Perspective-led talks
Each 40-minute slot combines research, a 5–15 minute future perspective, and extended discussion.
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International symposium · Ishigaki Island
Vision on
Biophotonics 2026
Defining the Next Decade
19–22 August 2026
Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan
Art Hotel Ishigakijima
A closed symposium shaping the questions, instruments, and collaborations that will define the future of biophotonics.
Dates19–22 August 2026
LocationIshigaki Island, Okinawa
VenueArt Hotel Ishigakijima
Co-organized byBiophotonics Research Group
Supported byJST ASPIRE Program
Conference contactbiophotonics.science@gmail.com
01 / Overview
Beyond incremental progress.
Vision on Biophotonics 2026 brings together researchers across biophotonics, data science, hardware engineering, and biology.
Together, we will articulate the questions, datasets, instruments, and collaborations that can shape the next five to ten years of discovery and medical innovation.
Editor dialogue
An open conversation about how emerging fields become durable scientific stories.
Co-creation
Posters, group activities, and shared meals are designed to turn ideas into new collaborations.
02 / Program
Four days in Ishigaki
Day 1
Arrival & Welcome
Wednesday, 19 August
Registration / Setup
Conference room and registration desk
Art Hotel Ishigakijima
Day 2Perspectives & Posters
Thursday, 20 August
＋
Perspectives & Posters
Thursday, 20 August
Oral Session G1
Koseki J. Kobayashi-Kirschvink · Ryoichi Horisaki · Sadao Ota · Keiichi Nakagawa
Group Discussion
Lunch Break & Poster Session
Posters should be mounted by 12:00.
Oral Session G2
Nobuhiko Hamazaki · Takamasa Kudo · Ryosuke Kojima
Group Activity
Board game
Group Discussion
Optional organizer-supported dinner groups
Session chairs: Sadao Ota, Keiichi Nakagawa, Koseki J. Kobayashi-Kirschvink, Yuichiro Iwamoto, Akihiro Eguchi, and Natsuko Otaki
Day 3Perspectives, Editors & Industry
Friday, 21 August
＋
Perspectives, Editors & Industry
Friday, 21 August
Oral Session G3
Katsumasa Fujita · Wei Min · Lingyan Shi · Takuro Ideguchi
Group Discussion
Lunch Break & Poster Session
Poster voting continues through the end of Day 3.
Oral Session G4
Hirofumi Shintaku · Sam Peng · Kenji Kamimoto
Group Discussion
Editor Session
Guest: Spyros Goulas, former Scientific Editor at Developmental Cell
Industrial Session
Lasertec Corporation
Okinawan cuisine, sanshin music, and island songs at Agu-ya
Session chairs: Koseki J. Kobayashi-Kirschvink, Sadao Ota, Yuichiro Iwamoto, Ethan Taylor, and Natsuko Otaki
Day 4Closing & Awards
Saturday, 22 August
＋
Closing & Awards
Saturday, 22 August
Closing Remarks
Poster Awards
Break
Group Activity
03 / Speakers
Invited Speakers
Koseki J. Kobayashi-Kirschvink
Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago
Label-free Raman imaging · Live-cell omics · Single-cell genomics
Ryoichi Horisaki
Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
Computational imaging · Information photonics · AI photonics
Sadao Ota
Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
High-throughput cytometry · Microfluidics · AI-driven bioanalysis
Keiichi Nakagawa
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Ultrafast imaging · Biophotonics · Laser–tissue interactions
Nobuhiko Hamazaki
Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Genome Sciences, University of Washington
Developmental biology · Synthetic genomics · Stem-cell models
Takamasa Kudo
Genentech Research and Early Development
Optical pooled screening · Single-cell dynamics · Computational biology
Ryosuke Kojima
Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
Mammalian synthetic biology · Molecular imaging · Extracellular vesicles
Katsumasa Fujita
Department of Applied Physics, The University of Osaka
Raman microscopy · Label-free molecular imaging · Biomedical photonics
Wei Min
Department of Chemistry, Columbia University
Vibrational imaging · SRS microscopy · Chemical biology
Lingyan Shi
Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego
Metabolic nanoscopy · SRS microscopy · Biomedical imaging
Takuro Ideguchi
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo / RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics
Ultrafast spectroscopy · Nonlinear optics · Vibrational imaging
Hirofumi Shintaku
Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University
Micro/nanofluidics · Single-cell omics · Mechanical phenotyping
Sam Peng
Department of Chemistry, MIT / Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Single-molecule imaging · Nanoprobes · Molecular dynamics
Kenji Kamimoto
Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, The University of Osaka
Single-cell systems biology · Gene regulatory networks · Cell fate engineering
Editor Session Guest
Spyros Goulas
Former Scientific Editor, Developmental Cell
04 / Venue
The symposium takes place in the Hoshizuna conference room on the first floor of Art Hotel Ishigakijima.
559 Okawa, IshigakiOkinawa 907-0022, JapanVisit the hotel website
05 / Information
For participants
Practical information for poster presenters and symposium participants.
A0 portrait format
Prepare a portrait-oriented A0 poster (841 × 1189 mm). Printing will not be available at the venue, so please bring your printed poster.
- Mount by 12:00 on Thursday, 20 August.
- Sessions run 12:20–14:20 on Days 2 and 3.
- Poster numbers will be announced later.
- Best Poster Award voting closes at the end of Day 3.