration with National Taiwan University. Using two types of single-molecule experiments, the researchers studied the role of these accessory proteins in Dmc1 filament assembly in fission yeast. Their findings provide a molecular basis for the stimulation mechanism involved in recombination events, and open doors to a deeper understanding of the processes underlying meiosis.
Tokyo Tech News>>

2023-7-8
The 19th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 19th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 19 participants on July 8, 2023.
Speaker: Prof. Hirokazu Kawagishi (Shizuoka University)
Title:   "Chemistry and science of phenomena involving mushrooms

In this seminar, Dr. Kawagishi presented two topics on "Mushroom Science" from his long-standing research. #1 Tragic reports in 2004 of acute encephalopathy caused by eating a mushroom that had been eaten in Japan. His long-standing study identified that an aggregate of two proteins breaks the blood-brain barrier, allowing a low-molecular-weight molecule to penetrate into the brain,. #2 He identified three purine compounds from fairy ring-forming fungi, and he proposed that these compounds are universally active in plants, endowing plants with various stress tolerances. His current activity is directed to prove that they are new plant hormones.

Online gathering

2023-7-4
Researcher Presentations for the Six-term Comprehensive Academy Class of 2023

On June 27, 2023, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, 14 academy members in the six-term class of 2023 gathered in the Conference Room 1 & 2 of the S2 Building on Suzukakedai Campus to give presentations on their research fields. Each academy member had seven minutes to present his or her work to attendees unfamiliar with the research field, followed by a 13-minute discussion session. Interdisciplinary communication is difficult for speakers as it can be challenging to introduce research interests and opinions to a non-specialist audience. The audience, too, must engage with and understand the speaker's words and area of expertise before they are able to voice an opinion about the work.
All academy members actively asked questions, and the debate was very lively, with more than 100 questions and answers, and members were able to share their valuable experiences with each other, often from a unique and valuable perspective.
In addition, four officials from MEXT, including Osamu Tabata, Director of the Academic Research Aid Division, Research Promotion Bureau, visited the site and attended the presentations by the academy members.

2023-6-19
Orientation for the Comprehensive Academy's Six-term Class of 2023

The Comprehensive Academy held its sixth orientation for the Class of 2023. This is the fifth year (and six-term) that this course has been offered by the Comprehensive Academy.A total of 78 academies had attended the seminars as of the end of last year, and this year we will welcome 15 students from the six-term Class.
Orientation sessions for six-term academy members of the class of 2023 were held on 12 June, 2023 in the Collaboration Room of W9 Building on Ookayama Campus. Of the 15 Academy members, 13 attended the orientation, one of whom did so virtually.

  • - Introduction of Comprehensive Academy staff
  • - An outline of the purpose and activities of the Comprehensive Academy by Director Ohtake
  • - A presentation on admission certificates by Headmaster Ohtake
  • - A self-introduction session for all academy members
  • - An explanation of both the program schedule and individual interviews by Associate Director Inou
  • - A research harassment and research ethics by Associate Director Inou
  • - Explanation of signing a pledge by Associate Director Inou
  • - A talk about effective presentation methods by Associate Director Inou
  • - A Q&A session




The Comprehensive Academy aims to achieve by Director Ohtake:

Tokyo Tech is a designated national university, but was not selected in the first round for two reasons. The first was that Tokyo Tech failed to successfully promote its strategic areas, and the second was that the university was questioned about its commitment to social issues. To address the first issue, we have also identified three priority areas and three strategic areas that we aim to enhance as Tokyo Tech's key strengths. To develop strong research areas, it's important to advance your own research. But it's also important to learn about other research areas. For the second issue, the Laboratory for Design of Social Innovation in Global Networks has been established, bringing together the wisdom of Tokyo Tech to address social issues.
The Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) was established in 2018 as a place where young researchers can focus on basic research, in response to Professor Ohsumi's desire to "come to recognize science as a single culture" and "create a system that can support young researchers."
The Comprehensive Academy provides a number of opportunities to "gain insights", such as "Getting to Know Prof. Ohsumi", discussions with researchers in different research fields, and lectures by professors from Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
We hope that you will find your own research theme that you can advance your research based on the "insights" and your curiosity.
Basic research also requires time and funding. A survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2014 reported that assistant professors in Japan are only able to devote 60% of their time to research activities. In terms of time, the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) aims to achieve a 90% research activity and provides a place where you can immerse yourself in basic research. In terms of funding, the Institute offers A Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research and support that is also available to graduates.
Previous academy graduates are still in contact with each other, and some groups are working towards obtaining competitive funding through joint research in different fields that utilise each other's fields of expertise. We hope that you will take advantage of the Comprehensive Academy's activities to build an important human network for your future research.

