-DATE- Friday, March 17, 2023, 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm (EDT)
-VENUE- Hybrid: NIH Building 31, Conference Center, 6th floor, Rooms B & D & Virtual (Zoom meeting)
The 8th JSPS-NIH Forum was held online on Friday, March 17, 2023. This forum was inaugurated in 2016, aiming to introduce a new JSPS KAITOKU-NIH Fellows to the research community and strengthened their friendly and collegial ties in the Biomedical field.
This year, approximately 45 individuals participated in person while another 70 joined virtually from various locations including the NIH, other parts of the United States, and Japan.
After Dr. Kohji HIRATA (Director of JSPS Washington Office) made the opening remarks, congratulatory remarks were delivered at the venue by Mr. Koji ARIBAYASHI, Science Counselor, Embassy of Japan in the USA, Dr. Yoh-suke MUKOUYAMA, Chair of Review Panel / Senior Investigator, NHLBI, NIH, and Dr. Michael GOTTESMAN, Chief, Laboratory of Cell Biology, NCI/CCR, NIH. Dr. Akira IMATANI, Professor, School of Medicine, Tohoku University, also provided remarks via Zoom from Japan.
During the lecture session on the subject of “Cancer Cell Biology and Microenvironment,” Dr. Junko MURAI, Associate Professor at the Department of Cell Growth and Tumor Regulation Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, presented a talk titled “Revamping the mechanism of the anti-cancer impact of DNA-damaging agents via the functions of Schlafen 11 (SLFN11).”
Dr. Takanobu TAGAWA at the HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, NCI, NIH, who was a former fellow in FY2020, delivered the next lecture entitled “Revealing covert strategies: non-coding RNAs during oncogenic herpesvirus infection”.
Dr. Ryo SATO at the Cell and Developmental Biology Center, NHLBI, NIH, who was also a former fellow in FY2020, gave a presentation titled “Perivascular Neural β-III Tubulin (Tuj1) Expression in Lung Fibrosis: A New Target for Treatment”.
During the Q & A session focused on the topics of “Cancer Cell Biology and Microenvironment,” Dr. MUKOUYAMA served as the moderator and fielded live questions from both in-person and online participants via the Zoom chat function.
The eight new KAITOKU-NIH fellows, who were recently selected in FY2022, presented their research plans with slides to the audience in three-minute time slots.
The event concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Nina F. SCHOR, the Deputy Director for Intramural Research, NIH, and Dr. Christine SIZEMORE, the Director of the Division of International Relations, Fogarty International Center, NIH.
Immediately following the forum, the in-person participants were invited to a reception for the presenters and attendees to socialize and discuss the forum presentations. Dr. Christine SIZEMORE started the reception by proposing a toast, and attendees were free to engage in conversations and introduce themselves to one another. The JSPS Washington Office and Fogarty International Center, NIH organized this forum.
