EVENT
Keio University WPI-Bio2Q 2nd Symposium
July 28, 2023


Opening Remarks by Ryosuke TAKAHASHI, M.D., Ph.D. Program Officer World Premier International Research Center Initiative

Opening Remarks by Kenya HONDA, M.D., Ph.D. Keio University School of Medicine Center Director of WPI-Bio2Q

Unexpected Roles of the Gut Microbiome and the Host Immune System in Controlling Animal Behaviors by Jun HUH, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School, USA, Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q

Advisor Laurent Lessard

Microbiome-Empowered Drug Efficacy Optimization by Timur TUGANBAEV, Ph.D. Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, Junior Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Kenya HONDA


Host-Produced, Bacterially Modified Gut Metabolites by Sloan DEVLIN, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School, USA, International Collaborator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Kenya HONDA

Effects of Diet versus Gastric Bypass on Metabolic Function in Diabetes by Mihoko YOSHINO, M.D., Ph.D. Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, Junior Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Koji ATARASHI


Development of Preimplantation Embryos Requires Transposon Expression by Haruhiko SIOMI, Ph.D. Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, Administrative director & Principal Investigator of Bio2Q, chaired by Koji ATARASHI


chaired by Koji ATARASHI

Understanding of Human Disease Biology using Organoids by Toshiro SATO, M.D.,Ph.D. Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, Core Director & Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Koji ATARASHI


chaired by Michisuke YUZAKI

Neuroimmune Interactions Shaping Social Behavior by Gloria CHOI, Ph.D. MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, USA, International Collaborator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Michisuke YUZAKI


Structure-guided Control of the Connectivity by Kunimichi SUZUKI, Ph.D. MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK, Keio University School of Medicine Junior Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Michisuke YUZAKI

chaired by Hideaki KAWAGUCHI

A Non-Human Primate Model for Understanding Mechanisms of Healthy Longevity by Erika SASAKI, Ph.D. CIEA Department of Marmoset Biology and Medicine, Japan, Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Hideaki KAWAGUCHI


Quantum Annealing: Current Status and Future Challenges, Shu TANAKA, Ph.D. Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology, Japan, Core Director & Principal Investigator of WPI-Bio2Q, chaired by Hideaki KAWAGUCHI


Closing Remarks by Takanori KANAI, M.D., Ph.D. Dean, Keio University School of Medicine, Japan

Closing Remarks by Oltea SAMPETREAN, M.D., Ph.D. Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, Administrative director & Junior Principal Investigator of Bio2Q

Photo with participants

























































On Thursday, July 27, the Keio University Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (WPI-Bio2Q) held its second symposium at Shinanomachi Campus.
This symposium was an event where Bio2Q researchers shared their work with those inside and outside the center and discussed potential future avenues of science. The hybrid event was held in person and also live-streamed to the world online.
Ryosuke Takahashi, Program Officer of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), opened the event by introducing Bio2Q’s place in WPI. This was followed by sessions with ten of the world’s top scientists from the U.S., Europe, and Japan working with Bio2Q. The sessions included introductions to each scientist’s area of expertise as well as time for questions and answers.
The symposium welcomed approximately 60 in-person attendees, and online sessions were accessed a total of 240 times, including 45 from the U.S., Europe, and Singapore. Participants engaged in lively discussions on how to achieve good health and longevity in society through the integration of human biology, the microbiome, and quantum computing, as well as the future development of new life sciences.
The Bio2Q is the first microbiome research center in Japan and the country’s first private university to be selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as a WPI. It will use both quantum computing and conventional bioanalytical methods to reveal the complex interactions between the microbiome and humans at the molecular level. In the future, the center hopes to develop new medications and therapies for diseases that have proven difficult to treat.
*Masks were removed only during speeches, Q&As, and briefly for commemorative photos.
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