May 20th, 2025
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at the EMBO Workshop on Cell Polarity and Membrane Dynamics, held in Spain!
Yasunori gave a EMBO global investigator lecture titled "Control of intracellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites". It was a wonderful opportunity to share our latest findings and engage with colleagues in the field!
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April 15th, 2025
Wataru Nishi joined our lab as Research Fellows!
Welcome Wataru to LKCMedicine!
February 28th, 2025
Farewell for Koji Matsuhisa and Yuhana Miyake!
We had a farewell lunch with Koji and Yuhana. It has been a pleasure working with both of them. Koji will be taking up a new role as Associate Professor at Nagasaki University, Japan, while Yuhana is returning to the University of the Ryukyus to complete medical school. Wishing them both all the best in their future careers!
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January 16th, 2025
Annual Lab Cleanup!
We spent a whole day cleaning our lab! We are ready for 2025!
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January 10th, 2025
Farewell for Wei Meng!
We had a farewell lunch with Wei Meng. It has been a fantastic year since she joined the lab as a Visiting Student. All the best to Wei Meng for her future career!
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December 16th, 2024
Yasunori Saheki joined the De Camilli lab reunion dinner at Union Kitchen and Tap Gaslamp!
Yasunori joined the De Camilli lab reunion dinner during the annual ASCB|EMBO Cell Bio meeting. It was wonderful to catch up with past and current members of the lab!
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December 13th, 2024
Tomoki Naito was awarded the NMRC OF-YIRG!
The National Medical Research Council (NMRC) offers the Open Fund - Young Individual Research Grant (OF-YIRG) as a stepping stone for new investigators to secure their first independent national-level grant. The OF-YIRG supports research proposals in basic, translational, and clinical research that are relevant to human health and well-being.
Heartfelt congratulations to Tomoki on this fantastic achievement!
Heartfelt congratulations to Tomoki on this fantastic achievement!
December 10th, 2024
We enjoyed our year-end holiday party!
We celebrated our achievements, looking forward to exciting adventures in 2025!
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November 13rd, 2024
We presented our work at IAS Frontiers Conference on Genome Engineering!
We learned about cutting-edge science and technology in the field of genome engineering at this amazing conference!
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Tomoki, Dylan, and Minyoung gave a poster presentation! |
October 30th, 2024
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk and attended a plenary panel discussion at EMBO 60th Anniversary Meeting in Heidelberg, Germany!
Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Visualization of accessible cholesterol using a GRAM domain-based biosensor" as one of the invited speakers of the meeting.
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September 17th, 2024
Wan Jun Gan and Koji Matsuhisa joined our lab as Research Fellows!
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Welcome Jun and Koji to LKCMedicine!
August 23rd, 2024
Yasunori Saheki was awarded the MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 2!
MOE (Ministry of Education, Singapore) provides grants for academic research in Singapore. With the support from MOE, the Saheki lab aims to Investigate the importance of cellular cholesterol distribution for brain health and animal physiology.
August 13th, 2024
Louis Lim joined our lab as a PhD student and Michelle Cordelia Tanjaya joined our lab as a Research Assistant!
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Welcome Louis and Michelle to LKCMedicine!
August 1st, 2024
New chapter for LKCMedicine with a new logo!
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July 24th, 2024
Dylan Hong Zheng Koh passed his thesis examination!
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Heartfelt congratulations to Dylan for successfully defending his PhD thesis! |
July 1st, 2024
Cassandra Tan joined our lab as a Research Associate!
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Welcome Cassandra to LKCMedicine! |
June 7th, 2024
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at the 66th Japanese Conference on the Biochemistry of Lipids in Shizuoka, Japan!
Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Visualization of accessible cholesterol using a GRAM domain-based biosensor" as one of the invited speakers of the meeting.
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It was a fantastic meeting, focusing on lipid biology! |
May 16th, 2024
We presented our work at SCBS24!
Dylan gave a poster presentation, and Yasunori gave a talk at the inaugural annual conference of the Society for Cell Biology Singapore (SCBS).
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Exciting opportunities for cell biology in Singapore!
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April 25th, 2024
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at Duke-NUS medical school!
Yasunori gave a keynote talk entitled "Control of intracellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites" at Cancer & Stem Cell Biology (CSCB) Seminar Series.
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April 1st, 2024
Yasunori Saheki was awarded the NRF Investigatorship !
Yasunori is truly grateful for this investigatorship. Many thanks to the present and past members of the Saheki lab for their contributions to research accomplishments. We are excited to continue our investigation with the strong support from the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF).
The NRF Investigatorship: https://www.nrf.gov.sg/grants/nrfi/
The NRF Investigatorship: https://www.nrf.gov.sg/grants/nrfi/
March 8th, 2024
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at iSLS12!
Yasunori gave a keynote talk entitled "Control of intracellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites" as one of the invited speakers.
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February 26th, 2024
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at LKCMedicine-CUHK Workshop on Neuroscience!
Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Control of intracellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites" as one of the invited speakers. We enjoyed interacting with colleagues from CUHK!
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February 22nd, 2024
Chinese New Year celebration at LKCMedicine!
Once again, we are celebrating the beginning of 2024, the Year of the Dragon!
December 18th, 2023
Farewell for Raihanah Harion!
We had a farewell lunch for Raihanah. It has been a fantastic five years since Raihanah joined the lab as a PhD student. We wish Raihanah the best for her transition to NYU Abu Dhabi!
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December 18th, 2023
Annual Saheki lab cleanup!
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We spent a whole day cleaning our lab! We are ready for 2024! |
December 4th, 2023
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at Cell Bio 2023 - An ASCB|EMBO meeting!
Yasunori gave a talk at a subgroup session titled “Lipids in Organelle Form, Function, and Communication”. It was a fantastic session with a lot of exciting talks!
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Beautiful skyline of Boston!
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October 25th, 2023
Our lab's new research article "Visualization of accessible cholesterol using a GRAM domain-based biosensor" is now published in Nature Communications.
Congratulations Dylan, Tomoki, and Minyoung! Thankful to wonderful collaborations with the Lim and Zhong labs at LKCMedicine!
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We engineered a highly sensitive accessible cholesterol biosensor by taking advantage of the cholesterol-sensing element (the GRAM domain) of an evolutionarily conserved lipid transfer protein, GRAMD1b. Using GRAM-W, we visualized the distribution of accessible cholesterol in many different cell types, including human keratinocytes and iPSC-induced neurons, and show differential dependencies on cholesterol biosynthesis and uptake for maintaining levels of accessible cholesterol. For more information: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42498-7 |
October 16th, 2023
Acceptance of our new paper!
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We celebrated our achievement over lunch. Heartfelt congratulations to Dylan, Tomoki, and Minyoung! |
October 5th, 2023
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at the 18th International Symposium of the Institute Network for Biomedical Sciences!
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers of this symposium. The meeting was held at a beautiful campus of Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University. He enjoyed learning about exciting new discoveries in Japan!
Molecular Homeostasis & Intractable Diseases
5 - 6 October 2023, TMDU, Tokyo, Japan Agenda and list of speakers |
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September 21st, 2023
Our lab's new research article "Regulation of cellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at ER-Golgi contact sites" is now published in Nature Communications.
Congratulations everyone!
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We identify a key role of lipid transfer proteins, namely ORP9, OSBP, and GRAMD1s, in maintaining cholesterol levels in the Golgi and plasma membrane! Media Coverage by the Straits Times NTU team uncovers how cells distribute cholesterol, with implications for dementia, heart disease |
June 24th-28th, 2023
Raihanah Harion presented her poster at the 24th International C. elegans Conference!
Raihanah gave a wonderful presentation at this on-site meeting in Glasgow, Scotland!
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June 7th, 2023
Celebration for the official PhD conferment to Raihanah Harion!
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We celebrated her achievement over lunch. Heartfelt congratulations to Raihanah! |
May 23rd-25th, 2023
Yasunori Saheki attended annual EMBO Young Investigator Network (YIN) Meeting!
Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Control of intracellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites". He enjoyed interacting with other investigators across Europe and beyond.
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March 30th, 2023
Raihanah Harion passed her thesis examination!
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Heartfelt congratulations to Raihanah for successfully defending her PhD thesis! |
February 28th, 2023
Haoning Yang passed his qualifying exam!
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Many congratulations to Haoning for his great achievements! |
January 18th, 2023
Annual Saheki lab cleanup!
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December 7th, 2022
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at NIH!
Hosted by Dr. Tamas Balla, Head, Section on Molecular Signal Transduction, Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Control of intracellular cholesterol distribution via non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites". He throughly enjoyed his visit to NIH, presenting the recent work of the Saheki lab.
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December 6th, 2022
We joined the De Camilli lab reunion dinner at Bartaco!
Yasunori, Tomoki, and Dylan joined the reunion dinner of the De Camilli lab! It was so nice to finally catch up with the past and current members (and friends) of the De Camilli lab.
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December 3rd-7th, 2022
Tomoki Naito and Dylan Koh presented their posters at Cell Bio 2022 - An ASCB|EMBO meeting!
Tomoki and Dylan gave wonderful presentations at this on-site meeting in Washington DC!
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December 1st, 2022
Yasunori Saheki received Dean's Award for Research from LKCMedicine!
Yasunori was awarded Dean's Award for Research. He is thankful to the past and current members of the Saheki lab for their achievements. Without their dedication to science, this would not have been possible.
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November 14th-17th, 2022
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at EMBO Workshop "Inositol lipids: Signaling platforms for organizing cellular architecture and physiology".
