The 4th Keio University WPI-Bio2Q International Symposium, entitled “Integration of Biology, Microbiome, and Metabolomics for Healthy Longevity,” was held on December 2 and 3, 2025, on the Shiba-Kyoritsu campus with exclusively on-site participation.

WPI: World Premier International Research Center Initiative
Bio2Q: Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center

Twelve of the world’s top scientists in the fields of biology, microbiome, and metabolomics presented their latest research progress and engaged in lively scientific discussions with a total of 255 people over the two days.

At the end of the first day, a poster session was held by fifteen young scientists, who presented their new scientific ideas and had valuable discussions with many of the participants. At the end of the second day, awards were given to the three best poster presentations.

WPI-Bio2Q will continue to make further efforts to ensure that the life science knowledge gained during these two days will continue to spread throughout the world.

Opening Remarks

Ryosuke Takahashi / Program Officer, JSPS/WPI, Kyoto University, Japan

Kenya Honda / Center Director of WPI-Bio2Q, Keio University, Japan

Makoto Arita / Symposium Organizer, WPI-Bio2Q, Keio University, Japan

Session 1 Metabolomics 1 chaired by Yuki Sugiura

❶ Dr. Clary Clish  / Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA

Decoding host and microbial metabolites driving disease risk and outcomes through metabolomics

❷ Dr. Makoto Arita  / Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy, Bio2Q Core Director, Japan

Biology of Lipo Quality and the Lipidome Atlas

Session 2 Metabolomics 2 chaired by Makoto Arita

❸ Dr. Yuki Sugiura  / Kyoto University, Bio2Q, Japan

Spatial Visualization of Bioactive Molecules in Tissues

❹Dr. Per Andren  / Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences Uppsala University Sweden

Mass Spectrometry Imaging in Neuroscience: Mapping Molecules, Decoding Disorders

Session 3 Cancer Metabolism chaired by Tomoyoshi Soga

❺ Dr. Rachel Guest  / University of Edinburgh, UK

The role of IDH mutations in Liver Cell Plasticity and Cancer

❻ Dr. Shijie Cai  / Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK

Interconnections between metabolism and inflammation in the colorectal tumor microenvironment

Session 4 Microbiome chaired by Juntaro Matsuzaki

❼ Dr. Kenya Honda  / Keio University School of Medicine, Bio2Q Center Director, Japan

Towards a Microbiome Blueprint

❽ Dr. Naoko Ohtani  / Department of Medical Science Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan

Gut-liver axis-mediated mechanism of liver cancer development

Session 5 Microbial metabolite chaired by Oltea Sampetrean

❾ Dr. Elizabeth Johnson  / Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, USA

Feeding Babies and Their Microbiomes: How Dietary Lipids Shape Host-Microbiome Interactions

❿ Dr. Ara Koh  / Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH, South Korea

Microbial metabolites in systemic circulation: Potential direct mediators of gut-brain axis?

Session 6 Others chaired by Michisuke Yuzaki

⓫ Dr. Juntaro Matsuzaki  / Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy, Bio2Q , Japan

Transkingdom interactions mediated by extracellular RNAs

⓬ Dr. Minako Ito  / Medical Institute of Bioregulation Research Center for Systems Immunology, Kyushu University, Japan

Neuroimmune Crosstalk during CNS Disorders in Development and Aging.

Closing Remarks

Oltea Sampetrean / Administrative Director of WPI-Bio2Q, Keio University, Japan

Flash talk & Poster session / Keio University Bio2Q

1)  WPI RA (STaMP)

UEMURA Maho

Developing Nanobodies Targeting M Cell Surface Proteins

HOSHINO Daishi

Spatial lipidomics revealed unique lipidome signature in gut-associated lymphoid tissue

KIKUCHI Shunya

Lipid-Peptide Antigen Complexes for Analysis of Synergistic Immunomodulatory Activity

2) Postdoctoral Fellow

KUWASHIMA Yutaro

Integrated Platform for Biological Activity Profiling of Lipid Metabolites

CANER Joaquim

A Stereocontrolled Synthetic Hub for Specialized Aminolipids

JOSHI Ashish

Quantum Interior Point Algorithm for Metabolic Network Optimization

LI Haowei

Synapse-Organizing Strategies for Rebuilding Circuits: From Connectoid Networks to Corticospinal Repair A Unified Approach via Synaptic Organizers and Structural Guidance

JOSEPH Vinodh

Boosting protein disaggregation to repair primate gut epithelium Following damage from Oxidative stress

SOLBERG Therese

Deciphering the transcriptional network of transposable element activation in health and disease

PAN Huizhuo

The Gut-Brain Connection: Microbiota Influences on the Enteric Nervous System

3) Jr. PI

KOJIMA Shohei

Time-series dynamics of human genetic responses during virus infection

SUZUKI Kunimichi

CryoEM facility in WPI WPI-Bio2Q (Keio Univ.)

SASABE Jumpei

Microbial chiral-conversion of amino acids influences the circadian rhythm of glucocorticoid and obesity

MATSUDA Keiko

Secreted Synapse Organizers as a Bridge in Peripheral Neuronal Circuits

BROCKMANN Leonie

Therapeutic Modulation of GLP-1 Restores Mucosal Immunity during diet-modulated colitis

Poster Award Ceremony

1st Prize: Yutaro KUWASHIMA

2nd Prize: Daishi HOSHINO

3rd Prize: Leonie BROCKMANN

Symposium Scientific Chair / Keio University Bio2Q

Makoto Arita, Tomoyoshi Soga

Symposium Organizing Committee / Keio University Bio2Q

Juntaro Matsuzaki, Yuki Sugiura, Minami Hosoya, Junta Komamura