Bio
Kunimasa Ohta studied Biology under the supervision of Prof. Hiromichi Morita at Kyushu University. After studying Axon Guidance (PhD Supervisor, Prof. Hajime Fujisawa) at Nagoya University and (headed by Prof. Hideaki Tanaka) at Kumamoto University and Neurobiology (Post.Doc, Host Prof. Roger Keynes) at the University of Cambridge, he returned to Kumamoto University and became a Principal Investigator as an Associate Professor. In 2020, his group transferred to the Faculty of Arts and Science at Kyushu University, where he is now a Professor. His research group focused on the molecular regulation of stem cells. There are two major research projects in his group. First, his group investigates how ribosome derived from infected bacteria regulates the gene expression pattern of host cells and transdifferentiates them into multipotent cells. The other one is the elucidation of the molecular function of the secreted protein Akhirin (Akhi is the Bengali translation for eye) as a niche molecule during mouse brain formation.

Bio
Arif Istiaq is a Ph.D. research student at the Department of Stem Cell Biology Lab at Kyushu University, Japan, and a PhD fellow at Kumamoto University. He holds a Master’s of Science and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Microbiology from Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. His career began as a research assistant at the Microbial Genetics and Bioinformatics Lab at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Previously, he studied the genomics and metagenomics of bacteria to understand resistance and pathogenesis. He is currently working on a ribosome-based process for acquiring stemness in somatic cells. His research interests include epigenetic reprogramming, neurogenesis, and regeneration.

Bio
I studied Biological Science at Hokkaido University, Japan, and I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Science in 2017. After graduation, I started my graduate courses for a master’s degree in Medical Science (finished in 2019) and a PhD degree in Medicine at Prof. Hideyuki Okano’s lab, Keio University, Japan. For my project in the master’s course, I established an efficient direct neuronal reprogramming technology using common marmoset somatic cells (fibroblasts). Currently, for my PhD study, I am engaged in the project of the pathological elucidation of an imprinting disease using patient-derived iPS cells.

Bio
Chihiro Akazawa, MD, PhD, is a Professor at Juntendo University, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo. He earned his MD and PhD from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, TMDU. After clinical training in Internal Medicine, he spent his post-doctoral training with Dr. Steve Heinemann at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Before moving to Juntendo University, he served as a Professor at TMDU for 12 years. He is currently serving as Program Supervisor and Program Officer of the Japan Agency of Medical Research and Development (AMED), Technical Advisor of the Ministry of Education, Science Technology, Sports and Culture, Japan (MEXT), and Political Advisor for the Japanese Cabinet. His research explores regenerative medicine, stem cell research, neurological diseases, and cultured meat.