2nd UC San Diego-Kyoto University Joint Symposium held at UC San Diego, California (14–16 March 2016)

On 14–16 March 2016, the 2nd UC San Diego-Kyoto University Joint Symposium (the 23rd Kyoto University International Symposium) was held at the University of California, San Diego.

The plenary session on the first day of the symposium opened with addresses by Dr Sandra A Brown, vice-chancellor for research of UC San Diego, Dr Pradeep K Khosla, chancellor of UC San Diego, Dr Nagahiro Minato, executive vice-president for research, planning, and hospital administration of Kyoto University, and Dr Inaba Kayo, executive vice-president for gender equality, international affairs, and public relations of Kyoto University. Following the opening addresses, overviews of the three breakout sessions to be held on the second day were given by representatives from both UC San Diego and Kyoto University. Research projects and facilities relating to each session were also introduced. The themes of the three breakout sessions were "Cancer & Drug Development", "Stem Cells in Biological Discovery and Clinical Application", and "Advanced Energy Research". Keynote lectures were delivered by Dr Roger Y Tsien, the 2008 Nobel laureate in chemistry, and Dr Shinya Yamanaka, director of Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and the 2012 Nobel laureate in psychology or medicine. The keynote lectures were attended by over 300 participants, including researchers, students, and patients, reflecting the high level of interest in world-leading research and application of molecular imaging and iPS cells. That evening, a dinner reception was held for the participating researchers, replete with live background music provided by a string quartet.

On the second day, the three breakout sessions provided the participating scholars with a platform to present their research achievements to one another. In the Cancer & Drug Development session, a lecture on the latest research into molecular imaging was given by Dr Tsien, followed by presentations of other research projects and collaborative efforts in the fields of tumor microenvironment, inflammatory response, immunotherapy, and kidney molecular biology. The Stem Cells in Biological Discovery and Clinical Application session featured a presentation of cutting-edge iPS cell research by Dr Yamanaka as well as presentations of other advanced research topics, including in vitro disease modeling, genetic diseases and their treatments, cell and tissue differentiation and behavior, and the clinical application of cell replacement-based therapies using stem cells. The Advanced Energy Research session included presentations and discussion sessions on solar energy and energy materials, energy storage, ultrafast phenomena, nuclear fusion research, and the current status and future prospects of renewable energy.

On the third day of the symposium, the participants were given a tour of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and laboratories researching smart grids and advanced energy. Several research seminars and discussion sessions were also held.

Kyoto University and UC San Diego concluded a memorandum for academic cooperation and exchange in February 2014, and held the first UC San Diego-Kyoto University Joint Symposium at Kyoto University in March of the following year. The second symposium facilitated significant advances in the research cooperation between the two institutions, and further new developments and collaborative opportunities for social contribution are anticipated for the future.

Related link

• Kyoto University: Global Engagement "The 2nd San Diego-Kyoto University Joint Symposium"
  http://www.oc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/symposium/kyoto-ucsd-symposium2016/en/