CiRA and the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM) at the University of Zurich in Switzerland established a collaborative agreement in 2017 to pursue the common goal of bringing regenerative medicine to the world. This April, the two research institutes organized a CiRA-IREM Joint Workshop in conjunction with the iPSZürich Symposium, an annual event organized by IREM to highlight research advances made toward the medical application of iPS cells and other next-generation therapies, to introduce research taking place at both institutes and encourage trainees from IREM and CiRA to expand their horizons and consider pursuing their scientific training abroad.

With support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Kyoto University Foundation, and other academic and industrial sponsors, the iPSZürich Symposium 2024 and CiRA-IREM Joint Workshop was a resounding success, with over 180 participants on-site and online, held on April 4 and 5 at the University of Zurich. In addition to several CiRA faculty members, five CiRA-IREM Travel Award recipients represented CiRA and Kyoto University at the symposium and workshop.

Upon arrival in Zurich, the CiRA convoy visited IREM, during which professors from both institutes exchanged ideas about the shared goals of advancing next-generation regenerative medicine. Following this discussion, the visiting CiRA members toured several research labs and a patient facility at IREM. Finally, the CiRA group was introduced to the BioMed Entrepreneurship Programs available at IREM for its members to nurture entrepreneurship and convert scientific ideas into successful businesses.

On April 4, the CiRA-IREM Joint Workshop was held at the University of Zurich City Campus. To get started, Drs. Jessica Plucain and Kelvin Hui provided the attendees with brief introductions of IREM and CiRA. Next, invited speakers with experience studying or working at Kyoto University and now living in Europe spoke about their experiences abroad in a panel discussion to workshop attendees interested in taking on the challenge themselves.

A networking session was held following the panel discussion to facilitate further exchanges between the invited speakers, travel awardees, and workshop attendees. To end the workshop, Drs. Leslie Reinhardt and Hui introduced different funding schemes for short- and long-term research stays at the University of Zurich and CiRA or Kyoto University, respectively. During a joint public lecture in the evening, IREM Director Dr. Simon P. Hoerstrup and CiRA Director Dr. Jun Takahashi discussed the current state of regenerative medicine in Switzerland and Japan.

The main event, iPSZürich Symposium 2024, was held the next day, with two CiRA principal investigators, Drs. Knut Woltjen and Hirohide Saito, giving invited talks to headline the "Development and Aging" and "Gene Regulation" sessions of the symposium, respectively. In addition, Drs. Laurine Cabon (Roche Institute of Human Biology) and Ute Modlich (IREM) led the "Modelling in Health and Disease" and "Translational Application" sessions and presented their latest work. CiRA-IREM Travel Awardees also presented their research at CiRA during short talks or poster presentations during the symposium.

Overall, the joint workshop and symposium was an invaluable experience for the travel awardees from CiRA, for which they show great appreciation.

"As this was my first on-site symposium, I was undoubtedly looking forward to it. I had a wonderful time at the symposium, listening to the participants’ experiences and having discussions with researchers in similar fields," said Naoya Amimoto, a Ph.D student in the Jun Takahashi Lab.

"Being a part of the iPSZurich workshop and symposium was nothing short of enlightening. It was eye-opening to see the diverse strategies employed by the University of Zurich and IREM in fostering the upcoming generation of scientists in both academia and in industry. I am grateful I had the opportunity to be a part of this event and look forward to revisiting Zurich soon. Thank you for having us!" Emiri Nakamura, a Ph.D. student in the Koji Eto Lab, expressed her thoughts on the event.

"Being at the symposium felt like being at the heart of innovation. Every moment was a chance to learn valuable things and make new friends. I am very grateful for the organizing team who worked diligently to make this wonderful event possible" noted Linh Nguyen, a Ph.D. student in the Makoto Ikeya Lab.

"My experience in Zurich was truly wonderful, and I am deeply grateful to the University of Zurich, especially IREM," said Dr. Tatsuya Yamakawa, a researcher in the Mio Iwasaki Lab. "I am very impressed by their vision to promote innovation through the connection of young researchers from different universities and fields."

Dr. Denise Zujur, a researcher in the Ikeya Lab, said, "I am deeply grateful for the exceptional organization and hospitality at the joint workshop and iPSZürich symposium. There were three days full of enthusiasm, learning opportunities, exchange of experiences, and academic dialogues. I enjoyed the tour and discussions at IREM, sharing my research and talks on the bright future of iPS cell technology and regenerative medicine."

Moving forward, as part of a Strategic Partnership between the University of Zurich and Kyoto University, the two research institutes look to further opportunities for collaborative research and scientific exchange in the future, working together to make cutting-edge therapies a reality and train the next generation of scientists.

CiRA faculty and travel awardees visit IREM.
(Photo courtesy of Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich)

A memorable exchange between IREM and CiRA trainees at the University of Zurich.
(Photo courtesy of Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich)