張さん最終講演/Kai Zhang's Final Seminar

　今年もまた、研究室を巣立つ人を見送る季節になりました。今年は張さんに最終講演をしてもらいました。家族のことから、小さい頃の話も含めてこれまでの道のりを話してくれたので、国や地域による文化の違いも感じることができて興味深かったです。張さんは、学部時代の研究とはかなり内容の異なる私達の分野に、修士課程から飛び込んできてくれたのですが、理解力と吸収力を発揮して、４倍体iPS細胞樹立方法に関する研究や、心臓疾患iPS細胞モデル作製を進めてくれました。毎年言っていますが、引き継いで論文にしたいと思います。いったん、博士課程進学に向け準備期間を設けるとのことですので、次のステップでの活躍を期待しています。また、この日は不参加となりましたが、４倍体iPS細胞研究をリードしてくれた中島さんも、民間企業へと旅立ちました。みなさんの健康と飛躍を祈っています。Bon Voyage!!

Once again, it’s that time of year when we bid farewell to those leaving the lab. This year, we had Kai Zhang to give the final presentation. He shared his journey so far, including stories about his family and his childhood, which made it fascinating to observe the cultural differences between countries and regions. Although Kai Zhang joined our field—which is quite different from the research he conducted as an undergraduate—for his master's program, he demonstrated great comprehension and adaptability. He made significant progress on methods for establishing tetraploid iPS cells and in creating iPS cell models for heart disease. As I say every year, we will build on his work and publish a paper. He plans to take some time off to prepare for his PhD program, so I look forward to seeing his success in the next stage. Also, although he was unable to attend today, Ittetsu Nakajima, who led the tetraploid iPS cell research, has also moved on to a position in the private sector. I wish everyone good health and great success. Bon Voyage!!