Collaboration Programs with
Overseas Institutions
NIBB-Center for Organismal Studies (COS),Heidelberg, Germany

NIBB-COS international collaboration research projectfocusing on the mechanisms and evolution of light sensing
in cnidarians
NIBB and COS Heidelberg started an international collaborative research project focusing on the mechanism and evolution of light sensing in cnidarians. This project was financially supported by the NINS. In this collaborative research
project, a new emerging model organism, sea anemone(Aiptasia sp.), was used. Professor Annika Guse, who has
been conducting research analyzing the mechanisms and evolution of light sensing in sea anemones at COS Heidelberg,
joined the “Open Laboratory” established in NIBB. In
October 2020, a post-doc researcher, Dr. Mariko Kishimoto
who received PhD degree in NIBB, joined this research
project and has been conducting research using molecularbiological and molecular genetic approaches. More detail areprovided on the page of the collaborative research project (p.
75).

The meeting for NIBB-COS Heidelberg InternationalCollaborations
Lecture series #2 “Stem Cell”
Lecture series #3 “Cell Signaling / Cell Biology”
The meeting for NIBB-COS Heidelberg InternationalCollaborations was organized in conjunction with COS
Heidelberg in Germany. During the Lecture Series held inthis program, two researchers from both institutes gave apresentation on the specific theme. In the 2nd meeting heldon June 25, 2021, the lecture series theme was “Stem Cell”.
Dr. Tomomi Tsubouchi from the Laboratory of Stem Cell
Biology and Dr. Sergio P. Acebrón from COS Heidelberg
talked about their research projects. Thirty-nine members
from NIBB and 33 from COS Heidelberg (both totals
included post-docs and students) participated in this event.
The theme of the 3rd meeting held on March 31, 2022, was“Cell Signaling / Cell Biology”. Dr. Kazuhiro Aoki from theDivision of Quantitative Biology and Dr. Gislene Pereira
from COS Heidelberg gave their presentations to 36 NIBB
members and 26 COS members. During both events, lively
discussions took place.

Lecture by Tomomi Tsubouchi (NIBB) in the 2nd meeting.

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We also organized the social meetup events in the meetings
and used the video chat tool, Spatial Chat, as an online
meeting platform to facilitate it. Principal investigators,
researchers, and students from both institutes were thus ableto meet and have lively exchanges. By manipulating thespecially assigned icon given to each of them, participants
were able to freely join any discussions they chose to partakein with no limitations on the number of people involved.
Consequently, the event was highly praised.

Group discussion after the lectures in the 3rd meeting.

In these meetings, several discussions on new collaborative research were put forward, and as a result, ties between
NIBB and COS seemed to have deepened. Some participants suggested that the exchange of young researchers andstudents from both institutes would be considered and thata poster session would be held at the meeting. In light ofthese comments, we are considering holding an online poster
session for the next meeting.

NIBB-Princeton University, USA

Collaborative activities between NIBB and Princeton
University are conducted under the support of theInternational Research Collaboration Center (IRCC) of
the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), basedon the academic exchange agreement between the NINS
and Princeton University. In FY2020, Dr. Ellen Reed, anIRCC's specially appointed research staff and postdoctoral research fellow of Princeton University, promoteda collaborative research project with Professor Kazuhiro
Aoki of NIBB and Professor Jared Toettcher of Princeton
University on "Dissolving biomolecular condensates using
optical or chemical recruitment of soluble proteins" atPrinceton University. In FY2021, due to the COVID-19 situation, it was difficult to travel between NIBB and Princeton
University. However, collaborative research activities wereconducted using online communication tools and we agreed
that Dr. Reed would visit NIBB and carry out the collaboration in Prof. Aoki's laboratory in the next year.