Activity Report of Open Application Program 2025 vol.3 (Course C)
Training on the Advances of Digital Technologies in Food and Health Science Research for Global Well Being
Report from Hokkaido University
Assoc. Prof. BOMME GOWDA SIDDABASAVE GOWDA
The Sakura Science Program (SSP) was conducted at Hokkaido University from September 21 to September 30, 2025. Twelve participants with academic backgrounds in Chemistry, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, and Computer Science took part in the program. They represented four institutions in India: The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), the University of Mysore (UOM), D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune (DPU), and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI). To ensure the program benefited students from all disciplines, interdisciplinary laboratory training sessions were organized daily, covering areas such as Life Science, Food Science, Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Medical AI.
[September 21, 2025]
Late in the evening, all the students, accompanied by their teachers, arrived at New Chitose Airport from Bangalore, India. They were then transported to their hotel in Sapporo City.
[September 22, 2025]
On this day, all participants of the Sakura Science Program, in addition to their training sessions, attended the International Symposium 2025 on “Sustainability in Agriculture, Food, and Health” held at Hokkaido University.
[September 23, 2025]
On this day of the program, the SSP participants visited the Otaru Aquarium and the Yoichi Distillery. At the aquarium, they learned about marine animal research and maintenance practices. The visit also provided insights into the region's marine resource utilization and the historical development of its brewing technologies.
[September 24, 2025]
In the morning, SSP members attended lectures by Prof. KIMURA from the Water Reclamation Engineering Laboratory, where they were introduced to wastewater treatment using bio-membrane technology. They also visited the Laboratory for Advanced Lipid Analysis (LALA), hosted by Dr. Gowda, where they learned about the application of mass spectrometric technologies in clinical and food analysis. The participants gained hands-on experience using a mass spectrometer to characterize authentic lipid standards. In the afternoon, the SSP participants visited Prof. CHIKENJI's laboratory, where they were introduced to research on chronic inflammatory pathological mechanisms and therapies based on cellular senescence systems. They also visited the ONODA Laboratory, where Prof. ONODA Akira from the Graduate School of Environmental Science discussed the use of biocatalysts in chemical synthesis. Participants toured his laboratory and explored various analytical instruments.
[September 25, 2025]
In the morning, SSP participants visited the Nikon Imaging Center at RIES, followed by the laboratories of Prof. HINOU and Prof. MONDE in the afternoon. At the imaging center, technical staff provided detailed explanations of various microscopy techniques, including confocal microscopy and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, and the students had the opportunity to experience these technologies firsthand. In the afternoon, they visited the HINOU Hiroshi Laboratory in the Faculty of Advanced Life Sciences, where Prof. HINOU introduced research focused on biomarkers and therapeutic methods utilizing glycans, and provided a guided tour of the lab. They then visited the laboratory of Prof. MONDE Kenji, where they learned about chiral analysis technologies such as Vibrational Circular Dichroism.
[September 26, 2025]
In the morning, SSP members visited the Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, hosted by Dr. Ketema Rahel Mesfin, followed by a visit to Prof. SUGIMORI's laboratory in the Faculty of Health Sciences, where they learned about Medical AI technologies and their applications in medical diagnosis. In the afternoon, they visited the laboratories of Prof. ISHIZU Akihiro and Prof. KAGA in the Faculty of Health Sciences. In Prof. ISHIZU's laboratory, four students presented their research on the diagnosis and treatment of immune disorders in the professor's absence. The SSP participants engaged actively in discussions and exchanged ideas with the presenting students.
[September 29, 2025]
As the final part of the program, the SSP participants visited the Hokkaido Wine Center on campus, where they were welcomed by Prof. SONE Teruo, the Director of the Center. He provided an overview of various wine-making technologies, and the students had the opportunity to interact with him and ask questions about wine education and research. On the same day, the Certificate Award Ceremony was held in the presence of Prof. ISHIZU, Dean of the Graduate School of Health Sciences.
Overall, it was an engaging and well-organized program, with students actively participating in discussions and asking insightful questions. During their stay, they also enjoyed experiencing Hokkaido's early snow for the first time and tasting its famous local cuisine, including ramen. All participants departed happily for India early in the morning on September 30, 2025. We look forward to welcoming more students from around the world in the future and introducing them to the distinctive technologies and research excellence of Hokkaido University.
[Contact Information]
Dr. Gowda: gowda<at>hokudi.ac.jp (Please replace <at> with @, the at symbol)
Dr. Divyavani: divyavani<at>hokudai.ac.jp (Please replace <at> with @, the at symbol)