Research harassment and research ethics by Associate Director Inou:

Research harassment is defined as unreasonable behavior that students are subjected to from faculty members in the laboratory. Until a while ago, you all were students yourselves, but now you need to be careful not to cause harassment as faculty and staff members. Thus, we need to devise ways of communicating to help avoid such an occurrence, as one´s idea of what constitutes harassment may be different from that of another. In addition, although various DX tools have been developed, but it is necessary to ensure real conversations in order to communicate effectively.
Research ethics is a necessary perspective for the smooth conduct of research.
There are several items to be confirmed and compliance items at each stage before, during, and after the implementation of your research.
These rules are subject to change from time to time, so we recommend that you check them regularly.


2023-5-27
The 18th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 18th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 17 participants on May 27, 2023.
Speaker: Prof. Hironao Sajiki (Gifu Pharmaceutical University)
Title:   "Developments in C-H Activation Based on Hydrogen Activation of Heterogeneous Catalysts ~Mainly Focusing on Deuterium Labeling Reactions~

In this seminar, Prof. Sajiki presented efficient means of accessing various deuterated organic compounds. The catalytic H–D exchange within organic molecules using deuterium sources, such as D2 or D2O, provides a straightforward method to prepare deuterium labeled compounds. Conventional methods suffered from drawbacks, use of expensive D2 gas, high temperature and/or pressure, or strongly basic conditions, he has recently established the H–D exchange reaction using Pd/C in D2O under H2 atmosphere, opening an easy access to various multi-deuterated compounds. He further developed the H–D exchange reaction of simple alkanes possessing no functionalities based upon the C–H activation under atmospheric conditions.

Online gathering

2023-5-17
The Organization for Fundamental Research held "Introduction of Challenging Research performed by Young Researchers"

The Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) held "Introduction of Challenging Research performed by Young Researchers" as a lecture event of SUZUKAKE SCIENCE DAY 2023 on Sunday, May 14. This is the second event related to the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) at SUZUKAKE SCIENCE DAY after last year's event. The event was held in a hybrid style of SUZUKEKA HALL at Suzukakedai Campus and online delivery, with 79 participants (49 in hall / 30 online).
The lecture was moderated by Dr. Norio Inou, Associate Director, followed by an explanation of the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) by Dr. Naoto Ohtake, Director, and then lectures by four junior faculty members.

Each lecture was not only an introduction to the content of the research, but also easy to understand for high-school students and worth listening to, such as what it means to be a researcher, how the topic of the research was chosen, how the research relates to society, and how the activities of the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) relate to the research.
We believe that the participants were able to acquire the breadth of research at Tokyo Institute of Technology and the fun of taking on the challenges of research. The lecture ended with a Q&A session, and the event was a great success.

2023-4-4
Appointment of New Academy Scholars

A ceremony was held on April 3, 2023 for the presentation of certificates of appointment for members of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science.Dr. Naoto Ohtake, Director of ORF, gave a talk on the role of the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR), and Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, the Headmaster, handed the certificates to the members with words of encouragement.

Group photo from top left: Specially Appointed Assistant Prof.Tetsuya KOTANI, Post Doc.Keijyun KAKIHARA, from bottom left: Post Doc.Eigo TAKEDA, Post Doc.Zhu Haojie

2023-4-1
The 17th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 17th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 15 participants on April 1, 2023.
Speaker: Prof. Emeritus Shin-ichiro Shoda (Tohoku University)
Title:   "Studies on Glycosylation: How to manipulate natural anchimeric assistance in test tube

In this seminar, Prof. Shoda presented his long-standing research on glycosylation reactions. The talk started with sharing the biological significance of oligo- and polysaccharides, and the historical progress of carbohydrate synthesis. He then described his ground-breaking contributions to the chemical glycosylations, including exploitation of fluoro sugars, glycosylation using sugar oxazolines in water. New insights were presented into the mechanism of glycoside bond-forming processes in biological systems.

