22nd Grant

I gave a poster presentation at the ESMO Asia Congress 2025 held in Singapore, titled "Association between probiotics and the effectiveness of nivolumab in patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with proton pump inhibitors: A propensity score-matching."

In recent years, the impact of concomitant medications on the therapeutic effect of cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has attracted attention. In clinical practice, it has been widely reported that the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors is attenuated by the concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors. Therefore, in this study, we focused on the effect of probiotic use on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastric cancer patients using proton pump inhibitors. Through participation in this conference, I was able to share my research results with overseas researchers and deepen my understanding of the latest findings and international trends in cancer treatment. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for their generous support in attending this conference.

(6th year, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy / Mikuni Yamaguchi)

The purpose of this conference was to share new research results using NMR. In addition to research on protein NMR similar to mine, many studies on low-molecular-weight organic compounds and solid-state NMR were reported, introducing the latest research results in various fields using NMR. I presented a new method for estimating the binding pose of PPI inhibitors using NMR, which drew interest from various participants. Among those interested were individuals working for pharmaceutical companies, who expressed a desire to actually use the method in their own drug discovery research. I also received various opinions from others and was able to engage in deep discussions. Furthermore, my presentation was highly evaluated by the conference councilors, and I received the Excellent Presentation Award, ranking second among all presenters. Additionally, I had opportunities to interact with students from other universities during the tutorial courses, poster presentations, and oral presentations. In these interactions, we discussed each other's research, and I received opinions from outside my laboratory that I had not considered before. Many of these student perspectives differed from those of NMR experts like the professors in my lab, providing fresh stimulation. Finally, the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful conference was made possible by the grant from Sato Pharmaceutical, and I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to them.

(2nd year, Master's Program, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Yukito Kojima)

I participated in the 64th NMR Symposium (2025) held in Okinawa Prefecture and gave a poster presentation titled "14-3-3ζ interacts with DNA-binding domain of FOXO3a and competitively dissociates DNA by dual-motif tethering." In cancer cells, phosphorylation signals are abnormally enhanced, and transcription and translation factors are regulated, leading to the proliferation of cancer cells. One of the transcription factors whose function is suppressed by this phosphorylation signal is FOXO3a. FOXO3a is a tumor suppressor that activates the transcription of apoptosis-related genes, but in cancer cells, it is phosphorylated and binds to the 14-3-3ζ protein, causing it to dissociate from DNA and lose its transcriptional activation ability. Until now, the mechanism by which phosphorylated FOXO3a dissociates from DNA due to 14-3-3ζ binding was unknown. Therefore, through quantitative analysis of competitive relationships and interaction analysis using NMR, we clarified that 14-3-3ζ directly competes with DNA and causes almost complete dissociation of DNA.

Through the poster presentation at this conference, I was not only able to discuss with NMR experts but also had my research highly evaluated and received the Best Young Poster Award. Furthermore, I was able to interact with other students during the poster sessions and social gatherings, which was very stimulating.

Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for their generous support in attending this conference.

(2nd year, Master's Program, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Shota Enomoto)

I participated in the "Keystone Symposium on Immunometabolism Across Scales: From Cells to Systems to Healthspan" held in Vancouver, Canada, from January 11 to January 14, 2026 (local time), and gave a poster presentation titled "Microbial metabolites promote neuroinflammation via activation of intestinal γδT17 cells."

In this study, we analyzed the relationship between M cells, which are responsible for immune surveillance in the intestinal tract, and multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. We found that the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is suppressed in mice lacking M cells, and discovered the possibility that metabolites derived from specific intestinal bacteria taken up via M cells activate and maintain IL-17-producing γδT17 cells in the intestinal tract. This research presents a new immune axis: "M cell–intestinal bacteria–neuroinflammation."

At the conference, I was blessed with the valuable opportunity to engage in direct discussions with prominent overseas researchers in the field of immunometabolism. In particular, I received much advice from a world-class perspective regarding cell migration from the intestinal tract to remote tissues and the mechanism of action of metabolites, which reaffirmed the significance of my research and clarified future challenges.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for their generous support in attending this conference.

(1st year, Master's Program, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Yotaro Kodaira)

At this conference, discussions were held mainly on the molecular mechanisms regulating autophagy and lysosomal repair, as well as the latest findings on proposed new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases targeting these mechanisms. I identified Plekhs1 as a new molecule regulating macropinocytosis—the large-scale uptake of fluid by cells—and gave a poster presentation on its functional analysis. Although my presentation topic was slightly different from the main theme of the conference, it shared common ground in terms of regulating membrane structure through changes in lipid components, and I received extremely important feedback from experts. While there were difficulties in listening to presentations in English in a field slightly removed from my own specialty, I believe I was able to absorb a wealth of the latest knowledge by actively participating in discussions. Furthermore, I learned about research examples where basic findings are applied to drug discovery research and progressed to clinical trials, and I was stimulated by the attitude of looking toward application beyond just publishing papers.

In my laboratory, physiological analysis at the individual level is mainly performed, but at this conference, I was able to encounter full-scale cell biology using cultured cells as models. I was able to not only gain the latest knowledge but also deepen my learning regarding analytical methods. By combining the background cultivated in my laboratory with this experience, I hope to create uniqueness in my own research.

The opportunity to have this meaningful time was thanks to the support of Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude here.

(2nd year, Master's Program, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Keisuke Tanaka)