ASMRM 2019 (16th ASMRM) and J-Mit on Oct 3-5, 2019
Nov 01, 2018
Welcome to the 16th
ASMRM and 19th J-mit in Fukuoka, Japan
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to “Explore the
Mito-World!”. As the president of J-mit, I will organize the annual meeting of the
16th ASMRM jointed with the 19th J-mit in Fukuoka on Oct
3-5, 2019. The congress venue is Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel located in the commercial
and shopping center of Tenjin Area, Fukuoka, Japan. Holding the annual meeting
of ASMRM in Fukuoka will be the second time after the 10th ASMRM in
2010 organized by me!
The horizons of
mitochondrial medicine and research have been continuously expanded for the
last 50 years. Mitochondria were recognized as the powerhouse of the cells.
Since the first report in 1981 on the sequence and organization of human
mitochondrial genome, various pathogenic mutations in both the mitochondrial
and nuclear genome have been identified in various human disorders. Since
mitochondria play the central role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids,
and amino acids, alterations in mitochondrial functions, associated with
variations in the mitochondrial genome, have been implicated in various human
disorders, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, degenerative disorders and
aging, resulting in life-threatening events. Since mitochondria are regarded as
a major source of reactive oxygen species within the cells, the involvement of
mitochondrial damage has been hypothesized and verified to induce various
neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s
disease. The survey for mitochondrial involvement has been extended to bipolar
disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and autistic spectrum disorders.
If we investigate the
basic research fields, mitochondria have been identified as the key players
determining the fate of cells, necrosis or apoptosis. It is noteworthy that the
ROS production from the respiratory chain plays pivotal roles not only in the
control of proliferation and differentiation of cells but also in the
regulation of mitochondrial mass in the cells. The role of mitochondrial
nucleoid has been re-evaluated with respect to the maintenance and segregation
of mitochondrial genome in the cells. In addition, various new research trends
are emerging; we see the trends expanding to the mechanisms controlling the
quality of mitochondria in cells, including fission, fusion, and autophagy of
mitochondria.
There are neither
efficient diagnosing systems nor effective therapeutic methods for patients
with mitochondrial diseases. It is necessary for us to integrate our
understanding on the roles of mitochondria in physiological functions of cells
as well as on the mechanisms underlying various diseases and the aging process.
I would like to ask all the participants of the 16th Annual Meeting of Asian
Society for Mitochondrial Research and Medicine (ASMRM) to exchange mutually
novel research approaches and to discuss actively on the recent achievements.
The first meeting of
ASMRM was established at Seoul in 2003 under the leadership of the first president
of ASMRM, Prof. Hong-Kyu Lee at Seoul National University. Since then, the annual
meeting of ASMRM has been held every year in either Korea, Taiwan, China, or
Japan. Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the founding professors
who established this wonderful ASMRM.
Visit beautiful Fukuoka
and enjoy “Explore the Mito-World!”.
Yasutoshi Koga, MD, PhD
The Vice President of ASMRM
The President of J-mit
Professor of the
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kurume University School of
Medicine.
Home page of ASMRM 2019 in Fukuoka, Japanhttp://www.c-linkage.co.jp/asmrm16-jmit19