On behalf of the organizing committee and executive committee of the Commemorative International Symposium of Nucleic Acid Chemistry (CISNAC 2019), I am pleased to invite you all to join CISNAC 2019 to be held from July 22 (Mon) – 24 (Wed), 2019 at Konan University Port Island Campus, Kobe, Japan. We are also delighted to inform that this symposium is commemorative for the establishment of the Japan Society of Nucleic Acids Chemistry (JSNAC) in 2017.
The first Symposium on Nucleic Acids Chemistry in Japan was held in Osaka in 1973. Dr. Morio Ikehara took the lead in holding the first Symposium on Nucleic Acids Chemistry, and Drs. Eiko Ohtsuka, Hikoya Hayatsu, Takeo Shimizu, Tsujiaki Hata and other professors coordinated the efforts. The Symposium was held 45 times up to 2018, and it is now an internationally important symposium (ISNAC) where nucleic acids researchers from all over the world meet. Based on the history of development of nucleic acids chemistry in Japan, JSNAC was established in 2017. The establishment of society that targets nucleic acids chemistry is unlike any other in the world. In commemoration of the establishment of JSNAC, CISNAC 2019 is organized.
As for the role of JSNAC, it is vital that the organization serves as a “bridge” in the following contexts, taking into account its members’ convenience and its presence in society:
- Bridging researchers around the world
Research subjects come from researchers’ individual ideas. On the other hand, well-organized collaborative research efforts are also the key to outstanding achievements. JSNAC must help to demonstrate its members’ research projects as springboards for international collaborative research. To do this, it needs to host many exchange activities, such as international symposiums, mini-symposiums and lecture tours. It should also consider helping bridge research projects in Japan, where a widening gap among universities and research institutions is an issue. - Bridging different fields of specialization
Nucleic acids are important molecules containing information about many different life-giving biomolecules (e.g., proteins) based on the central dogma. Hence, nucleic acid chemistry may serve as the central dogma of other specialized research, and thus have a significant impact on research fields of other diverse life-giving biomolecules, contributing greatly to these fields. Research into nucleic acids in light of nanomaterials or DNA computing may be also applied to materials technology and/or system engineering. Hence, JSNAC should help make its members’ research findings available to researchers in different fields of specialization, and receive and deliver feedback provided by these researchers. - Bridging generations
JSNAC was established by passionate professors who worked tirelessly during nucleic acids chemistry’s early days and by professors of our generation who inherited this passion. Therefore, it is also vital to continue carrying the concept they generated and their skills to bridge different generations. Older generations have experience, and younger ones have the courage to make and embrace change. If JSNAC not only hosts meetings for young researchers but also successfully bridges older and younger generations from the perspective of “the future of the past,” the organization will maintain its spark.
One of the important missions for JSNAC is expected to develop the remarkable talent of the next generation capable of contributing their achievements in leading-edge research that meets the needs of contemporary society. CISNAC 2019 expands the scale of the annual meeting of ISNAC and has 15 foreign and 9 domestic speakers invited, who are all top scientists in the field of nucleic acids chemistry. I am sure that CISNAC will provide valuable opportunity for all attendees to discuss with excellent scientists and contribute the sustainable development of the field of nucleic acids chemistry.
Again, we extend cordial welcome to all of the students and researchers engaged in the research fields mentioned above in academia and industry. We are very much looking forward to seeing all of you in Kobe.
Naoki SUGIMOTO
Chairman of CISNAC 2019
Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER),
Konan University