May 14-16, 2025 | New Developments in Biomedical Sciences

Tumor Immunology, Systems Biology, Chemical Biology, and Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Welcome to the UCLA-Kyoto University-Academia Sinica, Pan Pacific Meeting

View a downloadable program here.

This symposium brings together leading experts from UCLA, Kyoto University, and Academia Sinica to discuss cutting-edge research in various fields of biomedical sciences. The event will focus on emerging topics such as tumor immunology, systems biology, chemical biology, and boron neutron capture therapy.

Organized by the California Nanosystems Institute at UCLA, the UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics, the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University, and Academia Sinica, this meeting aims to foster international collaboration and innovation in biomedical research.

Conference Schedule

Day 1 : May 14, 2025 – Tumor Immunology

9:00 am - 9:05 am CNSI welcome by Jeff F. Miller, Director, California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles
9:05 am - 9:10 am UCLA Remarks by Roger Wakimoto, Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities, University of California, Los Angeles
9:10 am - 9:15 am Remarks: James C. Liao, President, Academia Sinica
9:15 am - 9:30 am Remarks: Nagahiro Minato, President, Kyoto University
9:30 am - 10:00 am

Introduction by Nagahiro Minato, President, Kyoto University

Keynote Lecture, Tasuku Honjo, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2018, Distinguished Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study, Director, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology, Kyoto University

30 years' Journey of my PD-1 Cancer Immunotherapy (video)
10:00 am - 10:15 am Coffee Break
10:15 am - 11:00 am

Introduction by Jerry Zack, Chair, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles

Keynote Lecture, Owen Witte, Professor, President's Chair in Developmental Immunology; Founding Director Emeritus, Broad Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles
Cancer Therapy: Target, Modality, and Timing
11:00 am - 12:25 pm

Session 1: Immune cells, Immune organs

Gay Crooks, Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
Deriving Universal iPSC-Derived CAR-T Cells Through CRISPR/Cas 9 Engineering

Yoko Hamazaki, Professor, iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University
iPS Cell-Based Thymus Regeneration: A New Option for Enhancing Tumor Immunity in Older Adults

Kuo-I Lin, Distinguished Professor, Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica
Post-Translational Modifications in Germinal Center Function and Plasma Cell Differentiation
12:25 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm - 3:20 pm

Session 2: Immune Therapy (Checkpoints, T-cell engineering)

Kenji Chamoto, Professor, Department of Immuno-Oncology PDT, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
Mitochondrial Regulation in T Cells Improves PD-1 Blockade Cancer Immunotherapy

Christina Puig-Saus, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles
Engineering a Potent T Cell Response Against Melanoma

Shin Kaneko, Professor, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University
Induction of Antigen-Specific T Cells from iPSCs for T Cell-Based lmmunotherapy

Yijuang Chern, Director, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica
Beyond Neurons: Siglecs and the Immunological Landscape of Huntington's
3:20 pm - 3:35 pm Coffee Break
3:35 pm - 5:15 pm

Session 3: Chemical Biology

Motonari Uesugi, Director and Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
Small Molecules That Potentiate Antitumor Immunity

Stuart Conway, Professor, Michael and Alice Jung Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of California, Los Angeles
Chemical Probes to Target and Image Hypoxia

Masatoshi Hagiwara, Professor, Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University
Chemical control of RNA splicing

Alexander Spokoyny, Professor and Department Chair, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, University of California, Los Angeles
Boron Cluster Building Blocks
5:15 pm - 5:30 pm End of Day 1 Remarks: Kaoru Kitajima, Vice Director of Internaitonal Strategy Office, Director, Kyoto University Notrth American Center, Professor and Vice-Dean, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University
5:30 pm


Reception (CNSI Lobby)

 

 

Day 2 : May 15, 2025 – Systems, Network Cellular Responses Chemistry

9:00 am - 9:05 am Remarks by Jerry Zack, Chair, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles
9:05 am - 10:30 am

Session 4: Systems Biology 1

Alex Hoffmann, Director, Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Distinguished Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California, Los Angeles
Systems Immunology of Vaccine Responses

