#Japan #Tokyo #Tokyo Medical Research Institute #Bioluminescent Plants #Circadian Clock

Third Tokyo Medical Research Institute Public Lecture

The Tokyo Medical Research Institute is excited to announce the upcoming third edition of its public lecture series, set to take place on August 1, 2025. This year's theme is "Transforming Science and Society with Bioluminescent Proteins!" The event is aimed at sharing the Institute's cutting-edge research on crucial, yet unresolved, medical conditions such as neurological disorders, mental health issues, cancers, and infectious diseases. Through this initiative, we strive to make scientific developments more accessible and comprehensible to the public.

For this session, we are honored to welcome Professor Takeharu Nagai from Osaka University’s Institute of Industrial Science. Alongside him, Dr. Hikaru Yoshitane from the Institute's Circadian Clock Project will give a presentation.

Event Details

• - Date & Time: August 1, 2025, from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM (JST)
• - Format: Hybrid (In-person at the Tokyo Medical Research Institute auditorium and via Zoom)

Presentation Highlights

• - Title: "Transforming Science and Society with Bioluminescent Proteins!"
• - Speaker: Professor Takaharu Nagai

Lecture Overview

In this lecture, we will delve into the mechanisms of bioluminescence inherent in luminous organisms and explore our efforts to create self-luminous plants. Notably, we have achieved the bioluminescence of species such as tobacco and poplar plants. Currently, the brightness is just sufficient to be barely perceived by the naked eye; however, we aim to enhance this luminous intensity further, potentially creating lighting devices (LEPs) that can illuminate streets and homes without utilizing electrical power. This presentation will explain the biological luminescent phenomena that form the basis of LEP development and discuss techniques to boost light emission and alter light colors. Furthermore, we will explore a visionary future of "minimal power usage" in society that contrasts sharply with today's power-dependent reality.

• - Title: “Understanding the Mechanisms of the Circadian Clock”
• - Speaker: Dr. Hikaru Yoshitane

Lecture Overview

Living organisms maintain rhythms across various timescales, from seconds to years. For instance, our hearts beat around once per second, and we observe seasonal changes such as cherry blossoms in spring and bear hibernation in winter. Such rhythms also manifest in daily cycles, including feeling sleepy at night and waking up in the morning, which is attributed to an intrinsic "circadian clock" that counts the 24-hour cycle. This presentation will reveal the latest research on how living beings sense and count time through their internal clocks.

Participant Information

This lecture is free of charge, limited to 600 participants (100 for in-person, 500 online). Attendance will be based on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration

• - For In-Person Attendance:

Submit your application by mail or email.
Mail Application: Use a return postcard indicating "Third Public Lecture (In-Person Attendance)" along with your address, name (with furigana), age, and phone number. If attending with others, please include their names and ages. Send applications to:
〒156-8506 Tokyo, Setagaya, Kamikitazawa 2-1-6
Public Relations Section, Tokyo Medical Research Institute

Email Application: Write "Third Public Lecture (In-Person Attendance)" in the subject line and include your name (with furigana), age, phone number, and the names and ages of any companions in the body of the email. Send it to the registration email: tomin@igakuken.or.jp.

• - For Online Viewing: Register through the Tokyo Medical Research Institute's website at registration form.

Deadline

• - In-Person: July 25, 2025
• - Online: At the start time of the lecture

We look forward to your participation in an engaging and enlightening discussion that bridges science and society.