Online gathering

2023-2-24
The 16th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 16th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 15 participants on February 18, 2023.
Speaker: Prof. Marcus A. Tius (University of Hawaii)
Title:   "One Thing Leads To Another"

In this seminar, Prof. Tius presented his long-standing research on the Nazarov reaction, a unique pericyclic reaction that has diastereoselective synthesis of cyclopentane derivatives. The seminar focus was the the enantio-selective variants that had remained a challenge for long time. By his deep mechanistic insight and ingenus ideas, Prof. Tius focused on how to control the torquoselectivity in the electrocyclization of pentadienyl cation intermediate, for which he employed several catalyst classes, (1) chiral, non-racemic Bronsted acids, (2) organocatalysts and (3) transition-metal catalysts in the presence of chiral ligands. As such, the process now is ranked as a powerful synthetic access to enantio-enriched, highly substituted cyclopentyl compounds.

specialized academy of organic chemistry

2023-1-23
The 9th meeting of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science

The 9th meeting of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science, entitled "Approaching the Pathophysiology of Disease Using Animal Models," was delivered by Program-Specific Senior Lecturer Keiko Ikeda (Institute of Innovative Research) on January 19th.

Dr. Ikeda has been researching sodium pumps from the time she studied abroad to the present. First, she has contributed significantly to understanding the neuronal network of the respiratory center in which the sodium pumps are involved. For example, Dr. Ikeda found that a neuronal group called pFRG in this network responds to carbon dioxide. Second, she investigated sodium pump-associated neurological diseases using knockout mice. As a result, she found that the sodium pump subunit ATP1A3 is important for long-term depression and glutamate uptake in the cerebellum. Another subunit, ATP1A2, mediated the effects of vaginal delivery on brain function. She also found that ascorbic acid may trigger symptoms of sodium pump-related diseases. Third, she investigated the sodium pump gene expression and discovered that the transcriptional factor SIX1 is essential for the differentiation of pioneer neurons in the olfactory epithelium.
"The insights from mice neighboring me are always driving my research," she said. "I have dynamically moved forward and backward in pursuit of various research goals, like cellular microtubes," says Dr. Ikeda. She also advised the academy members to look for a research post to which they could significantly contribute. As a physician, Dr. Ikeda also talked about medical issues for the elderly. The wide range of topics was very exciting.

2023-1-17
The 15th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 15th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 11 participants on December 10, 2022.
Online gathering Speaker: Prof. Masami Ishibashi (Chiba University)
Title:   "Learning from natural products: Screening study on pathogenic actinomycetes Nocardia sp."

In this seminar, Prof. Ishibashi presented his long-standing investigation on the screening of bioactive natural products from various natural resources. In anticipation of the production of natural products, which are not normally produced but produced by environmental stimuli, study using actinomycetes of the genus Nocardia was introduced by culturing in the presence of animal cells to obtain a new bioactive cyclic peptide and zinc-containing heterocyclic compound.

2022-12-23
Tokyo Tech News: Lamin C Facilitates Repair of Damaged Nuclear Envelope in Human and Mouse Cells

An academy scholar at the Specialized Academy for Cell Science of Tokyo Tech Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR), Yohei Kono and international team of researchers led by Dr. Takeshi Shimi, Specially Appointed Associate Prof. at the Cell Biology Center recently published their research about the mechanism underlying the repairing mechanism of the nuclear envelope. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Cell Biology on October 27.
Tokyo Tech News>>

2022-12-21
Workshop for the Comprehensive Academy's Fifth-term Class of 2022: Connecting Your Research with Tomorrow's Society

The Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) and the Laboratory for Design of Social Innovation in Global Networks (DLab) jointly held a workshop for the Comprehensive Academy's Fifth-term Class of 2022 on October 26, 2022 on Ookayama Campus. The workshop was held as an in-person event for the first time in three years as it was conducted online in 2021 and 2020 due to COVID-19.
The workshop aims to encourage academy members to find out how their research connects tomorrow's society by providing them with opportunities to cast new light on each individual research theme. This time, we encouraged them to develop their creativity, skills, and abilities, such as to see things from a bird's-eye view, and collaborate with others throughout the workshop. They are required to describe an image of the future specifically based on the “future scenarios” under the premise that the “transchallenge world” has been realized, and to review and select what kind of scientific, technological, and social scheme is needed. The “transchallenge world” is the image of the future created by DLab to realize the society (or industry, academia) we want.
After OFR Director Ohtake explained the purpose of the workshop, University Research Administrator Nitta (Head URA), who is affiliated with the DLab, explained the methods to be used in this workshop including “backcasting,” a method used to determine the technologies required to achieve a desired future image, and “future foresight,” a method used to grasp a future image that is not seen as an extension of the present time. Following the explanation, the academy members started working on specific tasks.

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There were 14 academy members (12 from the fifth class, one from the third class who could not attend the workshop before, and one from the fourth class) and they were divided into three groups. As an ice breaking activity, each member in the group provided a self-introduction for one minute by saying his/her name, affiliation, research theme, and the best memory of this summer.
The first task assigned to each group was to choose three future scenarios cards that each group considered important or interesting when they think about realizing the “transchallenge world.” Then, in a group, each member made about five proposals on the image of future society and the direction of the new industry, and exchanged and shared opinions. Sometimes laughing, members vigorously exchanged their opinions on future scenarios they selected and deepened discussions in a friendly atmosphere. Later, representatives of each group made presentations about their choice of future scenarios and reasons for selecting them to share the information with all participants.

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In the next task for the groups, they classified each member's proposals based on the KJ method (a method for efficiently organizing information, creating new ideas and identifying essential problems), narrowed down their choice to one future image, and decided on a theme for the future. Some had a hard time in classifying proposals, but they made progress as they found hidden keywords and causal connections while receiving advice from Head URA Nitta and DLab's University Research Administrator Oki.
Then, members tried to come up with specific stories about the future image under the premise that the “transchallenge world” had been realized. Also, they discussed things needed to realize the future scenes they described in the stories, and considered necessary new science and technology, social systems, and sets of values in conjunction with each research activity of all participants. In the end, representatives of each group announced the details of their theme followed by questions and answers, and exchanged opinions. Academy members who looked a little tense at the beginning were able to gradually ease the tension as they deepened the discussion. Then, they exchanged insightful questions and answers that were characteristically common in young researchers. Furthermore, in one group out of three, members participated in discussions as well as questions and answers in English.

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In his closing remarks, Associate Director Inou talked about the significant difference between online and in-person workshops, saying that there was laughter during the discussions and that he felt that face-to-face communication was more effective. Once again, the social gathering normally planned for after the workshop was not held due to the situation of COVID-19. Hopefully we can have the gathering next time we hold the workshop so that members can gain enormous benefits from face-to-face learning and social gatherings.

2022-11-9
The 14th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 14th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 14 participants on October 29, 2022.
Speaker: Prof. Kei Goto (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
Title:  "Modeling of Cysteine- and Selenocysteine-derived Reactive Intermediates Utilizing a Molecular Cradle"

Redox regulation and signaling involve a variety of cysteine- or selenocysteine-derived reactive intermediates, many of which are too unstable to be investigated even in model systems. In this seminar, Dr. Goto presented the development of cradle-type organic molecules and their application to stabilization of cysteine- and selenocysteine-derived reactive species as well as to elucidation of biological reaction processes that have been proposed without sufficient chemical evidence.

Online gathering

2022-10-26
Comprehensive Academy Class of 2022 Special Event: Getting to Know Prof. Ohsumi

