What did you do during your internship?

I started my internship by first observing iPS cells, which surprised me because they are very similar in size and morphology to HeLa cells, a cancer cell line I usually use for my research at the University of Tsukuba. It was somewhat shocking because I had always thought they would be more different.

I also looked at immunostained cells and iPS cells during the reprogramming process using a high-precision microscope. The microscope was so large and sophisticated that I had no idea how to use it initially, but I was able to use it a short while after and was impressed by its ease of use despite its overwhelming appearance.

The main thing I had to do was design a research plan. I was asked to think about what I wanted to do if I was assigned to this laboratory, and I spent the whole internship after the second day trying to create an experimental plan. I had the opportunity to read many papers and discuss various scientific topics with amazing researchers like Dr. Shimobayashi for hours, which was a great experience. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did not have enough knowledge. I learned the hard way that I should read more papers regularly.

Did anything change from your previous research plan?

I mainly focused at first on the type of applied research I could do with phase separation, but it was suggested I also brainstorm about basic research questions. I would have been happy just to do basic phase separation research, but the idea of using phase separation to unravel various biological phenomena got me super excited and I realized I had to put those experimental plans into action.

Finally, what were your overall impressions of CiRA?

CiRA offers an ideal research environment. The atmosphere in the laboratory is wonderful, and there is a variety of experimental equipment, so basically, everything is possible to do within CiRA. I also felt that everyone comes with a lot of motivation to do research at Kyoto University, so I was fascinated to be surrounded by such ambitious researchers. At the same time, I felt I had to do my best to compete with everyone in CiRA working at the forefront of science.