The 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Molecular Science
The 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Molecular Science
Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Biological Function and Drug Discovery based on Protein Structure/Function Analysis
Part of the International Symposium on Frontiers in Molecular Science series
15th April 2025
15th May 2025
15th June 2025
1st July 2025
26th August 2025
Protein Structure and Function, Multidomain Proteins, Drug Design and Drug Resistance, Enzymes, Molecular Biology of Galectins, Glycobiophysics, NMR Spectroscopy, Specific Sensory Systems, Brain and Systemic Function
Welcome from the Chairs
Dear Colleagues,
We cordially invite you to participate in the 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Molecular Sciences (ISFMS2025)—Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Biological Function and Drug Discovery based on Protein Structure/Function Analysis, to be held in Kyoto, Japan, from August 26 to 29, 2025. The symposium will present outstanding research results that elucidate the molecular mechanisms of biological function and regulation, and it will also facilitate drug design based on molecular biology, biophysical characterization, in vivo environmental homeostasis, organ interactions based on sensory systems, physiome, and AI-assisted analysis of protein structures and functions.
The venue will be the Inamori Memorial Hall and the Kyoto Institute Library and Archives (Rekisaikan), both affiliated with Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and the Kyoto Prefectural Government, located in Kyoto City. The venue is conveniently located approximately 20 minutes by subway or car from Japan Railway (JR) Kyoto Station, which is also easily accessible from Kansai International Airport (KIX) by JR (approximately 1 hour 20 minutes) or limousine bus (approximately 1 hour 30 minutes).
Kyoto, the ancient capital of the millennium, has a fascinating historical heritage and features numerous World Cultural Heritage sites, including Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Nijo-jo Castle, Shimogamo-Jinja Shrine, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Saiho-ji (Koke-dera) Temple and the Kozan-ji Temple, among others. These sites will be of great interest to visitors. Gion is another renowned location in Kyoto, showcasing the city's rich heritage and traditional Japanese culture. You can immerse yourselves in the authentic Japanese dances and music performed by Geiko and Maiko artists.
We look forward to welcoming you to Kyoto, Japan.
Conference Chairs，
Prof. Dr. Yoshinori Marunaka
Prof. Dr. Masayuki Takahashi
Prof. Dr. Yusaku Iwasaki
Prof. Dr. Akiyuki Taruno
For any inquiry, please contact Conference Secretariat: isfms@mdpi.com
Event Chairs
1.Kyoto Industrial Health Association, Japan;
2.Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan;
3.Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Prof. Yoshinori Marunaka, M.D, Ph.D., is currently President & Representative Director, Kyoto Industrial Health Association, General Incorporated Foundation, Japan; Professor, Ritsumeikan University, Japan; Professor Emeritus, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan. He received his M.D. (1979) and Ph.D. (1985) from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, as well as his National License of Physicians and Surgeons, Japan (1979). He was a professor and chairperson of the departments of Molecular Cell Physiology, Bio-Ionomics, and Respiratory Medicine, the Dean for Student Affairs, and Director of Library at the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. Additionally, he has acted as an associate professor (Principal Investigator and Laboratory Head) at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Canada, and he has also been an assistant professor at Emory University, USA. He was awarded the “Vebleo Nanomedicine Scientist Award” (Sweden), “Marco Polo della Scienza Italiana” (Italy), Premier's Research Excellence Award (Canada), Scholar Award (Medical Research Council of Canada), and Research Award from the National Kidney Foundation (USA). He serves as president of the Physiological Society of Japan; president of the International Society for Proton Dynamics in Cancer, president of the International Society for Cancer Metabolism, and he has been the editor-in-chief, chief editor, advisory board member, or editorial board member of more than 30 international scientific journals. He is interested in molecular mechanisms involved in regulating ion transports and body ionic environments, and he has obtained more than 60 research grants, published 278 peer reviewed articles, and provided more than 30 invited plenary lectures at international research conferences. H-index 50, i10-index 197, Citation 8388. Home Page, https://marunaka-y.com/english/
Masayuki Takahashi is a biochemist studying protein/DNA interactions in vitro, with a research focus on understanding RecA- and Rad51-promoted DNA strand exchange reactions in homologous recombination. His current interest is investigating the mechanism of DNA sequence recognition by complementary oligonucleotides, the basics of homologous recombination, CRISPR Cas9, and RNA interference technologies. He was born in Japan but immigrated to France at age 20. He entered Toulouse University and obtained a Ph.D. in biochemistry. He studied the transcription regulation of the cAMP receptor protein (CRP) by analyzing its interaction with DNA, RNA polymerase, and cAMP, and he simulated the regulation in vivo. He received a research position at the French National Research Organization (CNRS) before continuing his studies on transcription regulation of tetracycline resistance and DNA repair systems in a laboratory in Strasbourg. He then moved to the Institut Curie at Orsay and examined the molecular mechanism of RecA and Rad51-promoted DNA strand exchanges by performing kinetic and structural analyses. After moving to Nantes, he developed inhibitors of Rad51 as potential anticancer drugs. He then returned to Japan to work at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He also served as a visiting or invited professor at the Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), Fukuoka Dental University, Kyushu University, the Cancer Institute of Kanazawa University (Japan), and Yeungnam University (South Korea).