The Comprehensive Academy held a special lecture, "Getting to Know Prof. Ohsumi" on October 20, 2022, from 15:30 to 17:30. The special event provides young researchers with an opportunity to hear from a world-renowned scientist about his or her own life and research history, the scientist's advice for young researchers, and other topics that are not usually available at a conventional talk session.
We invited Professor Emeritus Yoshinori Ohsumi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2016 and has been the headmaster of the Specialized Academy on Cell Science, to deliver the lecture. At this special lecture were 10 participants; nine academy members of from the class of 2022 as well as one member from the class of 2021 who missed Dr. Ohsumi's seminar last year. Their seats were sufficiently spaced apart they were wearing masks to help control the spread of Covid-19. In his talk, Dr. Ohsumi provided an engaging outline of his career that included a wealth of valuable information for budding researchers.
Also participating this time were Ms. Yoko Tanaka, Head of the Institute of Innovative Research Administration Division, and Ms. Naoko Tsutsumida, Head of the Student Division of the Student Services Department. Both of them expressed their wish to strengthen cooperation in research and education with this academy.
All of the academy members who participated asked questions about their worries and doubts, and Dr. Ohsumi took time to answer all of the various questions one by one, with his advice leaving a lasting impression.
This time, after the lecture, we were able to hold a sitting reception for the first time in three years. The academy members sat around Dr. Ohsumi in a circle and listened attentively. It was a very precious time for them.

A part of the discussion is shown below. Please note that "O" refers to the opinions of Professor Ohsumi and "M" refers to the comments of the academy members.

  • O:When you visit foreign universities, you have many opportunities to engage in free discussions with students from diverse backgrounds, but such opportunities are rare at Japanese universities. The participants of this academy are active in a wide variety of special research fields, and it is a precious opportunity to form such a wide range of interdisciplinary relationships.
    When I was a young researcher, I regarded the master's program as a preliminary step to the doctoral program. At present, the number of doctoral students has decreased, making it difficult to accumulate know-how in the laboratory. I am concerned that the quality of graduate schools will decline unless society becomes more aware of the value of the opinions of intellectuals with a Ph.D. degree.
  • M:What do you value when choosing a research theme? Also, please tell us about your attitude toward research.
  • O:In the past, there was a tendency to avoid research themes that other people were doing, but that doesn't mean that we are recommending eccentric research themes. Since you cannot predict the future or know what you are going to encounter on your path, I think you could just pursue your research and let it evolve, while continuing to reflect on what you want to do through all of life’s different perspectives and situations. Some researchers are able to adjust themselves to solve a given research theme, but I think it is also an interesting approach to conduct research that evolves along with one's own life.
  • M:What are the factors behind the stagnation of basic research in Japan?
  • O:One of the reasons for this is the lack of respect for the opinions of experts with academic degrees when making national research policy decisions. Actually, companies are more aware of the importance of basic research than those in a position to make decisions on these policies.
  • M: I think that research is a kind of consumption activity, which means it is an activity that consumes a lot (material, human resources, etc.) and requires money (funding) to be conducted. However, obtaining its results and benefits might take long time, and that makes it harder to find investors. What do you think about making the general public aware of the value of basic research?
  • O:Science also has an aspect of culture. In Sweden, a culture of enjoying science has taken root, perhaps because it has a 100-year history of Nobel Prize activities. Yes, I think it is necessary for various people to talk about science and talk about it in a way that the general public can understand.
  • M:What do you think about the study of mathematics?
  • O:I think it is an important academic field in the natural sciences. There are some points that I personally don't understand, but I think the world of logic in mathematics is important. Mathematics that is useful to society is also necessary, but when conducting your research in the field, it is not important to select your research themes based on whether it will benefit society. It is, rather, important to contribute to the historical development of mathematics.




2022-10-24
Researcher Presentations for the Fifth-term Comprehensive Academy Class of 2022

For two days - from 13:40 to 16:30 on October 13 and from 10:00 to 12:35 on October 14 – thirteen academy members in the fifth-term class of 2022 gathered in the second conference room of the main building on Ookayama campus to give presentations on their research fields. Each academy member had seven minutes to present his or her work to attendees unfamiliar with the research field, followed by a 13-minute question-and-answer session. Interdisciplinary communication is difficult for speakers as it can be challenging to introduce research interests and opinions to a non-specialist audience. The audience, too, must engage with and understand the speaker's words and area of expertise before they are able to voice an opinion about the work. Thanks to the careful preparation of speakers and engagement of all members as an audience, a total of 80 questions and answers were actively debated, and members were able to share their valuable experiences with each other, often from a unique and valuable perspective.

