[Biotechnology Journal] Heidelberg-Kyoto Special Issue Published
June 27, 2012
Scientific publisher WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. in early June released a special issue of its Biotechnology Journal entitled 
Stem Cells and Materials (Biotechnol J 7, 693-823; 2012), featuring the highlights of a conference jointly organized by Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS) and the Collaborative Research Center SFB 873 (Sonderforschungsbereich 873) of the University of Heidelberg.
The Heidelberg-Kyoto multidisciplinary symposium — Crossing Boundaries: Stem Cells, Materials, and Mesoscopic Sciences — was held over three days in July 2011, featuring 33 leading researchers in cell biology and material science as speakers. The journal special issue comprises the following 11 review articles based on presentations given by five speakers from the University of Heidelberg and six from Kyoto University, including Senior Lecturer Keisuke Okita of Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA):
- Stem cells: A view from the roots. Ildiko M. L. Somorjai, Jan U. Lohmann, Thomas W. Holstein and Zhong Zhao
- Shaping the niche: Lessons from the Drosophila testis and other model systems. Fani Papagiannouli and Ingrid Lohmann
- Stochastic processes in the development of pluripotency in vivo. Sebastian Wennekamp and Takashi Hiiragi
- Reaction kinetics in the plasma membrane. Ziya Kalay
- Lipid rafts generate digital-like signal transduction in cell plasma membranes. Kenichi G. N. Suzuki
- Phospholipid nanodisc engineering for drug delivery systems. Tatsuya Murakami
- Systematic approaches to dissect biological processes in stem cells by image-based screening. Gerrit Erdmann, Christian Volz and Michael Boutros
- Identification of leukemia stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia and their clinical relevance. Van Thanh Hoang, Abraham Zepeda-Moreno and Anthony D. Ho
- Methods for iPS cell generation for basic research and clinical applications. Yuji Mochiduki and Keisuke Okita
- Programmable genetic switches to control transcriptional machinery of pluripotency. Ganesh N. Pandian and Hiroshi Sugiyama
- Mediators of induced pluripotency and their role in cancer cells - current scientific knowledge and future perspectives. Mathias Bernhardt, Marta Galach, Daniel Novak and Jochen Utikal
The directors of the two institutes, Profs. Norio Nakatsuji of iCeMS and Anthony D. Ho of SFB 873, coauthored an editorial as well as participated in selection of the articles as visiting editors-in-chief.
Prof. Nakatsuji is highly pleased with the result. "I am delighted to see that the outcome of such a successful joint symposium has been preserved in the special issue of an international science journal, as well as in the participants' collective memory," he said, following release of the publication. "I find it significant that the featured peer-reviewed papers are written not only by senior researchers but also by many promising younger scientists. With the academic world becoming more and more international and cross-disciplinary, one of the primary aims of such exchanges should be to broaden the sphere of young researchers' activities. In this context, we're always willing to contribute, for the sake of science and technology advancement, to strengthening the Heidelberg-Kyoto partnership and ultimately the friendship between Germany and Japan."
Cover art for the special issue was adapted from the symposium poster created by David H. Kornhauser of iCeMS' International Public Relations, depicting Heidelberg Castle and the pagoda at Toji in Kyoto, joined by an electron microscope image of the mesoscopic structures in a cell membrane, provided by iCeMS Prof. John Heuser. The journal also includes a feature article "Heidelberg-Kyoto partnership bridges life and materials sciences, strengthens bilateral ties" by iCeMS PR Manager Yutaka Iijima, Prof. Nakatsuji, and David Kornhauser, describing the 1990 exchange agreement between the two universities and the Japanese-German University Presidents' Conference launched in 2010.
Related links
- Heidelberg University: Sonderforschungsbereich 873 "Maintenance and Differentiation of Stem Cells in Development and Research"
- Kyoto University: The 2nd German-Japanese University Presidents' Conference held at Kyoto University (March 29-30, 2012)
- Kyoto University: Conference of Six Japanese-German University Presidents attended by President Hiroshi Matsumoto (July 29-30, 2010)
- Kyoto University: Overseas Partner Institutions