Yusaku Iwasaki earned a Ph.D. in Food and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Shizuoka in 2008. After serving as a postdoctoral researcher, assistant professor, and lecturer in the Department of Physiology at Jichi Medical University, he has been in his current position since 2018. His current specialization is in autonomic neuro-metabolism, aiming to develop new technologies to prevent and improve lifestyle-related diseases (overeating, obesity, diabetes, and depression) by targeting the vagal afferent nerves. He has received numerous awards, including the Academic Encouragement Award of Japan Society for the Study of Obesity in 2022, the Yas Kuno Memorial Award of the Physiological Society of Japan in 2020, the Invention and Discovery Encouragement Award of the ANDO Foundation in 2019, the Promotion Award for Young Scientists of the Physiological Society of Japan in 2016, and the Young Investigator Award of the Japan Endocrine Society in 2015.
His lab investigates the neural basis of epithelial chemosensations in the peripheral nervous systems and their processing in the central nervous system by employing an array of techniques, including optical imaging, electrophysiological recording, optogenetic manipulation, single-cell transcriptomics, and behavioral assays. He started his research in gustation as a post-doc at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Physiology in 2010 before moving to the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in the Department of Molecular Cell Physiology as an assistant professor in 2013 (Professor 2018−present). His previous studies have helped identify key components of peripheral taste transduction. They include the molecular mechanisms of how taste cells lacking synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitters and how sodium taste is processed within taste cells. These findings have helped establish the existence of a novel chemical synapse (dubbed the channel synapse), which provides a new paradigm to understand the mechanisms of epithelium−neuron chemical communication.
Sessions
S1. Protein Structure and Molecular Dynamics
S2. Enzymes
S3. Membrane Proteins
S4. Antibody & Fusion Protein Engineering
S5. Drug Design and Solution to Drug Resistance Problem
Session chair
 Prof. Dr. Masayuki TakahashiTokyo Institute of Technology, Japan |
S6. Physiological Functions of Proteins and Organ Interactions
Session chair
 Prof. Dr. Yusaku IwasakiKyoto Prefectural University, Japan |
Registration
The registration fee includes attendance of all conference sessions, morning / afternoon coffee breaks and lunches, participation in the conference banquet, conference bag. Participation to the conference is considered final only once the registration fees have been paid.
Please note that, in order to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by anyone of the authors, denoted as Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract. Covering Author registration deadline is July 1, 2025.
Please note that abstract submission and conference registration are two separate processes. During registration, please provide us with the same email address you used to submit your abstract(s). Otherwise, leave us a comment in the registration form, providing the email address used during the submission process. In addition, we prefer you to use your institutional email address for both processes.
If you are registering several people under the same registration order, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual institutional email addresses. Thank you for your understanding.
Contact isfms@mdpi.com for all issues related to the registration.
Certificate of Attendance: Participants of the event will be able to download an electronic Certificate of Attendance by accessing their dashboards on Sciforum.net once the event is concluded. The certificates will be found under "My Certificates" category.
*Japanese Consumption Tax is included in the price.
|
Early Bird Until 15th June 2025 |
Regular Until 26th August 2025 |
Supported documents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student | 35000.00 JPY | 40000.00 JPY |
Please upload a valid proof of your student identity, e.g. Certificate of Study, Student ID card. |
| Academic | 60000.00 JPY | 70000.00 JPY | |
| Non-academic | 80000.00 JPY | 90000.00 JPY | |
| Keynote/Invited Speaker | 55000.00 JPY | 55000.00 JPY |
Please upload your invitation email. |
| IJMS Editorial Board Member/Guest Editor/Event Committee Member/Topical Advisory Panel | 55000.00 JPY | 60000.00 JPY |
Cancellation policy
Participation to the conference is considered final only once the registration fees have been paid. The number of participants is limited, once the number of paid registrations reaches the maximum number of participants, unpaid registrations will be cancelled.
