During the two weeks from September 2, 2016 to September 15, 2016, I visited laboratories at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg and at Leipzig University in Germany at the same time as the 8th International Peptide Symposium and the 34th European Peptide Symposium were taking place. I observed the laboratories and exchanged notes with researchers.

Seminar presentation at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg

At Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, I visited the research institute to which Professor Cordelia Schiene-Fischer belongs. On this visit, I presented orally in a seminar format and was involved in a discussion in front of quite a few researchers belonging to both universities. After reporting content related to research on controlling the formation of metallic nanostructures in peptides (which are biomolecules), I received high acclaim for this research that fuses the fields of biomaterials and nanomaterials because it was of extremely high interest to the other researchers.

Laboratory visit at Leipzig University

At Leipzig University, I visited the laboratory of Professor Annette Beck-Sickinger, who worked as the sponsor for this year’s international peptide conference. Besides introducing my research content during this visit, I discussed with the hosts the state of science research and education, laboratory management, the atmosphere of a laboratory, and the design of research policies. I was able to learn both similarities and differences between Japanese and German researchers.
Through the discussions and opportunities to present my research outcomes, I believe that I was able to organize international exchanges, something that may be majorly involved in my life’s work from now on. In addition to obtaining cutting-edge findings in fields related to mine, I obtained guidance on trends and future research topics in global peptide research.

Report: Kenta Mine (2nd-term Student)