IMSUT NY Seminar 2025 held in New York City
The "IMSUT NY Seminar 2025" hosted by the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo (IMSUT) was held entirely on-site on Friday, March 21, 2025, at the New York office of the University of Tokyo (UTokyoNY) under the theme of "Cutting-edge medical science-from basic research to clinical applications”. Despite being held on a weekday, the seminar was attended by an even larger number of participants than in previous years. By being scheduled in the evening, the event attracted attendees from a wide range of institutions, including universities and research centers in the United States, as well as various companies and organizations from diverse fields.
This third installment of the IMSUT NY Seminar was opened with a welcoming address by Professor Makoto Nakanishi, the Dean of IMSUT. The seminar consisted of three sessions, each featuring distinguished researchers presenting their latest findings. In the first session, Professor Toshifumi Inada gave a lecture on the molecular mechanisms and physiological functions of quality control that recognize and rescue ribosome collision, which is the reality of aberrant mRNA translation. Professor Hiroyasu Furukawa of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory then presented his research on functional control by novel antibodies against NMDA-type glutamate receptors (NMDAR). The second session featured Professor Atsushi Iwama, who spoke about promoting hematopoietic regeneration by manipulation of the bone marrow niche. He was followed by Professor Emmanuelle Passegué of Columbia University, who talked about the mechanism underlying how adaptive responses over the life of the organism lead to HSC functional degradation. In the final session, Professor Hideki Taniguchi discussed the development of innovative regenerative therapies for liver diseases using human iPS cells, including the objectives and current clinical status. The seminar concluded with a presentation by Professor Takami Sato from Thomas Jefferson University who introduced new approaches for uveal melanoma treatment.
Each presentation sparked great interest among the participants, leading to highly engaging discussions. The Q&A sessions were so lively that they ran short of time, underscoring the audience’s enthusiastic participation. The seminar concluded with closing remarks from Professor Inada, marking the end of a successful and stimulating event. After the main program, a Post-seminar Discussion was held, offering further opportunities for speakers and attendees to exchange ideas and foster connections. These interactions are likely to lead to future collaborations, making this seminar a key step toward continued international research exchange.
The seminar video will be released shortly!
Poster Opening remarks by Dean Nakanishi (IMSUT)
Lecture by Prof. Inada (IMSUT) Lecture by Prof. Furukawa (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Lecture by Prof. Iwama (IMSUT) Lecture by Prof. Passegué (Colombia University)
Lecture by Prof. Taniguchi (IMSUT) Lecture by Prof. Sato (Thomas Jefferson University)
Group photo of lectures and related parties
IMSUT NY Seminar 2024 held in New York City
The "IMSUT NY Seminar 2024" hosted by the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo (IMSUT), was held on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the New York office of the University of Tokyo (UTokyoNY) under the theme “Genomics: From Disease to Healthcare”. The seminar was attended by participants from universities and research institutes, as well as companies and organizations in various fields.
This was the second event in the “IMSUT NY Seminar” series, which was initiated last year.
The first half of the seminar began with a video message from Prof. Makoto Nakanishi, Dean of IMSUT, introducing the significance of holding this series of seminars at UTokyoNY, followed by lectures by Prof. Tatsuhiro Shibata and Dr. Nicolas Robine (New York Genome Center) on research related to factors that determine differences in the incidence of cancer worldwide. This was followed by a talk on clinical cancer genomics by Dr. Marc Ladanyi (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center).
After the coffee break, in the second half, Prof. Natsuhiko Kumasaka and Dr. Yoshiko Mito (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) delivered lectures, followed by the last speaker, Prof. Seiya Imoto, who gave a talk on research and future perspectives on the relationship between intestinal bacteria and diseases/pre-symptomatic disease stages, which has attracted much attention in recent years.
The seminar was moderated by Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, Vice President of UTokyoNY, who had also acted as a moderator in the previous seminar, and Dr. Yoshiko Mito, who also participated as a speaker in the current seminar. The seminar was conducted as a duo by the two moderators, with explanations, opinions, and questions from their perspective as both physicians as well as researchers. This style attracted interest of the participants and deepened the understanding of the seminars of the general audience. All the topics were of great interest to the participants, and the discussion was so animated that there was insufficient time for questions and answers. The seminar ended on a high note, with closing remarks by Professor Shibata. In the post-seminar discussion, there was a lively exchange of opinions and ideas among not only the speakers but also the speakers and audience, making this a seminar that will be eagerly awaited by the participants next year too.