| Cancellation of paid registration is possible under the terms listed below: | |
| > 1 month before the conference | Full refund but 15,000 JPY are retained for administration |
| > 3 weeks before the conference | Refund 50% of the applying fees |
| > 2 weeks before the conference | Refund 25% of the applying fees |
| < 2 weeks before the conference | No refund |
Disclaimer
In the unlikely event that ISFMS 2025 Conference Secretariat shall deem it necessary to cancel the conference, all pre-paid registration fees will be reimbursed. ISFMS 2025 Conference Secretariat shall not be liable for reimbursing the cost of travel or accommodation arrangements made by individual delegates.
Photographs and/or video will be taken during the conference
By taking part in this event you grant the event organisers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising, publicity or other purposes to help achieve the conference’s aims. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications.
Payment methods
Wire transfer, Credit card
Currencies accepted by this event
Swiss francs (CHF) , Euros (EUR) , US dollars (USD) , Pounds sterling (GBP) , Japanese yen (JPY) , Canadian dollars (CAD) and Singapore dollars (SGD)
Instructions for Authors
- Create an account on Sciforum if you do not have one, then click on Submit Abstract at the top of the Conference website.
- Indicate which thematic area is best suited for your research.
- The structure abstract should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections of about 200–350 words in length.
- The deadline to submit your abstract is April 15, 2025. You will be notified by May 15, 2025 regarding the the acceptance.
- Upon submission, you can select if you wish to be considered for oral presentation or poster presentation. Following assessment by the Chairs, you will be notified in a separate email whether your contribution has been accepted for oral or poster presentation.
- Please note that to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by any of the authors, denoted as Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract.
- All abstracts accepted for presentation will be collected in a book of abstracts, which will be displayed on the website during the conference.
The slot for the oral presentation is 15 mins (Presentation & Q&A). Authors are encouraged to prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or similar software. We will send you the link to upload your slides before the conference.
Each presenter will be provided with a vertical poster board. The poster size is 90 cm x 140 cm. Please print your poster prior to the conference. A plan of the poster session will be circulated later on.
You can use our free template to create your poster. The poster template can be downloaded here.
Publication Opportunities
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International Journal of Molecular Sciences Publication
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to the Special Issue, published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences （IJMS, ISSN: 1422-0067, IF: 4.9) with a 20% discount on the publication fee. Please note that no other discounts are applicable. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
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Proceeding Paper Publication
You are welcome to submit a proceeding paper (4-8 pages) to Biology and Life Sciences Forum journal (ISSN: 2673-9976) after the conference. Publication of the proceedings will be free of charge. The proceeding paper will be open for submissions after the conference and closed on September 6, 2025.
Authors are asked to disclose that it is a proceeding paper of the ISFMS 2025 conference paper in their cover letter. Carefully read the rules outlined in the 'Instructions for Authors' on the journal’s website and ensure that your submission adheres to these guidelines.
Manuscripts for the proceedings issue must be formatted as follows:
- Title.
- Full author names.
- Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses.
- Abstract.
- Keywords.
- Introduction.
- Methods.
- Results and Discussion.
- Conclusions.
- Acknowledgements.
- References.
Organizers
Visa Information
All visitors to Japan must meet the following entry requirements:
• Valid Passort (with a minimum validity of 6 months);
• Onward/return ticket;
• Sufficient funds to stay in Japan;
• Visa for Japan (*if applicable).
* For details on entry visa requirements, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Website.
Request for Visa Application Document(s) - Invitation Letter
If, for visa purposes, you require an invitation letter to allow you to travel to Japan, please email isfms@mdpi.com the following details to the conference secretariat:
• Photocopy of your passport;
• Full Name (as it appears on your passport);
• Date and Place of Birth;
• Nationality;
• Occupation;
• Organization;
• Passport number;
• Place of Issue;
• Date of Issue: dd/mm/yyyy;
• Expiration Date: dd/mm/yyyy;
• Country of departure;
• Mail address.
Kindly ensure that you have completed your registration and made payment before sending in your request for your visa application document(s) to the conference secretariat. The document(s) will be prepared and sent by email. The failure to provide the above information will result in the delay of your invitation letter.
Sponsors and Partners
Media Partners
Conference Secretariat
Ms. Katrina Zhang
Ms. Erena Torizuka
Mr. Benjamin Tay
Ms. Jessie Li
isfms@mdpi.com