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers. It was such a great meeting. He enjoyed interacting with researchers from different countries and learned exciting new discoveries in the field!
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EMBO Workshop Inositol lipids: Signaling platforms for organizing cellular architecture and physiology, 14 - 17 November 2022, NCBC Bangalore, India Agenda and list of the speakers 
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September 22nd, 2022
We attended the launching event of the Society for Cell Biology Singapore!
We enjoyed attending this in-person event. Tomoki, Raihanah, and Dylan each presented a poster and received great feedback!
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September 5th, 2022
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at RIKEN-NTU Neuroscience Workshop!
Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Investigating lipid transport in cells to develop new treatments for neurological disorders" as one of the invited speakers. We had great time listening to exciting talks!
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We enjoyed the much-anticipated onsite event at Clinical Sciences Building at our Novena campus! 
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September 1st, 2022
Yasunori Saheki was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure!
Yasunori was promoted to Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience with Tenure. He is thankful to all the support at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) and is grateful for all the achievements of the Saheki lab members throughout the years at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and beyond. We are excited to continue our research at LKCMedicine, NTU in Singapore!
July 23rd, 2022
We attended PhD hooding ceremony at NTU convocation for class of 2022!
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Heartfelt congratulations to our lab's first PhD student, Dr. Darshini Jeyasimman!!! |
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July 18th-20th, 2022
Yasunori Saheki and Raihanah Harion gave talks at Asia Pacific Worm Meeting 2022 !
We enjoyed interacting with C. elegans researchers at Asia-Pacific regions and beyond!
April 1st, 2022
Yasunori Saheki was awarded Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) [基盤研究(B)] from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) !
JSPS provides competitive grants for academic research in Japan. By taking advantage of a visiting associate professorship at Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University, Japan, the Saheki lab aims to further accelerate international collaboration between NTU and the Japanese research community in order to better understand the role of intracellular cholesterol transport in cell physiology.
March 3rd, 2022
Yasunori Saheki was featured in Research, Innovation, Enterprise (RIE magazine) of National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF) !
It is a part of special issue on up-and-coming researchers and scientists within Singapore's Research, Innovation and Enterprise ecosystem. Link to the magazine: NRF magazine (February 2022) (page 24-26)
February 14th-15th, 2022
We attended “New Frontiers in Biomedicine” organized by LKCMedicine Early Researcher Network (LEARN) and NTU LKCMedicine Graduate Students' Club (LKCMedicine GSC).
Bilge Ercan gave a talk entitled "Molecular basis of accessible plasma membrane cholesterol recognition by the GRAM domain of GRAMD1b" and received LEARN Mentorship Award. Raihanah Harion presented a poster entitled "INPP5K and Atlastin-1 maintain the non-uniform distribution of endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contacts in neuron". We enjoyed the two-day hybrid conference!
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January 13th, 2022
Annual Saheki lab cleanup!
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We spent a whole day cleaning our lab from corner to corner! We are ready for a fresh start! |
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December 9th, 2021
Yasunori Saheki was featured at NTU's website!
NTU's communications office kindly wrote Yasunori's profile story for researcher spotlight.
December 1st-10th, 2021
Darshini Jeyasimman and Raihanah Harion delivered their talks for the minisymposium sessions at an online ASCB|EMBO meeting.
Darshini and Raihanah gave wonderful presentations of their work!
November 30th, 2021
Congratulations to Darshini Jeyasimman for receiving the Alan Hall Award!
Established in memory of Alan Hall, former Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Cell Biology. This award is open to outstanding graduate students, and first year postdocs whose work being presented at Cell Bio, an annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), was performed while a PhD or MD/PhD student, who excelled in their research as trainees.
For more information of the award: https://rupress.org/jcb/pages/alan-hall-and-norton-b-gilula-travel-awards
For more information of the award: https://rupress.org/jcb/pages/alan-hall-and-norton-b-gilula-travel-awards
Many congratulations to Darshini for receiving this prestigious award!
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October 18th, 2021
Our lab's new research article "PDZD-8 and TEX-2 regulate endosomal PI(4,5)P2 homeostasis via lipid transport to promote embryogenesis in C. elegans" is now published in Nature Communications.
Cellular membranes maintain distinct lipid compositions that are important for their functional identity. Using the C. elegans embryo as our model system, we show that lipid transfer proteins (PDZD-8 and TEX-2) and phosphatases (UNC-26/synaptojanin and OCRL-1) work together to prevent the build-up of plasma membrane-enriched lipid, PI(4,5)P2, on endosomal membranes. In their absence, PI(4,5)P2 accumulates on endosomal membranes, disrupting cytokinesis. Mutations synaptojanin and OCRL1 in human are linked to Parkinson’s disease and Lowe syndrome. Thus, manipulating the activity of the lipid transfer proteins may help to improve these conditions.
