今村さん最終講演/Kanata Imamura Final Seminar

　また今年も、研究室から旅立つ人を見送る季節になりました。今年は今村さんが修士課程を無事に卒業して、製薬業界へ進みます。そのうち、うちの研究室の卒業生が揃ったら薬ができるまでの一通りのプロセスがカバーできるんじゃなかろうか、と思ったりします。この日は、研究室の卒業生も来てくれて今村さんの講演を見守ってくれました。ありがたいです。

　今村さんは、昨年まで在籍していた高橋研究員と共にCas12a解析を進めたり、iPS細胞の骨格筋細胞分化誘導系を立ち上げたりと、研究推進に大きく貢献してくれました。特に骨格筋細胞分化は、文献を調べて、自分で系を確立してくれました。自分で考えて自分でやる、という経験が社会でもきっと生かされるはずです。

　今村さんの学年は３人いますが、残りの２人は博士課程に進学して研究室に残ります。３人のつながりが続くことも願っています。先に社会に出て、様子を伝えてくれるといいかもしれません。

　今村さんが進めてくれた研究は、研究室で引き継いで、論文発表につなげたいと思います。ので、安心して仕事してください。今までありがとうございました。大活躍を祈ってます。Bon Voyage!!

It is this time of year again when we see off those who are departing from our lab. This year, Mr. Imamura has successfully graduated from the master's program and will go on to the pharmaceutical industry. I wonder if, in time, when all the graduates of our lab are together, we will be able to cover the entire process of making a drug. On this day, several graduates of our laboratory also came to join Mr. Imamura's seminar. We are very grateful.

　Mr. Imamura has contributed greatly to the promotion of our research by working with Dr. Takahashi, who was with us until last year, to advance Cas12a analysis and to establish a system for skeletal muscle cell differentiation from iPS cells. Especially for this skeletal muscle cell differentiation, he looked for the literature and established the system by himself. I am sure that his experience of thinking and doing things on his own will be useful in the industry.

　There are three students in Ms. Imamura's grade, and the other two will go on to doctoral programs and remain in the lab, so I hope that the connection between the three of them will continue. It would be nice if he could go out into the industry first and let the other two know how things are going outside of the lab.

　We will take over the research that Mr. Imamura has advanced in our lab and eventually publish it. So, he can focus on his new job. Thank you very much for your work in the lab. I wish you great success. Bon Voyage!