Shih-Yu Chen, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica
Leveraging Multi-omic Single Cell Analysis to Unravel Immune Dynamics

Dino Di Carlo, Professor and Chair, Department of Bioengineering , University of California Los Angeles
Probing Cell-Cell Interactions at Scale Using Nanovial Technology
10:30 am - 10:45 am Coffee Break
10:45 am - 12:10 pm

Session 5: Tumor Biology and Cell Death

Hiroshi Harada, Professor, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
The Impact of Hypoxia on Tumor Recurrence and Genome Instability

Sheng-Hong Chen, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica
A cross-century pursuit of propagating waves of cell death

Jun Suzuki, Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
Elimination of Targeted Cells by Engulfment Through The Synthetic Ligand
12:10 pm - 1:20 pm Lunch
1:20 pm - 2:45 pm

Session 6: Systems Biology 2

Hsung-Lin Tu, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica
Quantitative Bioanlaysis: Streamlined Proteomic Analysis and Bio-Interface Engineering (tentative)

Tim O'Sullivan, Associate Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles
Nutritional Control of Innate Immunity in Solid Cancers

Thomas Graeber, Professor, Dept. of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Director, UCLA Metabolomics Center
Effective Targeted Cancer Therapies Promote Resistance Mechanisms Leveraging Plasticity and Leading to a Change in Cell Identity: Small Cell Neuroendocrine Transdifferentiation
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm Coffee Break
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Session 7: Immune Network and Cancer Vaccines

Caius Radu, Professor, Departments of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and Surgery, University of California Los Angeles
Enhancing PDAC immunogenicity through KRAS G12D inhibition and mRNA vaccine immunization

Wooseok Seo, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
The Regulatory Mechanisms of Transcriptional Networks Governing Immune Balance in Tumor Microenvironment
4:00 pm - 4:50 pm

Keynote Lecture

Introduction by Thomas Rando, Director, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California Los Angeles

Keynote Lecture, Shinya Yamanaka, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2012, Director Emeritus and Professor, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University
Recent Progress in iPS Cell Research and Application
4:50 pm End of Day 2: Photo Session

Day 3 : May 16, 2025 – Advances in Radiotherapy

9:00 am - 9:15 am Yusaku Nakabeppu, Director, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) San Francisco
Introduction to JSPS programs for Promoting International Academic Collaboration
9:15 am - 10:40 am

Session 8: Radiation Therapy & Theranostics

Minoru Suzuki, Professor, Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT): A Unique Role in Radiotherapy with a View to Entering the Accelerator-Based BNCT Era

Johannes Czernin, Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles
Radiotheranostics in Prostate Cancer: Effectiveness and Resistance Mechanisms

Fuyu Tamanoi, Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
Auger Electron Therapy, Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles and Radiation Therapy
10:40 am - 10:55 am Coffee Break
10:55 am - 12:20 pm

Session 9: Radiology, Al, Data Science, Future Frontiers

Corey Arnold, Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California Los Angeles
Applications of Al in Healthcare

Paul Boutros, Interim Vice Dean for Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, Professor, Department of Human Genetics and Urology, University of California Los Angeles
Big Data Approaches to Explaining Cancer Lethality

Ganesh Pandian Na·masivayam, Principal Investigator, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
Harnessing Programmable Epigenetic Codes as Mitochondrial Gene Switches for Cellular Rejuvenation and lmmunotherapy

Tzu-Ching Meng, Graduate Dean, Director, Depatment of International Affairs,
Professor, Academia Sinica
Looiking Forward to the Next Steps: Academia Sinica’s Policies and Tools to Facilitate International Collaborations

12:20 pm

Closing Remarks

Fuyu Tamanoi, Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm CNSI Tours
3:30 pm Post-symposium event
Sheldon Friedlander Founders Lecture, UCLA Engineering VI, Mong Auditorium
James C. Liao, President, Academia Sinica
Design and evolutionary engineering of metabolism for C1 assimilation in microbes and plants

Organizers and Sponsors: