Advancing Biomedical Sciences with International Collaborations

The international partnership between Monash University and Osaka University continues to grow and strengthen with the 4th Monash University – Osaka University Joint Symposium on Advanced Biomedical Sciences last week.

While COVID-19 related travel difficulties meant the symposium was online again this year, this did not detract from the breadth and depth of discussion among presenters and virtual attendees. With over 115 delegate registrations and 12 presentations from scientists across multiple departments and institutes, the day’s proceedings reflected the quality of research and the maturity of collaborations between the two universities.

The symposium opened with remarks from Professor Matthew Gillespie, Vice-Provost (Academic Affairs) at Monash University; Professor Genta Kawahara, Executive Vice President of Global Engagement at Osaka University; Junji Shimada, Consul General of Japan in Melbourne and Trevor Holloway, Consul General of Australia in Osaka. These comments reiterated the importance of exchanging ideas and resources with international peers and the advantages of these relationships in driving the biomedical sciences forward.

Presentations covered a broad spectrum of topics, including research on the mechanisms of injury and repair, genome editing, stem cells, and regenerative medicine-mediated therapies in several disease areas. This was led by updates from collaboration projects, which are collaborative projects undertaken by both Australian and Japanese researchers, and that have been instigated and fostered through this symposium series. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Helen Abud from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, who discussed her work on delineating stem cell dynamics in intestinal regeneration and cancer.

At the end of the day, Professor Peter Currie, Director Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University and Professor Atsushi Kumanogoh, Dean of the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, provided a wrap-up summary of the symposium. Finally, Professor Eiichi Morii, Vice President of Student Life at Osaka University, captured the spirit of transnational cooperation, the dogged journey of discovery and the fierce pursuit of making an impact in delivering the closing remarks.

Thank you to the organisers, speakers and attendees for another successful symposium. We hope to see the event return in-person next year when the University of Osaka will be the host!