The 59th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists

Symposia

Day 1 (June 09 (Tue))　15:00-18:00

Open Call for Abstracts

Symposium 01：From Water to Land: Evolutionary, Developmental, and Regenerative Strategies for Environmental Adaptation

Chairpersons:
Wataru Kimura (RIKEN BDR/ Shinshu Univ.)
Kazu Kobayakawa (Kyushu Univ.)

A brief introduction：
The transition from an aquatic to a terrestrial life represents a fundamental shift in the history of vertebrate evolution, during which organisms underwent extensive reorganization of their morphology, metabolism, physiology, and developmental programs. The challenge of adapting to life on land arises not only in evolutionary history but also during ontogeny, such as amphibian metamorphosis and birth in amniotes, where organisms are confronted with terrestrial stresses including oxidative stress, desiccation, and temperature fluctuations. These transitions are thought to involve diverse physiological and developmental regulatory processes, including metabolic remodeling, the establishment of oxidative stress response mechanisms, and changes in tissue regenerative capacity.
In this symposium, under the conceptual framework of “From Water to Land,” we aim to discuss the mechanisms acquired for terrestrial adaptation and their applications from diverse perspectives, including development, regeneration, metabolism, and evolution. Topics will include the evolution of tolerance to various stresses associated with terrestrialization, as well as medically relevant implications of life-stage dependent changes in regenerative capacity, as observed in amphibians and mammals. By bridging basic research and translational perspectives, this symposium aims to provide an interdisciplinary forum that connects basic and clinical sciences.

Speakers:
Kanae Yumimoto (Kyushu Univ.)
Mikiko Tanaka (Science Tokyo)
Yoshihiro Morishita (RIKEN BDR)
Kento Kitada (Kagawa Univ.)
Kazu Kobayakawa (Kyushu Univ.)
Wataru Kimura (RIKEN BDR/Shinshu Univ.)

Symposium 02：National Bioresources for Developmental Biology: Birds and Amphibians Meet Flowers and Bryophytes

Co-organized by：NBRP Clawed frogs & Newts, NBRP Chrysanthemums, NBRP Chickens & Quails

Chairpersons:
Hajime Ogino (Hiroshima Univ.)
Toshinori Hayashi (Hiroshima Univ.)　　

A brief introduction：
The aim of developmental biology is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the morphogenesis of a variety of organisms. Achieving this goal requires the use of diverse organisms with distinct characteristics, enabling researchers to identify both the commonalities and differences in their developmental processes, and to uncover the cellular behaviors and gene regulatory networks that drive them. Traditionally, research communities have tended to specialize within individual model organisms, deepening knowledge within each species. However, recent advances in genomic information and related resources have made it possible to conduct comparative studies across distantly related taxa—an approach once considered unattainable—and these comparisons have led to numerous breakthroughs.
Central to such interspecies comparative research are high-quality biological resources. Hiroshima University, which hosts the Organizing Committee of the 59th Annual Meeting of JSDB, operates multiple bioresource programs that encompass a wide range of species, from animals to plants. This symposium aims to explore emerging directions in next-generation research through presentations by directors of these bioresource projects, as well as researchers who actively utilize them.

Speakers:
Hajime Ogino (Hiroshima Univ.)
Toshinori Hayashi (Hiroshima Univ.)
Makoto Kusaba (Hiroshima Univ.)
Hiroyuki Horiuchi (Hiroshima Univ.)
Masaki Shimamura (Hiroshima Univ.)
Yuta Tanizaki (Univ. of Tokyo)
Haruka Matsubara (Tottori Univ.)
Yohei Higuchi (Univ. of Tokyo)
Kennosuke Ichikawa (Univ. of Edinburgh)
Yukiko Yasui (Kyoto Univ.)

Open Call for Abstracts

Symposium 03：Toward an evolutionary and developmental understanding of neural circuits in mental disorders

Chairpersons:
Toshiyuki Fujita (Teikyo Univ.)
Teruhiro Okuyama (Univ. of Tokyo)

A brief introduction：
Recent advances in disease genomics and neuroscience have greatly deepened our understanding of the molecular and neural circuit mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders. However, to fully elucidate the origins of psychiatric disease, it is essential to reconsider these mechanisms from an evolutionary–developmental (Evo-Devo) perspective. In particular, two fundamental questions remain insufficiently explored: (1) how the seeds of psychiatric disorders emerge and unfold during development, and (2) where their evolutionary origins lie across animal species. This symposium aims to foster an integrative discussion on the evolutionary and developmental foundations of neural circuits implicated in psychiatric disorders by synthesizing findings from studies across diverse animal models and a broad spectrum of psychiatric conditions.

Speakers:
Teruhiro Okuyama (Univ. of Tokyo)
Sho Yagishita (Univ. of Tokyo)
Yutaro Hori (Univ. of Tokyo)
Hiroki Kohno (Univ. of Tokyo)
Toshiyuki Fujita (Teikyo Univ.)

