Okayama University Hosts Eighth Meeting of Microbial Explorers Network for Interdisciplinary Research

Okayama University's Eighth Microbial Explorers Meeting

On December 1, 2025, Okayama University, located in Kurashiki, held the eighth gathering of its pioneering research group known as the "Microbial Explorers." This meeting took place at the Co-Creation Innovation Lab, KIBINOVE, as part of their efforts to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and research hub formation. Following the hybrid format established in the previous meeting, 24 participants joined, including faculty members, University Research Administrators (URA), coordinators focused on academia-industry collaboration, and representatives from Fujiwara Techno Art Co., Ltd.

Differing from its predecessors, this meeting featured esteemed speakers from Nagaoka University of Technology, who were selected through the J-PEAKS initiative. Notable guests included Professor Wataru Ogasawara, Director of the Regional GX Innovation Co-Creation Center; Professor Yoshikazu Oya; Professor Toru Nakamura; and Associate Professor Yoshiyuki Suzuki, all from Nagaoka University. They engaged in presentations and lively discussions, significantly deepening research collaboration between the two universities.

The meeting was conducted in both Japanese and English. It commenced with an opening address by Professor Akira Moriya, representing the academia and research division of Okayama University’s Faculty of Environmental Life Science. Following this, Professor Moriya delivered an insightful presentation on "Identification of Restriction Factors Using Excessive Expression Library of Budding Yeast," while Professor Oya discussed "Functional Clarification of Functionally Unknown Essential Genes Remaining in Budding Yeast Genome."

An international perspective was added by Professor Christian Landry from Laval University in Canada, who spoke on "Towards a Complete Understanding of Drug Resistance in Pathogenic Fungi." Following this, engaged discussions continued with presentations from Associate Professor Suzuki on "Million Screening Technology - An Ultra-High-Efficiency Microbial Exploration Breeding Technology" and Yuki Chadani’s analysis of "Weak Points of Protein Synthesis Systems and Strategies to Overcome Them."

Post-meeting, participants enjoyed a networking session to deepen relationships and foster multi-faceted exchanges. The continued meetings highlight the commitment and approach of Okayama University, which is recognized as a distinctive research university and a core player in regional innovation.

The objective of the Microbial Explorers initiative is to enhance the collaboration of researchers within the university focused on microbial studies. By centering on microbiology, the initiative aims to create a welcoming environment for researchers from various fields to engage and collaborate, forming a salon-like atmosphere to propel new joint research endeavors and academic disciplines.

This initiative not only aims to share instruments and methods related to microbial research but also anticipates the emergence of new research through interdisciplinary exchange. Furthermore, it seeks to facilitate funding acquisition for joint projects, enabling the purchase of high-end equipment and the establishment of research centers, thereby strengthening the foundation of microbial studies at Okayama University.

The Microbial Explorers initiative at Okayama University represents a significant step toward fostering deeper academic links and enhancing our understanding of microbiological challenges.