Researcher Presentations for the Fifth-term Comprehensive Academy Class of 2022

2022-10-20
Orientation for the Comprehensive Academy's Fifth-term Class of 2022

This will be the 4th year (and fifth time/term) that this course is offered by the Comprehensive Academy. A total of 65 students had attended the seminars as of the end of last year, and this year we will welcome 13 students from the fifth class.
Orientation sessions for fifth-term academy members of the class of 2022 were held on September 30, 2022 in the Collaboration Room of W9 Building on Ookayama Campus. Of the 13 academy members, 12 attended the orientation, three of whom did so virtually. The orientation program included the following items, which include research harassment and research ethics which have been added this year.

  • - Introductions by the staff of the academy
  • - An outline of the purpose and activities of the Comprehensive Academy by Director Ohtake & Headmaster Hatsuzawa
  • - A presentation on admission certificates by Headmaster Hatsuzawa
  • - A self-introduction session for all academy members
  • - An explanation of both the program schedule and individual interviews by Headmaster Hatsuzawa
  • - Introduction to research harassment by Headmaster Hatsuzawa
  • - Overview of research ethics by Associate Director Inou
  • - Explanation of signing a pledge by Headmaster Hatsuzawa
  • - A talk about effective presentation methods by Associate Director Inou
  • - A Q&A session

Fifth-term ClassFifth-term Class
Hold your breath and take off your mask. Say cheese!

Director Ohtake delivered a talk that described the background to the Comprehensive Academy:

I would like to explain why Tokyo Tech has established the Comprehensive Academy and why you have been chosen to participate in this program. Tokyo Tech has been selected as a designated national university corporation in reflection of its core role in education and research, as well as its large contribution to society.
Our goals for research are to strengthen governance, introduce research funds from outside the Institute, and ultimately to return funding to basic research. We have also identified three priority areas and three strategic areas that we aim to enhance as Tokyo Tech's key strengths, and furthermore, we have established the Laboratory for Design of Social Innovation in Global Networks to facilitate the integration of scientific and technological advances into society. As an element of these broader movements, the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR) was formed to foster scientists in the early stages of their career who will be active at the forefront of the global research.
A survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2014 reported that assistant professors in Japan are only able to devote 60% of their time to research activities. In order to increase this number to 90%, the Specialized Academies are investing in people, funding, and facilities so that members can immerse themselves in basic research. The Comprehensive Academy is a short-term, three-month program that we also hope provides an opportunity for you to devote 90% of your time to seriously consider what direction you will take regarding future research. For this reason, we have decided to keep the activities of the Comprehensive Academy to a minimum and give you space for intellectual creativity. We strongly encourage you to participate in activities of the academy, which have been designed to help explore possible answers to your research questions.
I would like to mention two most important activities during your time at the academy. First, you must spend a lot of time thinking about your own research theme, which will continue to occupy your time for the next 10 years, and give a presentation on your chosen theme. Secondly, it is also important to build a human network for future research. The former members of the academy have been continuing to hold exchange meetings after they completed the program, and some of them have started joint research projects that combine different fields of study, taking advantage of each other's strengths to obtain competitive funding. With the aim of fostering young researchers, we will include the number of papers published and other data in an ongoing survey. We believe, however, it is also important for young researchers to tackle challenging research subjects and to take on challenges in different fields.
I and all of the staff members will support you over the coming three months of this enjoyable program so that you can think about your future research themes. Please take pride in being a member of the Comprehensive Academy and work hard to improve your skills.

Regarding research harassment by Headmaster Hatsuzawa:

Research harassment is defined as unreasonable behavior that students are subjected to from faculty members in the laboratory. Until a while ago, you all were students yourselves, but now you need to be careful not to cause harassment as faculty and staff members. Thus, we need to devise ways of communicating to help avoid such an occurrence, as one´s idea of what constitutes harassment may be different from that of another. Also, due to the corona crisis, the number of people contacting each other using various DX tools is increasing, but it is necessary to ensure real conversations in order to communicate effectively.

Regarding Research Ethics by Associate Director Inou:

Here, I would like to introduce some points to note regarding research ethics to help ensure that you can conduct research smoothly. There are several items to be confirmed and compliance items at each stage before, during, and after the implementation of your research, so I summarized them in one document. These rules are subject to change from time to time, so we recommend that you check them regularly.