For more information regarding the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26177-z
For more information regarding the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26177-z
Congratulations to everyone!
Time-lapse images of C. elegans embryos showing different stages of early embryogenesis in a clockwise direction. Left: an embryo lacking only UNC-26 and OCRL-1. Right: an embryo simultaneously lacking PDZD-8, TEX-2, UNC-26, and OCRL-1. Both embryos express PI(4,5)P2 biosensor.
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September 23rd, 2021
Our lab's new research article "INPP5K and Atlastin-1 maintain the nonuniform distribution of ER–plasma membrane contacts in neurons" is now published in Life Science Alliance.
We visualized neuronal ER-plasma membrane (PM) contacts in vivo using C. elegans as a model system. By conducting forward genetic screen, we found INPP5K and Atlastin-1 that have been linked to intellectual disability and hereditary spastic paraplegia function together to maintain somatodendritic enrichment of neuronal ER-PM contacts. Further, we found that neurons with reduced activities of these proteins showed impairment in axon regeneration. Our results suggest the critical role of the nonuniform distribution of neuronal ER-PM contacts in neuronal resilience against neuronal damage.
For more information regarding the paper: https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/4/11/e202101092
For more information regarding the paper: https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/4/11/e202101092
Congratulations to everyone!
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July 14th, 2021
Darshini Jeyasimman passed her thesis examination!
We celebrated Darshini's achievement through the hybrid meeting style.
Heartfelt congratulations to Darshini for successfully defending her PhD thesis!
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July 1st, 2021
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at an annual EMBO Young Investigator Programme meeting.
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers. It was a lively virtual meeting with a lot of networking opportunities!
April 15th, 2021
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at EMBO@NTU mini-colloquium.
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers. We enjoyed interacting with other EMBO investigators at NTU!
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EMBO@NTU Mini Colloquium, April 15th, Experimental Medicine Building at NTU |
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March 31st, 2021
Dylan Hong Zheng Koh passed his qualifying exam!
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Many congratulations to Dylan for his impressive work! |
February 19th, 2021
Our lab's new research article "Molecular basis of accessible plasma membrane cholesterol recognition by the GRAM domain of GRAMD1b" is now published in The EMBO Journal.
GRAMD1 proteins are evolutionarily conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored sterol transporters that sense a transient increase in accessible plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol and facilitate its extraction and transport to the ER to maintain cholesterol homeostasis. Here, we identify that the GRAM domain of GRAMD1b possesses distinct sites that each contribute to sensing cholesterol and anionic lipids, including phosphatidylserine (PS), within the inner leaflet of the PM bilayer and fine-tunes GRAMD1b-mediated ER-PM tethering and accessible cholesterol transport.
For more information regarding the paper: https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/embj.2020106524
For more information regarding the paper: https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/embj.2020106524
Congratulations to everyone!
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January 19th, 2021
Annual Saheki lab cleanup!
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We spent a whole day cleaning our lab! We are ready for a fresh start! |
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December 10th, 2020
Yasunori Saheki co-chaired the minisymposia session entitled "Organelles, Membrane Contact Sites and Lipid Trafficking" at an online ASCB|EMBO meeting.
We had outstanding speakers with lively Q&A discussion!
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December 3rd, 2020
Yasunori Saheki has been selected as EMBO Global Investigator.
We are excited to be a part of the EMBO Global Investigator Network. This will further enhance our networking and collaboration activities. Thank you for the current and former lab members for their hard work!
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Research Project: Dissecting the importance of cholesterol homeostasis for neuronal function Press release by EMBO Newsletter by LKCMedicine |
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December 3rd, 2020
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan.
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers of the workshop entitled "Organelle communication and neuronal homeostasis". We discussed the recent progress in the studies of organelle crosstalk with fantastic line up of speakers!
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MBSJ2020 Online, December 2nd - 4th, Zoom |
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August 17th, 2020
Yasunori Saheki was awarded the MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 2!
MOE (Ministry of Education, Singapore) provides grants for academic research in Singapore. With the support from MOE, the Saheki lab aims to further Investigate the importance of cholesterol homeostasis in cell physiology.
March 4th, 2020
Nur Raihanah Mohd Harion passed her qualifying exam!
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Many congratulations to Raihanah for her impressive work! |
January 22nd, 2020
Annual Saheki lab cleanup!
We spent a whole day cleaning our lab! We are ready for a fresh start!
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December 9th, 2019
Yasunori Saheki gave a talk at ASCB | EMBO 2019 meeting at Washington D.C., U.S.A.
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the speakers of the mini symposium entitled "Lipid Regulation and Transport in Membrane Remodeling". We discussed the recent progress in the studies of lipids with fantastic line up of speakers!
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ASCB | EMBO 2019, December 7th - 11th, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C., U.S.A. Agenda and list of the speakers |
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December 4th, 2019
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan at Fukuoka, Japan.