Click here to watch the seminar video
Poster Group photo of lectures and related parties
Lecture by Prof. Shibata (IMSUT) Lecture by Dr. Robine (NY Genome Center)
Lecture by Dr. Ladanyi Lecture by Prof. Kumasaka (IMSUT)
(Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
Lecture by Dr. Mito (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) Lecture by Prof. Imoto (IMSUT)
IMSUT NY Seminar 2023 held in New York City
The IMSUT NY Seminar 2023 meeting hosted by the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo (IMSUT) was held on Friday, February 17, 2023, at the New York office of the University of Tokyo (UTokyoNY) under the theme of "Frontiers in Medical Sciences and their Exploding Clinical Applications”. The seminar was attended by about 20 participants from universities and research institutes in the U.S., as well as companies and organizations in various fields.The event was the first time in four years that IMSUT held a completely on-site event in New York.
The first half of the seminar began with a video message from Prof. Yuji Yamanashi, Dean of IMSUT, introducing the history of UTokyoNY. After that, lectures were given by Prof. Tomoji Mashimo, Dr. Samuel Sternberg (Columbia University), and Ms. Mariko Kanai, recipient of the 5th New York Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Scholarship (currently a doctoral student at Columbia University).
In the second half, Prof. Makoto Nakanishi and Prof. Yoichi Furukawa gave lectures, and the seminar concluded with a talk by Dr. Scott Lowe of the Sloan Kettering Institute.
This year's seminar was facilitated by Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, Vice President of UTokyoNY. Dr. Kuwama’s opinions and questions stemming from his perspective as a physician made the seminar very easy for the public to understand. The participants were so interested in the lectures that time ran out during the lively Q&A sessions after each lecture. The seminar concluded with closing remarks by Vice Dean of IMSUT, Prof. Makoto Nakanishi.
Poster Group photo of lectures and related parties
Lecture by Prof. Mashimo (IMSUT) Lecture by Dr. Sternberg (Colombia Univ.)
Lecture by Ms. Kanai (Colombia Univ.) Lecture by Prof. Nakanishi (IMSUT)
Lecture by Prof. Furukawa (IMSUT) Lecture by Dr. Lowe (Sloan Kettering Institute )
Seminar scenery
Group photo of all participants
IMSUT faculty members visit the grave of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi in New York
On Thursday, February 16, 2023, a delegation from IMSUT visiting New York for the IMSUT NY Seminar 2023 meeting visited the graves of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi and Dr. Jokichi Takamine at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, a suburb of New York City. The visit was led by Mr. Yoshio Kano, Vice President of the New York Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Society, Inc. (HNMS).The cemetery staff provided interesting information about Dr. Noguchi, including the circumstances of his burial. The visit was a valuable experience that brought to mind the great impact that Dr. Noguchi has had on the world.
An offering of flowers from IMSUT IMSUT members with Mr. Kano (HNMS)
and the grave of Dr. Noguchi
The UTokyo NY Conference 2018 held in New York City
The UTokyo NY Conference 2018 hosted by the University of Tokyo New York Office, Inc., and co-hosted by the Institute of Medical Science (IMS) and Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), was held at the Nippon Club Tower in New York on Saturday, November 3, 2018. Many people came from universities and research institutions in the United States, and companies and organizations in various fields to attend this conference.The conference opened with opening remarks by Prof. Yoshinori Murakami, Dean of IMS and Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, Vice President of the UTokyo NY Office,
followed by the introduction of each institute by Dean Murakami (IMS), and Deputy Director Katsuyuki Fukutani (IIS).
To start off the lecture portion of the conference, Project Professor Hiroshi Kiyono of IMS gave a talk under the title "Rice became a vaccine" about the development and clinical application of the next-generation oral vaccine (MucoRice) using rice. Subsequently, Professor Yuji Yamanashi of IMS gave a lecture titled "Targeting neuromuscular synapses as a new therapeutic approach for muscle weakness and atrophy." This lecture was about the development of a new gene therapy for neuromuscular diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In the second part after the break, Professor Thomas Zwaka of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gave a lecture titled "The unreasonable effectiveness of pluripotent stem cells: mechanism and mechanics" highlighting the effectiveness of pluripotent stem cells that has received much attention recently. Next, Professor Miriam Merad of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gave a presentation titled "Harnessing the tumor microenvironment to enhance cancer care" to introduce the cutting edge data on cancer microenvironment and cancer immunotherapy. Finally, Project Professor Tadatsugu Taniguchi of IIS spoke on "The role of dead cell-derived molecules in the progression of inflammatory disease and cancer: implications for the development of new therapeutic approaches.” His talk focused on the development of new treatments for inflammatory diseases and cancers.
The attendees showed great interest in each lecture, and so many lively exchanges were held that they ran out of time during the question and answer session.
Finally, this successful conference was concluded with closing remarks by the Deputy Director of IIS, Prof. Fukutani.