2022-10-20
The 13rd Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 13rd interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 15 participants on September 24, 2022.
Speaker: Prof. Emeritus Noritaka Chida (Keio University)
Title:   "Synthetic Studies on Bioactive Natural Alkaloids based on Sigmatropic Reactions"

In this seminar, Prof. Chida presented his long-standing investigation on the total synthesis of natural alkaloids by exploiting sequential sigmatropic rearrangements. Starting from stereogenic allylic/homoallylic diols, sequential reactions by combining typical [3.3]sigmatropic shifts (Overman and/or Claisen rearrangements) allow access to various useful stereo-defined rearranged products, which were elaborated to f various alkaloidal natural products of biological activities.

Online gathering

2022-9-15
Appointment of New Academy Scholars

A ceremony was held on September 15, 2022 for the presentation of certificates of appointment for members of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science. Dr. Naoto Ohtake, Director of ORF, gave a talk on the role of the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR), and Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, the Headmaster, handed the certificates to the members with words of encouragement.

Yukako OE,Post Doc. (Hold your breath and take off your mask. Say cheese!)

2022-7-23
The 12th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 12th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 15 participants on July 23, 2022.
Dr. Mamiko Ninomiya (ETH)
Title:   "Cytokine Engineering with Chemical Synthesis"

Interleukins are a small proteins group of the cytokines that are responsible for immune responses in our body.
In this seminar, Dr. Ninomiya presented her PhD work on the chemical syntheses of interleukins and their variants using protein chemical synthesis techniques. Also presented was the generation of potential lead compounds for next-generation therapeutics by the cutting-edge synthetic organic chemistry to allow site-selective elaboration of peptidic compounds.

Online gathering

2022-6-27
The 8th meeting of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science

The 8th meeting of the Specialized Academy for Cell Science, entitled "Scientists who have influenced my research life," was delivered by Prof. Toru Hisabori (Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research) on June 14th.

Prof. Hisabori first talked about his mentor, Dr. Hidehiro Sakurai, who encouraged him to pursue photosynthesis research when he was a student. Under Dr. Sakurai, he acquired fundamental skills necessary for his subsequent research, such as OP amplifier fabrication and spectroscopic measurements. During the final three months of his doctoral studies, Prof. Hisabori interned at the Department of Biochemistry at Jichi Medical University, a Mecca for ATP synthase research. It was here that he met Drs Hajime Hirata and Masasuke Yoshida. While in graduate school, he also met Dr. Mizuho Takagi, who regularly reported the results of her chloroplast ATP synthase research in single-author papers. Dr. Takagi research style stimulated Prof. Hisabori, and she encouraged him to "think for yourself." With such encouragement, he left his former laboratory and was hired as a research associate in the laboratory of Dr. Katsushi Manabe at Yokohama City University. Dr. Manabe told him, "Aim to establish your own research as a biochemist here," and he began to investigate phytochrome, which was being studied in Dr. Manabe's laboratory, by employing his specialized techniques in spectroscopy. He also searched for proteins that interact with phytochrome using affinity chromatography in completely new experiments. Around this time, he spent three months at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany, with Dr. Heinrich Strotmann, one of the leading researchers in the field of chloroplast ATP synthase research. Dr. Strotmann was not only friendly but also active in supporting Eastern Europe and Israel and showed genuine hospitality that left a strong impression on Prof. Hisabori. Later, he became an associate professor at TokyoTech and led the Yoshida-Hisabori Laboratory for 14 years with Dr. Masasuke Yoshida. During this time, the famous experiment that proved ATP synthase to be a rotary molecular motor was conducted. The Yoshida-Hisabori Laboratory invited many researchers from Japan and abroad, including foreign Nobel Prize winners and Dr. Ohsumi, who was at the forefront of autophagy research. In this stimulating environment, he initiated deep and detailed analyses of the differences between the respective ATP synthase enzymes involved in the respiratory chain and photosynthesis and, recognizing the important role of redox regulation, began the research that led to his current works. Among these, "thioredoxin affinity chromatography," in which he applied his specialized affinity chromatography technique, was highly appraised by Dr. Bob B. Buchanan of UC Berkeley, one of the leading experts in the field. In closing his talk, Prof. Hisabori noted that "It is the power of the individual that creates research, and the power of cooperation that develops it. The reverse is also true. Always cherish your encounters!"
In the past, we have heard the research histories of speakers from a first-person perspective. This time, in a twist, we heard stories about people who have influenced Dr. Hisabori. When putting these stories together, a picture of Prof. Hisabori emerges as a researcher who cherishes the research techniques and friends he gained in his youth. These foundations proved essential for his research later in life as he made great use of them throughout his research career. This was a fascinating and remarkably human story about a unique and successful research career.