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers of the workshop entitled "Emerging concepts of inter-organelle communications in cell physiology". We discussed the recent progress in the studies of organelle crosstalk with fantastic line up of speakers!
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MBSJ2019, December 3rd - 6th, Fukuoka International Congress Center | Fukuoka sun palace hotel & hall | Marine Messe Fukuoka, Japan |
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November 14th, 2019
Our lab's first research article "Movement of accessible plasma membrane cholesterol by GRAMD1 lipid transfer protein complex" was published in eLife.
In this work, we characterized an evolutionarily conserved family of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored lipid transfer proteins, namely GRAMD1 proteins, using mammalian cell culture and in vitro biochemical analysis. We found that GRAMD1 proteins bind one another, sense a transient expansion of the accessible pool of plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol and facilitate its delivery to the ER at ER-PM contact sites, thereby maintaining PM cholesterol homeostasis. Since ~80% of cellular cholesterol is enriched in the PM, but its biosynthesis occurs entirely in the ER, such PM to ER communication helps the cells to monitor PM cholesterol levels and regulate cholesterol biosynthesis in the ER in order to prevent cholesterol over-accumulation.
For more information regarding the paper: https://elifesciences.org/articles/51401
For more information regarding the paper: https://elifesciences.org/articles/51401
Congratulations to everyone!
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September 30th - October 1st, 2019
Yasunori Saheki visited Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) at Seoul and Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI) at Daegu in Korea.
Yasunori Saheki, Assistant Professors Hiroshi Makino, and Tsukasa Kamigaki together with Professor George Augustine visited two prominent Korean research institutes and discussed future research collaborations. We gave talks at both institutes and enjoyed interacting with a number of excellent neuroscience researchers.
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September 25th, 2019
Lab BBQ @ Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Yunnan Garden Campus.
We enjoyed BBQ with a lot of food and drinks!
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August 2nd, 2019
We attended LKCMedicine Dinner & Dance 2019 at Sheraton Towers Singapore! The theme was "Ugly Sweater". We had a great time!
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July 28th, 2019
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at NEURO2019 at Niigata, Japan.
Yasunori gave a talk as one of the invited speakers of the symposium entitled "Failure of organelle communications as a key pathomechanism for neurological disorders". We discussed the recent progress in the studies of organelle crosstalk and membrane traffic in the context of neurological disorders with fantastic line up of speakers!
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NEURO2019, July 25th - 28th, Toki Messe, Niigata, Japan
Agenda and list of speakers |
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May 30th, 2019
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited seminar at Hiroshima University Medical School in Japan.
Yasunori gave a seminar on "membrane contact sites and non-vesicular lipid transport" at Hiroshima University Medical School. The seminar was followed by lively discussion. Prof. Kazunori Imaizumi of the Department of Biochemistry, the leading scientist of ER stress response and organelle zones, was the host of the event.
May 29th, 2019
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at an international symposium on "Organelle Zones" at Osaka University Medical School in Japan.
Yasunori gave a talk entitled "Functional dissection of membrane contact sites in intracellular lipid transport" as one of the invited speakers. Tim Levine, Franck Perez, and Julia von Blume are other foreign invited speakers of the event. We discussed the recent progress in organelle zones, including membrane contact sites, ER stress response, mitochondria dynamics, GPI side chains, Golgi, membrane traffic, and high resolution imaging with spectacular line up of speakers!
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Organelle zones: Opening a new era of Cell Biology May 29th, Alumnus Union Building, Osaka University Medical School, Japan Meeting report in Contact |
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April 17th, 2019
New review article was published online!
“SMP domain proteins in membrane lipid dynamics” in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)
In this review article, we describe the localization and function of SMP domain proteins, focusing on their roles in intracellular lipid transport at membrane contact sites.
For more information regarding the review:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138819811930054X?via%3Dihub
Congratulations to Darshini for her first publication in the Saheki lab!
For more information regarding the review:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138819811930054X?via%3Dihub
Congratulations to Darshini for her first publication in the Saheki lab!
February 28th, 2019
Tomoki Naito was awarded Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Overseas Research Fellowship（日本学術振興会・海外特別研究員）!
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Congratulations to Tomoki for this prestigious fellowship! 
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February 21st, 2019
Prof. Tim Ryan from Weill Cornell Medical College visited LKCMedicine and gave us an inspirational lecture on mitochondrial function at neuronal synapses.
We attended a mini-symposium on synapse biology and brain disorders. Prof. Tim Ryan was among the keynote speakers. Following the symposium in the morning, Prof. Ryan spent the afternoon with us discussing science and academic career.
New Frontiers in Synapse Biology and Brain Disorders February 21st, LKCMedicine, Singapore |
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January 22nd - 23rd, 2019
We attended LKCMedicine Research Retreat!
