KU-UW Alliance Project×CMX Retreat “Wakate Dojo”

January 28 - 30, 2026

Through its ongoing partnership with the University of Washington (UW), CMX seeks to promote international collaborative research and foster the next generation of researchers.

In FY2025, CMX organized the international joint symposium “Seeing and Studying Humans through New Technology” and subsequently held Wakate Dojo, a retreat designed to foster collaboration among the next generation of researchers, as a forum for further developing the discussions initiated at the symposium.

Building on the scientific findings and technological insights shared during the symposium, researchers, particularly early-career investigators, engaged in intensive discussions and exchanges across disciplines and nationalities. These activities helped strengthen research networks and foster new opportunities for future international collaborations.

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KU-UW International Joint Symposium "Seeing and Studying Humans through New Technology"

Report by Masanori Miyanishi, Organizer of FY 2025 Symposium

　On January 28, 2026, the KU-UW Alliance Project International Joint Symposium, “Seeing and Studying Humans through New Technology,” was held at Shinryoku Memorial Hall A & B on the Kusunoki Campus of Kobe University.

　The symposium was organized by the Center for Medical Transformation (CMX) and co-organized with the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington, with support from AMED, the JST FOREST Program, BD, Carl Zeiss, and 10x Genomics. A total of 72 participants joined the event: 8 from UW, 12 from companies, including 9 from BD, 1 from Carl Zeiss, and 2 from 10x Genomics, and 52 from Kobe University. The meeting provided an active forum for exchange centered on emerging technologies.

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CMX Retreat “Wakate Dojo”

Report by Takaaki Kato, Chair of the FY 2025 Wakate Dojo Organizig Committee

The Center for Medical Transformation (CMX) Retreat, Wakate Dojo, was held over two days on January 29 and 30, 2026, under the direction of organizers Junichi Kikuta and Masanori Miyanishi and was managed by an organizing committee composed mainly of early-career faculty members.

Marking its eighth year, the retreat began under the new leadership of Professor Takashi Aoi, the newly appointed Director of the Center, with the theme "From Receiving Knowledge to Creating Knowledge."

This year, in addition to 24 research fields at Kobe University, the retreat was co-organized with the University of Washington (UW) exchange program.

To promote more active discussion among participants, the program was substantially redesigned from its conventional format centered on oral and poster presentations to one centered on group discussions.

On the first day, participants from different research fields, career stages, and nationalities formed groups and worked to develop concrete research proposals with the goal of securing large-scale research funding. Faculty members from the University Research Administrator (URA) and representatives from industry served as advisers, while senior researchers also provided guidance.

Drawing on one another's knowledge and experience, the participants refined their ideas through repeated discussion and trial and error. Although communicating across disciplinary boundaries was challenging, each group appeared to enjoy the process of developing its research proposal.

On the second day, the groups presented the research plans they had developed in a competitive format. The question-and-answer sessions continued well beyond the scheduled time, with a wide range of comments and suggestions contributing to highly active discussion. Participants from the University of Washington also took part in the group discussions and competition, creating opportunities for international exchange of ideas.

The invited lectures were delivered by Professor Noboru Mizushima of the Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, and Professor John D. Scott of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Both speakers discussed their research findings and perspectives on conducting research, providing early-career researchers and students with a valuable opportunity to consider the future direction of their own work.

The retreat concluded with awards and comments on the presentations by each group. The work received high praise from Director Aoi and the other faculty members. The event enabled many early-career researchers to expand their peer networks and deepen interactions across career levels, bringing the retreat to a successful close.

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