2022-5-28
The 11th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the 11th interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 10 participants on May 28, 2022.
Prof. Toyonobu Usuki (Sofia University)
Title:   "Recent research on elastin crosslinkers"

Desmosine and isodesmosine are crosslinking amino acids of elastin. In this study, total syntheses of desmosines were achieved via biomimetic Chichibabin pyridinium synthesis, and isotope-dilution LC-MS/MS quantitative analysis was conducted for clinical sample containing elastin. Synthesis of cyclic desmosine peptides was achieved via a cross-coupling strategy, the data of LC-MS/MS of the synthetic materials showed good agreement with those obtained from naturally-derived elastin.

Online gathering

2022-5-11
Assistant Professor Hidenori Nishihara in the School of Life Science and Technology and his colleagues published their research on the origin of the Japanese wolf.

Tokyo Tech News: The origin of the Japanese wolf revealed

The evolutionary origins of the Japanese wolf, which became extinct in the early 20th century, have been largely unknown. In particular, fossil records indicate that giant wolves inhabited the Japanese archipelago during the Pleistocene, but there has been controversy as to whether or not they were genetically linked to the small-bodied Japanese wolf. In this study, the research group conducted an ancient DNA analysis on a 5,000-year-old remain of the Japanese wolf and a 35,000-year-old giant wolf fossil. The analysis revealed that the Pleistocene giant wolf was one of the early-diverging Pleistocene wolf lineages and that the ancestral lineage of the Japanese wolf experienced hybridization among multiple wolf populations.
This study was published in Current Biology on May 9.

Tokyo Tech News:The origin of the Japanese wolf revealed (Japanese)

2022-5-9
Appointment of New Academy Scholars

A ceremony was held on May 9, 2022 for the presentation of certificates of appointment for members of the Specialized Academy for Quantum Computing. Dr. Naoto Ohtake, Director of the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR), gave a talk on the role of OFR, and Dr. Hidetoshi Nishimori, the Headmaster, handed the certificates to the members with words of encouragement.

Doc. Yusuke KIMURA (Hold your breath and take off your mask. Say cheese!)

2022-4-23
The 10th Interactive Seminar of specialized academy of organic chemistry (Suzuki Juku)

As a regular seminar series of Specialized Academy of Organic Chemistry (Suzuki-juku), the tenth interactive seminar was held online with the attendance of 15 participants on April 23, 2022.
Prof. Dr. Michito Yoshizawa (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
Title:   "What are aromatic micelles?"

Micelles are a versatile class of molecular assemblies, typically composed of linear amphiphiles with an alkyl chain and an ionic head. On the other hand, planar polyaromatic molecules with hydrophilic groups usually do not assemble into micellar structures in water, but rather form pi-stacked, columnar assemblies.
In this seminar, Dr. Yoshizawa presented the recent development of aqueous micellar nanostructures, formed from bent polyaromatic amphiphiles. The new micelles with spherical polyaromatic shells, which he named “aromatic micelles”, serve as functional molecular tools with superior binding abilities toward medium to very large compounds in water.

Online gathering

2022-4-7
Appointment of New Academy Scholars

A ceremony was held on April 1, 2022 for the presentation of certificates of appointment for members of the Specialized Academy for Quantum Computing. Dr. Naoto Ohtake, Director of the Organization for Fundamental Research (OFR), gave a talk on the role of OFR, and Dr. Hidetoshi Nishimori, the Headmaster, handed the certificates to the members with words of encouragement.


Asst. Prof. Shunta ARAI (Hold your breath and take off your mask. Say cheese!)

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