We enjoyed attending the annual research retreat at Clinical Sciences Building. We presented posters and learned the recent progress in research at LKCMedicine. Fantastic key note lectures were delivered by Bruno Reversade (A*STAR), Brian Kennedy (NUS & Buck), and Atsushi Iriki (RIKEN). Read more here.
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January 17th, 2019
Prof. Reinhard Jahn from Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry visited LKCMedicine and gave us an inspiring lecture on membrane fusion!
Prof. Jahn delivered a lecture on membrane fusion. We were inspired by his seminal discoveries on the functions of SNARE-proteins and the regulation of membrane dynamics.
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December 11th, 2018
Annual Saheki lab cleanup!
We spent a whole day cleaning our lab! We are ready for a fresh and productive start in 2019!
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November 7th - 10th, 2018
We attended Mechanobiology Institute's 10th Anniversary Conference at National University of Singapore (NUS)!
We learned about the recent progress in mechanobiology and mechanomedicine from excellent speakers, including Michael Sheetz, Satyajit Mayor, David Weitz, Sunney Xie, Elaine Fuchs and many others.
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Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 10th Anniversary Conference November 7th - 10th, Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Singapore Agenda and list of the speakers |
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September 28th, 2018
Lab BBQ @ Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Yunnan Garden Campus
We enjoyed BBQ at NTU with our three new members, Bilge Ercan from National University of Singapore (NUS), Nur Raihanah Binte Mohd Harion from NTU, and Hong Zheng (Dylan) Koh from NTU. Welcome Bilge, Dylan and Raihanah!
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September 5th - 7th, 2018
Yasunori Saheki visited University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan to advance the MOU signed between LKCMedicine and Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus.
Yasunori Saheki and Nanyang Assistant Professor Luo Dahai together with LKCMedicine Executive Vice-Dean Prof Lionel Lee travelled to Japan to visit the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa to advance the MOU signed between the two medical schools. We met with the University of the Ryukyu’s senior leaders including University President Professor Hajime Oshiro, Faculty of Medicine Dean Professor Hajime Ishida, University Hospital Vice-Director Professor Yusuke Ohya and visited their hospital and research facilities. During the visit, we discussed various opportunities for student exchange programs and research collaboration.
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August 27th - 29th, 2018
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at the 15th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN) organized by APSN.
Yasunori gave a talk in a symposium entitled "Stereotypy and flexibility of gene expression and lipid delivery underlying synaptic plasticity and cognitive function". We discussed a wide variety of topics ranging from intracellular lipid delivery to mRNA modification and local translation in neurons.
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APSN2018: The 15th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry August 27th - 29th, Holiday Inn Macau Cotai Central Macau, China Agenda and list of the speakers |
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August 1st, 2018
Yasunori Saheki was awarded the MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 1!
With this support from MOE (Ministry of Education, Singapore) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, the Saheki lab aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of aging via functional dissection of cellular lipid homeostasis.
August 1st - 2nd, 2018
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at the 6th National Conference on Laboratory Animal Science in Malaysia.
Yasunori delivered a talk about C. elegans genetics and mammalian cell biology as one of the invited speakers in the section of alternative models in animal research. We discussed animal welfare and good laboratory practice and the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) of animal research.
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6th National Conference on Laboratory Animal Science (NCLAS) August 1st - 2nd, Avenue Garden Hotel, Bangi, Malaysia Agenda and list of the speakers |
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July 2nd, 2018
Darshini Jeyasimman passed her qualifying exam!
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Many congratulations to Darshini for her impressive work! |
June 20th, 2018
Dr. Ken Uematsu from Kurume University School of Medicine visited the Saheki lab and gave an inspiring seminar!
Dr. Uematsu delivered a talk on a potential therapeutic benefit of Fingolimod (FTY720) treatment in addiction. We enjoyed his visit to our lab.
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Fingolimod structure
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May 22nd, 2018
We attended inaugural Stem Cell Symposium organized by LKCMedicine!
We learned about the recent progress in stem cell research from excellent speakers, including two key note speakers, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and Charles ffrench-Constant.
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Stem Cell Symposium: Regenerative Medicine at a Glance May 22nd, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore Agenda and list of the speakers |
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March 29th - April 1st, 2018
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at the 6th International and National Symposium on Membrane Biology organized by the Biophysical Society of China.
Yasunori delivered a talk about the extended synaptotagmins as one of the invited speakers. Christian Ungermann, Gyorgy Hajnoczky, Jodi Nunnari, William Prinz and Benoit Kornmann are among other invited foreign speakers. We discussed the recent progress in membrane biology, including membrane contact sites, autophagy, mitochondria dynamics, and high resolution imaging with spectacular line up of speakers from all over China!