Many attendees also participated in the reception following the conference, and exchanges were fostered that cross not only research discipline boundaries, but national boundaries as well. Amid such meaningful exchanges, further utilization of the New York Office is expected in the future.
Poster Group photo of speakers and organizers
Lecture by Project Prof. Hiroshi Kiyono of IMS Lecture by Prof. Yuji Yamanashi of IMS
Lecture by Prof. Thomas Zwaka Lecture by Prof. Miriam Merad
(Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
Lecture by Project Prof. Tadatsugu Taniguchi of IIS
The UTokyo NY Conference 2017 held in New York City
“The UTokyo NY Conference 2017” was held on November 3, 2017 hosted by UTokyo New York Office. The purpose of the conference was to report on progress in studies with international collaborators and to find new collaborations with future partners. About 80 participants include researchers and related parties of companies from Japan and the United States.The Conference started by opening remarks by Mr. Masaharu Masuyama, President of NY Office. During featured lecture session, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, DVM, PhD (IMSUT) offered a lecture: “Working with Deadly Viruses: Battling Ebola and Influenza,” and an industry, government and academia collaborative project led by Kazuo Oki, PhD (IIS) and Toshihiro Maki, PhD (IIS) provided several lectures under the title of “Against Alzheimer's, Tohoku rejuvenation project with the American Pecan nuts.” Speakers for this topic included delegates from City of Rikuzen-Takata and Golden Pecan Co.Ltd., and Jennifer Randall, PhD (New Mexico State University).
In the following panel discussion, panelists and participants had an active discussion touching on the history of the project.
For the “Future Topics” session, Yoshinori Murakami, MD, PhD, Dean (IMSUT) and Teruo Fujii, PhD, IIS Director General introduced the activities of their institutes and Masafumi Maeda, PhD (IIS) ended up the Conference by his closing remarks.
According to questionnaire results, the participants mostly thought that the lectures were amazing and found the Conference a precious opportunity to exchanges opinions with lecturers.
Please click here to open the detailed report
Opening event of the University of Tokyo New York Office
The Institute of Medical Science (IMSUT) and Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) jointly opened the University of Tokyo New York Office to advance productive research and intellectual activities of the university. The opening was commemorated with a seminar entitled "Open Innovation for Future Medicine" and a ceremony on Friday, November 6, 2015. There were more than 120 participants from universities, companies from a variety of fields and alumni associations of UTokyo in the US.After opening remarks by Prof. Yoshinori Murakami, Dean of IMSUT, the first lecture of the seminar was given by Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka (IMSUT), who talked about the long ago worldwide spread of influenza and more recent and familiar outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in west Africa. The title of his talk was "Influenza or Ebola – Which is the greater threat?".
The second speaker was Prof. Hiroshi Kiyono (IMSUT), whose talk was entitled "MucoRice: Rice-based oral vaccine". Next Prof. Teruo Fujii, Director General of IIS talked about "Microfluidics and Innovative Technology for Biomedical Applications".
Prof. Kevin Eggan of Harvard University spoke on "Combining engineering and stem cell biology to develop treatments for neuromuscular injury and disease". After that Dr. Michel Sadelain, Director of the Center for Cell Engineering of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center talked about a cancer therapy using T cell engineering. The title of his talk was "CAR therapy and the promise of T cell engineering". Finally Dr. Roger Perlmutter, the Executive Vice-President of Merck & Co. and President of Merck Research Laboratories gave a talk entitled "From Bench to Bedside: Breakthrough Research at the University/Industry Interface".
There were a lot of questions and active discussions following each of the 6 talks. The seminar ended with closing remarks by Prof. Fujii, who indicated a plan for continuing such seminars by the two institutes and asked for warm support of these future activities of the office.
After the seminar the office opening ceremony was held. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place in the entrance hall to the office. Prof. Kiyono chaired the ceremony with a witty talk. Prof. Ken Furuya, Executive Vice President of UTokyo gave an opening speech and then Prof. Fujii and Prof. Murakami presented overviews of their respective institutes, touching on the histories, characteristics and visions of the two institutes. The closing remarks were given by Prof. Tomonari Yashiro (IIS).
The ceremony was followed by a reception which offered many encounters and exchanges, and provided alumni of UTokyo the opportunity to gather and meet each other. There was an air of great expectations surrounding the various fields and the future of the New York office.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Prof. Ken Furuya, Executive Vice President of UTokyo Prof. Yoshinori Murakami, Dean of IMSUT
Prof Teruo Fujii, Director General of IIS Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka (IMSUT)
Prof. Hiroshi Kiyono (IMSUT) Prof. Tomonari Yashiro (IIS)
Group Photo