Director Nakatsuji and iCeMS Senior Staff Visit the NCBS and inStem in Bangalore, India
September 8, 2010
Director of Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Prof. Norio Nakatsuji, and other members of the institute's senior staff visited Bangalore during August 24-26 to further strengthen relations with India's premier life science and stem cell research institutes, as well as to discuss plans for future cooperation.
The institutions visited were the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research's National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem).
Taking part in the delegation in addition to Prof. Nakatsuji were iCeMS Prof. Akihiro Kusumi, Administrative Director Shinji Tomita, iCeMS Kyoto Fellow (junior PI) Ziya Kalay, Assoc. Prof. Ryotaro Matsuda, Asst. Prof. Stéphane Diring, Dr. Sravan Goparaju, and Dr. Hiroyuki Kodama.
The visit focused on three main areas:
- Laying the groundwork for future establishment of joint iCeMS-NCBS satellite labs (the first such project for the NCBS);
- A joint symposium on August 25 (a second is planned for December 17 in Kyoto); and
- Discussions about accelerating ongoing joint research as well as discovering new areas for prospective collaborative work.
By fulfilling these various goals and encouraging an exchange of ideas between promising young scientists in India and Japan, both institutes hope to realize significant progress in their complimentary fields of research. Hopes are especially high for joint work related to three-tiered functional meso-structures of the plasma membrane.
Prof. Nakatsuji
Of the visit, Prof. Nakatsuji said, "In April we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NCBS to formalize the many years of fruitful exchanges and joint work that has taken place between individual scientists in our institutes. We see this visit as having a multiplier effect for both organizations, and strive to create a sustainable environment for cooperative research by boldly expanding the fields of mutual work. It is our intention to create opportunities for India's brightest young researchers, as well as to make a significant contribution to bilateral ties between Japan and India through advancement of science and technology."
 NCBS main building in Bangalore, India |
Mutual Satellites
Prof. VijayRaghavan
One of the key areas of discussion during the visit involved plans to establish mutual satellites at the two institutions, a first for the NCBS.
At the NCBS, it was decided that two iCeMS-related laboratories would occupy a combined 1,000 square meters of a new wing, currently under construction and slated for completion in the fall of 2011. NCBS Director Prof. VijayRaghavan expressed great enthusiasm for the plans, adding, "We initially intend to commit an equivalent of 100 million yen annually, for five years, to these joint efforts."
Prof. Kusumi
The two labs at the NCBS will cover the fields of single-molecule imaging and stem cell research. While the latter will primarily focus on the pioneering work of the Nakatsuji Lab in the field of ES cells and recent disease model research using ES/iPS cells (e.g., Alzheimer's disease), efforts which are expected to help the NCBS and inStem become leaders in these fields in India, the single-molecule imaging work will mainly be based on the efforts of the Kusumi Lab and of the iCeMS' Center for Meso-Bio Single-Molecule Imaging (CeMI). Prof. Kusumi commented, "Many new drug treatments for infectious diseases such as BSE and HIV/Aids, as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, target the three-tiered structures of the plasma membrane. This joint work will greatly enhance our understanding of the forms and functions of cellular meso-architectures, possibly leading to the discovery of new drugs and treatments that will be of great future benefit to medical science."
The NCBS satellite, meanwhile, is slated to occupy part of a new building at iCeMS Complex 2 (to be completed in November) beginning on December 17. Collaborative work will initially be conducted at the Nakatsuji Lab, the CeMI, and with the Kalay Group, but is expected to expand to include other areas and labs as well.
Scenes from the August 25 Joint Symposium
The iCeMS-NCBS joint symposium on August 25 opened with congratulatory remarks from Mr. Masayuki Tsuchikawa, head of the Japanese Consulate in Bangalore. iCeMS faculty and staff in Japan also participated via video conference.
Speaking at the symposium were: Profs. VijayRaghavan, Jyotsna Dhawan, Maneesha S. Inamdar, Sudhir Drishna, Mitradas M. Panicker, Ramaswamy Subramanian, Satyajit Mayor, and Madan Rao from the NCBS and inStem, and Profs. Nakatsuji and Kusumi and Drs. Sravan K. Goparaju, Ziya Kalay, Ryotaro Matsuda, and Stéphane Diring from the iCeMS.
 Overview of the symposium venue at the NCBS |
 Prof. Nakatsuji presenting |
 Prof. VijayRaghavan presenting |
 iCeMS Dr. Diring (left) and NCBS Prof. Rao in discussion following the symposium |
 iCeMS staff participating in the symposium via video conference (iCeMS Main Bldg Seminar Rm) |
 Profs. Ueda, Harada, and other iCeMS staff attending the video conference |
About the NCBS
The 
National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), located in Bangalore, India, is part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The mandate of the NCBS is fundamental research in the frontier areas of biology. Research interests range from the study of single molecules to ecology and evolution. In addition, the Centre engages in a number of collaborative initiatives, such as inStem (stem cells and regeneration biology) and iBio (interdisciplinary exploration of living matter incorporating physics and chemistry), as well as helping to develop cutting edge instrumentation and software via C-CAMP. The NCBS and the iCeMS signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2010, but collaborative research between individual NCBS and iCeMS scientists began even prior to the iCeMS' founding.