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ISMB2018: The 6th International Symposium of Membrane Biology and The 15th National Symposium of Membrane Biology March 29th - April 1st, Smoky Willow Hotel & Resort, Huangshan City, Anhui, China Agenda and list of the speakers |
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March 7th-9th, 2018
Yasunori Saheki gave an invited talk at the 7th International Singapore Lipid Symposium (iSLS7) organized by Professor Markus Wenk at National University of Singapore (NUS).
Yasunori was one of the 41 speakers of this exciting lipid symposium. We discussed new developments in mass spectrometry-based lipid analysis and various aspects of lipid biology during this three day research intensive symposium.
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iSLS7: The 7th International Singapore Lipid Symposium March 7th - 9th, Centre for Life Sciences, NUS, Singapore Agenda and list of the speakers |
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February 1st - 2nd, 2018
We attended International Young Investigators Symposium organized by LKCMedicine!
We enjoyed excellent keynote lectures given by great lineup of speakers. We also participated in round table discussion on Day2 to interact with the speakers. It was a very inspiring event. Agenda and list of speakers
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January 17th, 2018
Yasunori Saheki was awarded the MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 2!
MOE (Ministry of Education, Singapore) provides competitive grants for academic research in Singapore. With the support from MOE, the Saheki lab aims to further dissect the functions of membrane contact sites in cellular lipid homeostasis.
January 12nd, 2018
NTU President Professor Subra Suresh and Provost Professor Ling San visited LKCMedicine!
Yasunori introduced the research projects of the Saheki lab to Professor Subra Suresh and Professor Ling San at the LKCMedicine library.
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December 22nd, 2017
Inaugural Saheki lab cleanup!
We spent a whole day cleaning our lab and office space. We are ready for a fresh and productive start in 2018!
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December 8th, 2017
“Ca2+ releases E-Syt1 autoinhibition to couple ER-plasma membrane tethering with lipid transport.” was published in The EMBO Journal.
In this paper, we described the mechanisms that control ER-plasma membrane tethering and lipid transfer mediated by the extended synaptotagmin 1 (E-Syt1). We found that Ca2+ releases C2-domain dependent E-Syt1 autoinhibition to couple tethering and lipid transfer. As E-Syts are evolutionarily conserved across all eukaryotic cells, our study highlights the critical role of such coupling in the regulation of non-vesicular lipid transport at membrane contact sites.
For more information regarding the paper: http://emboj.embopress.org/content/early/2017/12/08/embj.201797359
For more information regarding the paper: http://emboj.embopress.org/content/early/2017/12/08/embj.201797359
October 27th, 2017
We attended LKCMedicine Dinner & Dance 2017 at Fairmont Singapore! The theme was "around the world", and we dressed up in Hawaiian Style. We had a great time!
August 31st, 2017
Yasunori Saheki delivered a talk at Brain Challenge 2017: The 20th Annual Meeting of the Korean Society for Brain and Neural Science Co-organized by the Korean Society for Neurodegenerative Disease as an invited speaker.
Yasunori was an invited speaker of a symposium on "Synapses, Circuits and Optogenetics". The meeting had over 1000 participants from all over the world with many high quality talks and posters.
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Brain Challenge 2017: 20th Annual Meeting of the Korean Society for Brain and Neural Science
August 30th - 31st, Grand Hilton Seoul, Korea Agenda and list of the speakers |
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July 20th, 2017
Yasunori Saheki was selected as Ageing Research Institute for Society and Education (ARISE) fellow by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
To tackle ageing society, ARISE aims to keep the silver generation stay healthy through prevention, treatment and management of various age-related diseases and encourage an active lifestyle as well as lifelong learning. Through the seed funding from ARISE, our lab aims to identify novel therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease by focusing on membrane contact sites.
July 7th, 2017
Our lab was featured in LKCMedicine Research Spotlight and Corporate Video!
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June 18th-22nd, 2017
ISDB Singapore 2017 / 18th International Congress of Developmental Biology
We attended 18th International Congress of Developmental Biology organized by Professor Philip Ingham. Professor Ingham, current president of ISDB, is Professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Director of the Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, UK. It was a fantastic meeting with six Nobel Laureate Lecturers!
18th International Congress of Developmental Biology
June 18th - 22nd,
University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore
Agenda and list of the speakers
June 18th - 22nd,
University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore
Agenda and list of the speakers
May 10th, 2017
Yasunori Saheki was awarded Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A) from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) !
JSPS provides competitive grants for academic research in Japan. By taking advantage of a visiting associate professorship at Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University, Japan, the Saheki lab aims to further elucidate the role of endoplasmic reticulum - plasma membrane contact sites in lipid transport.
April 21st, 2017
Lab Lunch @ Nickeldime Drafthouse
We enjoyed pizza and beer at Nickeldime Drafthouse @ Novena Regency with our two new postdocs, Jingbo Sun from from State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China, and Logesvaran Krshnan from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Department of Medical Biology, the University of Melbourne, Australia. Welcome, Jingbo and Loges!
