CMX Retreat "Wakate-Dojo" in FY 2023
Participation Review from the best presentation awadees

Oral Presentation　CD47 promotes peripheral T cell survival by preventing dendritic cell–mediated T cell necroptosis

KOMORI Satomi, Academic Researcher, Biosignal Regulation

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for receiving the Best Presentation Award at "Wakate-dojo." "Wakate-dojo" provided me with a valuable lecture and research presentation venue. I had the great opportunity to interact with people from other fields in the retreat. It's been a long time since I attended "Wakate-dojo" last time, but the event was so lively, and I was able to spend two fulfilling days. During the flash talk on the first day, we could touch on various research topics even though we had limited time. I was also very inspired by the lively discussion that took place during the poster presentations. For oral presentations, I reaffirm the importance of preparing with an emphasis on how to explain my research in an easy-to-understand manner. Also, during the Q&A session of the oral presentation, I received very insightful comments, which can be helpful for my study. At the keynote lectures given by Professor Fukata and Professor Ishii, I learned a lot about their latest research and very interesting experimental methods. The lectures were very easy to understand and very exciting for me. Moreover, I refreshed myself by going on an excursion to Awaji Island and having a wonderful time at a hotel. I charged my energy for future research. Once again, I would like to thank my mentor, Professor Matozaki, all participants, as well as organizers of the retreat.

Poster title　Liquid-like Property of Afadin Determines Appropriate Positioning of Adherens Junction in Epithelial Cells

KUNO Syuhei, Doctoral Student

Thank you very much for this prestigious award. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the members of the organizing committee, everyone in the division of structural medicine and anatomy, and all those involved in the presentation of this work. The sixth meeting of Wakate Dojo provides an excellent platform for exchange and discussions among scientists from different departments within the Kobe University School of Medicine. At this meeting, I had the opportunity to engage in discussions with individuals from other laboratories, which was very insightful. The poster session was particularly rewarding as some participants approached deficits of research and expressed their interests in listening to my presentation. Recently, I have come to feel the value of interacting with associates of the same generation through them. Engaging in conversations with people who hold different perspectives or share similar ones allows me to lose track of time. I am happy to share this kind of fun with associates. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have not had much opportunity with onsite meetings. Therefore, I feel that this meeting serves the role of a "Dojo" in the sense of gaining invaluable experience. Once again, thank you for this opportunity and recognition.

Gede Ngurah Rsi Suwardan, Doctoral Student, Dept. of Infectious Disease Control

CMX Retreat “Wakate Dojo” held on October 6th-7th this year was a valuable scientific experience for an inexperienced student like me. The atmosphere of this meeting is very positive with lots of lessons, questions, and insight from the keynote speakers, oral and poster presenters, including feedback from the participants. The schedule and flow during the meeting were also convenient. Allow me to sincerely express my gratitude to all of the teachers, staff, and students who organized this meeting. I am looking forward to attending this meeting again next time. I feel honored to receive the Best Presenter Award in the poster session at this meeting. It encourages me to work harder. I would also express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Ikuo Shoji, M.D., Ph.D., and all my mentors in the Division of Infectious Disease Control for always supporting my research activity.

Poster Title　Chronic social stress alters synaptic central metabolism for prefrontal dysfunction

NUMA Chisato, Undergraduate Student, Dept. of Pharmacology

I am Chisato Numa, an MD-PhD student at the Division of Pharmacology and in the 5th year of the MD program. I would like to show my gratitude to Ms. Haneda, Ms. Amo, Dr. Furuyashiki, and members of the executive committee for organizing the CMX retreat “Wakate Dojo”, held at Awaji Yumebutai International Conference Center from October 6th to 7th. I am very honored to receive the poster presentation award. “Wakate Dojo” is a unique opportunity for me to socialize with graduate students and researchers from different fields in the Center for Medical Transformation at Kobe University. This was my 1st time joining the retreat. I enjoyed delicious dinner and cozy drinking, catching up with familiar colleagues, getting acquainted with researchers in other divisions, and even seeing acquainted researchers who had moved to Kobe University recently, which was a pleasant surprise. At the poster session, I found it advantageous for my research to take questions and get advice from various scopes of researchers from multiple research fields, and I enjoyed listening to their presentations and asking questions casually, too. Also, the lectures were inspiring. I was amazed, in Dr. Fukata’s talk, by the molecular machinery forming nanoclusters in synapse and its contribution to epilepsy, and in Dr. Ishii’s talk, by convincing in-vivo images visualizing osteoclasts and their acid emission as well as the cancerous nature of causal osteoclast in Rheumatoid Arthritis. These occasions to socialize with researchers from different fields truly help me think outside of the box, and I hope I will be able to join this retreat again!