Day 2 (June 10 (Wed))　9:00-12:00

Symposium 04：Inheriting genomes through the transgenerational maze

Co-organized by：Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) "Dynamic reproductive lifespan"

Chairpersons:
Shosei Yoshida (NIBB)
Tomoya Kitajima (RIKEN BDR)

A brief introduction：
Life continues across generations by transmitting genomes through germ cells. Yet inheritance is never perfectly faithful. Genomes change at multiple scales, from point mutations to chromosome-level rearrangements and karyotype variation (aneuploidy), and these changes can emerge as somatic phenotypes in subsequent generations. Sometimes they cause disease; sometimes they fuel evolution. In some organisms, genome alterations are developmentally programmed and woven into the life cycle. In this symposium, we explore how diverse organisms, from protozoans to plants and humans, navigate this maze—balancing genome stability with plasticity—and still succeed in carrying life forward.

Speakers:
Kazufumi Mochizuki (IGH, Montpellier, France)
Asako Sugimoto (Tohoku Univ.)
Akiko Satake (Kyushu Univ.)
Tomoya Kitajima (RIKEN BDR)
Shosei Yoshida (NIBB)
Arikuni Uchimura (RERF)
Raheleh Rahbari (Sanger Institute, UK)

Day 2 (June 10 (Wed))　15:30-18:30

Symposium 05：Korea - Japan Joint Symposium

Co-organized by：Development Growth & Differentiation (DGD)

Chairpersons:
Asako Shindo (Univ. of Osaka)
Tae Joo Park (UNIST)

A brief introduction：
Developmental biology spans a broad spectrum of research fields grounded in diverse animal and plant model organisms. To strengthen sustained scientific exchange between Korea and Japan, KSDB and JSDB hold a Korea?Japan Joint Symposium as an official session within each society’s annual meeting. This symposium brings together early- and mid-career researchers to share emerging discoveries, compare complementary approaches shaped by different research environments. Accordingly, speakers will present cutting-edge work across diverse areas of developmental biology, including morphogenesis, regeneration and stem cells, quantitative imaging, evo-devo, and single-cell/omics-driven developmental systems biology.

Speakers:
Hyung Chul Lee (Chonnam National Univ.)
Sekyu Choi (POSTECH)
Hanseul Yang (KAIST)
Alice Tsuboi (RIKEN BDR)
Dongbo Shi (RIKEN CSRS)
Rieko Asai (Kumamoto Univ.)
Masahiro Uesaka (Tohoku Univ.)

Day 3 (June 11 (Thu))　9:00-12:00

Symposium 06：France - Japan Joint Symposium : Frontiers of Developmental Biology

Co-organized by：Sasagawa Fundation, Development Growth & Differentiation(DGD)

Chairpersons:
Yasuko Akiyama-Oda (BHR)
Takefumi Kondo (RIKEN BDR)

A brief introduction：
This joint symposium, sponsored by both the French and Japanese Societies of Developmental Biology, highlights groundbreaking research from prominent scientists in both countries. This session features a multidisciplinary array of topics, ranging from the visualization of intercellular signaling and live imaging of gene expression to epithelial mechanics and tissue morphogenesis and mathematical approaches. This session serves as a platform to discuss current and future directions of developmental biology and emerging technologies addressing fundamental questions in the field.

Speakers:
Lagha Mounia (Univ. of Montpellier, France)
Vincent Mirouse (Unive. Clermont Auvergne, France)
Jean Leon Maitre (Institut Curie, France)
Takefumi Kondo (RIKEN BDR)
Yusuke Mii (Kyoto Univ.)
Miho Kitazawa (Univ. of Osaka)

Day 4 (June 12 (Fri))　9:00-12:00

Open Call for Abstracts

Symposium 07：Physical and Metabolic Perspectives on Development, Growth and Diseases

Chairpersons:
Ryusuke Niwa (Univ. of Tsukuba)
Pierre Leopold (Institut Curie)

A brief introduction：
Recent advances in physical and metabolomic approaches have opened new avenues for investigating developmental processes in a dynamic and integrative manner. This joint Japan–France conference provides a unique opportunity to bring together researchers from both countries who are contributing to this emerging field. Topics will include physical constraints in tissue growth and morphogenesis, mechanobiology of neural development, metabolic and endocrine perspectives on early development, and metabolomic studies of development and diseases using both vertebrate and invertebrate models. Model organisms will include fruit flies, frogs, mice, and humans. We aim to foster active discussion with the audience on the conceptual and methodological directions of this field.

Speakers:
Pierre Leopold (Institut Curie)
Keiko Nonomura (Kyoto Univ.)
Clothilde Cadart (Institut Cochin)
Shinpei Kawaoka (Tohoku Univ.)
Yuya Sanaki (Univ. of Tsukuba)
Makoto Arita (RIKEN IMS)

Symposium 08：Exploring development and evolution through primate model systems

Chairpersons:
Ikuo Suzuki (Univ. of Tokyo)
Takuya Imamura (Hiroshima Univ.)

A brief introduction：
TBA

Speakers:
Ikuo Suzuki (Univ. of Tokyo)
Takuya Imamura (Hiroshima Univ.)
Tomonori Nakamura (Kyoto Univ.)
Baptiste Libe-Philippot (IBDM)