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April 3rd, 2017
Two review articles were published!
“Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites” in Annual Review of Biochemistry
“The Extended-Synaptotagmins” in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)
In these two review articles, we described the recent advances in the field of membrane contact sites, focusing on the roles of these sites in cellular lipid delivery with special emphasis on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) contact sites (Annual Review of Biochemistry) and the evolutionarily conserved family of the ER-PM tether extended-synaptotagmis (BBA).
For more information regarding the reviews:
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-biochem-061516-044932
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167488917300678
For more information regarding the reviews:
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-biochem-061516-044932
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167488917300678
March 16th-17th, 2017
Brain Networks: From Molecules to Diseases Symposium
Our Neuroscience and Mental Health Theme organized two-day neuroscience symposium at the Clinical Sciences Building, Novena, Singapore. Over 100 participants from various schools and research institutes attended the event. We enjoyed wonderful talks and exciting discussions!
Brain Networks: From Molecules to Diseases Symposium
March 16th - 17th,
Learning Studio, Clinical Sciences Building, LKCMedicine
Agenda and list of the speakers
Read more here
March 7th, 2017
Lab Lunch @ JUMBO Seafood
We enjoyed Singapore's signature chilli crab at JUMBO seafood with our first visiting student, Naoki Arasaki, from University of Ryukyus School Of Medicine, Okinawa, Japan. Welcome, Naoki!
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February 13th, 2017
We moved to Novena Clinical Sciences Building!
We moved to the level 11 of the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) at Novena, a central district in Singapore. Great environment to do research! Very nice view from our lab!
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October 7th, 2016
Two Inspiring Conferences in Singapore!
We attended two inspiring conferences in Singapore! Both of the conferences were extremely vibrant with the stellar lineup of speakers from all over the world.
East-West Connections: Grand Challenges in Brain, Cognition and Good Life Research
October 3rd - 5th,
Nanyang Executive Centre, Nanyang Technological University
Agenda and list of the speakers
October 3rd - 5th,
Nanyang Executive Centre, Nanyang Technological University
Agenda and list of the speakers
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ZDM9, Zebrafish Disease Models Conference
October 4th – October 7th, Marina Bay Sands Agenda and list of the speakers |
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We are looking forward to attending many more exciting conferences in Singapore!
September 1st, 2016
New appointment as a visiting associate professor at Kumamoto University, Japan.
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Yasunori Saheki was appointed as a visiting associate professor at Kumamoto University, Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Japan. It will facilitate the development of our links with Kumamoto University and with Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
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July 19th, 2016
We are moving to brand-new Novena Clinical Sciences Building in late 2016!
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LKCMedicine Clinical Science Building &
Experimental Medicine Building Fly-Through |
July 14th, 2016
“Endosome-ER Contacts Control Actin Nucleation and Retromer Function through VAP-Dependent Regulation of PI4P” was published in Cell.
In this paper, we described the cellular function of VAP protein, which is mutated in a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease and motor neuron disease. VAP protein is a ubiquitously expressed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that plays a pleiotropic role in cellular lipid homeostasis. Our findings revealed its novel function in lipid regulation at ER-endosome contact sites. In the absence of VAP, the levels of a particular lipid, called PI4P, dramatically increase in endosomes. This PI4P increase leads to abnormal actin nucleation and intermixing of endosomes and the Golgi via disrupted retromer function. The newly identified VAP function might be critical in the pathogenesis of ALS. This project was performed in collaboration with ALS consortium initiated by Biogen Idec, a biotechnology company in Boston.
For more information regarding the paper: http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)30808-X
For more information regarding the paper: http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)30808-X
April 11th, 2016
“Control of plasma membrane lipid homeostasis by the extended synaptotagmins” was published in Nature Cell Biology.
In this paper, Yasunori and his co-researchers described the mechanisms that counteract the acute lipid changes in the plasma membrane, the key cellular membrane that encapsulates our cells from the external environment. Human cells are often exposed to environmental stimuli that induce rapid changes in plasma membrane lipid compositions. These plasma membrane lipid changes need to be reset to the normal state in order for the cells to survive and respond appropriately to subsequent stimuli. The mechanisms that are described in this paper are likely to be conserved in other cell types including neuronal cells and potentially involved in the maintenance of neuronal plasma membranes that are essential for neurotransmission and the brain function. Failure to achieve lipid homeostasis in neurons may lead to neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
For more information regarding the paper: http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ncb3339.html
News and Views: http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v18/n5/full/ncb3345.html
Recommended in Faculty 1000: http://f1000.com/prime/726277237
For more information regarding the paper: http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ncb3339.html
News and Views: http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v18/n5/full/ncb3345.html
Recommended in Faculty 1000: http://f1000.com/prime/726277237
April 1st, 2016
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