The 19th Symposium on Bio-related Chemistry in 2025 will be held at the Katsura Campus of Kyoto University. Although it is not the most convenient location, we understand that the Katsura Campus is the place where successive generations of research laboratories/groups that have made the bio-related chemistry exciting have been running, and where many researchers/scientists in bio-related chemistry have been nurtured. Prof. Dr. Itaru Hamachi, who is also a representative of such bio-related chemists, has been studying at the Katsura Campus, and many projects have run and also are still running, as well as fostering many young researchers/scientists/engineers. Dr. Hamachi will retire at the end of FY2025, and we are honored to host this symposium in Katsura this year as a milestone year for his retirement. We have asked Dr. Itaru Hamachi to give an invited lecture for this symposium because of the above-mentioned circumstances and histories. We look forward to the participation of many researchers, both those who have supported bio-related chemistry in the past and those who will pioneer and further enhance it in the future.

 This year's symposium will have a slightly different presentation format. The oral presentation rooms, which were previously divided into three halls, have been consolidated into two, to make the discussions more active and diverse than ever before. We believe that this will have a positive effect on bio-related chemistry, which is rapidly diversifying research fields and topics compared to other fields. In conjunction with this change in venue, we plan to expand the size of each luncheon seminar and make effective use of lunch time. We hope to reverse the unfavorable lunch situation around the Katsura Campus, at least in this symposium, and make this an informative and useful opportunity for all participants.

 I personally believe that the quality and attractiveness of a scientific symposium depends on the basic program of general lectures and accompanying discussions. We, organizing committees, welcome presentations, both oral and poster, from a wide variety of fields. The entire organizing committee will make every effort to make this symposium an opportunity for fruitful exchange of information and interaction. We look forward to seeing you in the lush green surroundings of Katsura.
We look forward to seeing you at the symposium in Katsura, Kyoto.

With best regards,
Keiji Numata